Billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, has become an investor in the United Football League, which has a Hartford team, according to the San Francisco Business Times.
Cuban, who reportedly was approached about buying a franchise before the league started play in 2009, took a stake in the league because, “I didn’t want to take on the responsibility of a franchise,” he told ESPN.
Details of Cuban’s investment were not disclosed.
The United Football League, founded by San Francisco investment banker Bill Hambrecht, is preparing for its second season of play. The league also has teams in Orlando, Las Vegas, Sacramento and Omaha, Neb.
Along with Cuban and Hambrecht, other UFL investors include San Francisco financier Paul Pelosi, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and William Mayer, founder of Park Avenue Equity.
The 2010 UFL season begins Sept. 17 and ends with a championship game during the week of Thanksgiving. The majority of games will be played on Fridays and Saturdays.
