Pro sports gambler buys childhood team and turns them into real life “Moneyball” powerhouse

We’re gonna hazard a guess and say that if you’re familiar with the term ‘moneyball’ you’ve considered trying to make it work. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not suggesting you have the money to do it, we’re just saying that you’re probably wondering what it’d be like if you did. The reason for that is pretty simple: when it pays off, it pays off big-time. Fortunately, there are people out there who’ve done it – one of whom is Brentford FC Owner Matthew Benham. This bloke turned a $700,000 investment into more than 300 million. Check it out…

All right, we’re not gonna sit here and rehash everything that you can read down below, but we will point out that this is a pretty f**ken remarkable story. Of course, it couldn’t be done without a little capital – and this really is an example of a bloke who’s living the dream, but still…

It’s pretty f**ken rad.

A professional sports gambler used analytics to turn a $700,000 loan into more than $300 million.

This is the wild story 👇👇👇

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

To give you the context on this one, Brentford will play in the English Premier League this coming season. That’s the biggest soccer league in England, and it’s home to some of the world’s biggest players.

1) Let's start with some history…

Matthew Benham graduated from the world-renowned University of Oxford in 1989 with a degree in Physics.

He spent the next 12 years working in finance, eventually being named a VP at Bank of America.

But in 2001, he decided to change careers. pic.twitter.com/VHkJzLOjXA

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

3) After only a couple years, Matthew Benham and Tony Bloom had a falling out.

The exact reason why isn't clear, but by the time Benham left Premier Bet in 2003, the fire was already lit.

He wasn’t going back to investment banking.

He was a professional sports gambler now.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

Now, you might be shrugging your shoulders and saying, ‘yeah, but so what.’ And you’d be forgiven for thinking that. After all, that league’s got like twenty teams, so someone’s gotta be in it.

5) Smartodds became a massive success, and Matthew Benham now also owns Matchbook, a popular sports betting exchange.

Even better?

With financial freedom, Benham was able to pursue his other passion — Brentford FC.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

7) When Matthew Benham provided the $700,000 loan, he had the option to purchase the club should the fans choose not to repay the loan.

In 2012, the fans declined & Benham became the owner of his childhood team.

The interesting part?

He decided to play "Moneyball." pic.twitter.com/nukU4E5WNn

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

9) Benham fired staff members, bringing in more analytically-minded people that lacked traditional experience.

The club also stopped caring about wins & losses.

Instead, they developed a set of key performance indicators that determined if they were making progress or not.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

The thing is, the tiered football system in England means there are 92 teams in the top four leagues. When Benham took over at Brentford, they were facing relegation from Football League Two, the fourth tier division.

11) Brentford's most drastic move?

While the top clubs in the world were investing millions of dollars in their youth academies, Brentford decided to eliminate theirs completely.

Instead, they relied on a “B team” of 17-to-20-yr-olds that were rendered useless by other clubs.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

13) This allowed them to find undervalued players, or market inefficiencies, that could come in, help the club win & be sold for record profits.

Said Benrahma
• Bought: $3.8M
• Sold: $40M

Ollie Watkins
• Bought: $2.3M
• Sold: $36M

Neal Maupay
• Bought: $2.1M
• Sold: $26M

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

15) The true financial impact of Premier League promotion depends on how long Brentford can stay in England’s top league.

If they get relegated after 1 year, they'll make ~$300M.

If they can stay up for a 2nd year, they'll make $400M+.

The longer they stay, the more they make.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

So, basically, they were right at the bottom of those 92 teams. Now, with promotion to the Premier League, they’re in the top twenty, and they’re in the money – even if they do find themselves relegated back a division at the end of the coming season.

Not bad work if you can get it.

16) In a sport that has historically refused the analytical revolution, Matthew Benham decided to shake things up.

He saved his childhood team from bankruptcy, used his experience in analytics to create a competitive advantage & turned a $700k loan into $300M+.

That's amazing. pic.twitter.com/X3vsjFkxIe

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021

Final thought: Yeah, f**k it, let’s spend a bit of time dreaming. What’s your sporting fantasy? Let us know in the comments section and we’ll all send a bit of positive thinking your way.

Just in case you missed it, here’s one of Ozzy’s latest commentary videos…Ozzy Man Reviews: Getting Shat On

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