180. AROD: From Baseball Legend to NBA Team Owner | Sports, Real Estate and Venture Investing

Alex Rodriguez is not only one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, 22 seasons, 14 All-Star selections, and three American League MVP award, but also the founder and CEO of A-Rod Corp. Through A-Rod Corp, he has built a diversified platform across three pillars: sports, real estate, and venture capital. His portfolio spans ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, more than $2 billion invested in multifamily and other real estate, and over 60 venture investments in technology, fitness, media, and consumer brands.

In this episode, Rodriguez explains how his interest in investing began at a young age, shaped by both his upbringing and the hard data he studied about professional baseball careers. Growing up in a single-parent household, he watched his mother juggle two jobs to make ends meet, which instilled in him both a fear of financial insecurity and a drive to build long-term stability. He breaks down how he approaches each asset class, from viewing team ownership as a long-duration, low-leverage asset, to focusing on levered cash flows in real estate, to applying his “VCP” filter, Vision, Capital, People, for venture investments. He also shares the story of setting the then-record $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers in 2001 and how Warren Buffett personally insured the final years of that deal.

Finally he  talks about the importance of investing early and often, lessons he instilled in his daughters when they were in elementary school, and why it's so important to invest early and often. It’s a conversation that connects the mindset of an elite athlete with the discipline of a savvy investor.

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