Old Glory DC, the Washington space’s skilled rugby crew, will play its first house sport of the season Saturday and the crew has a brand new minority proprietor who simply so occurs to be a famous person.

Verdine White, veteran member of soul band Earth, Wind & Fire, is making his first enterprise into sports activities possession.

“My good buddy forever, Paxton Baker, involved me in it, and we’ve been talking about it for quite some time. I told him I wanted to jump in with him. I’m a sports fanatic anyway,” White instructed WTOP.

Baker is a enterprise govt and owns a stake within the Washington Nationals and Old Glory DC.

One of the explanations White was considering investing in Old Glory DC is his affinity for the District.

“We’ve been coming to D.C. forever. D.C. is kind of like where Earth, Wind & Fire got launched,” stated White. “You know, we really broke big in D.C. And it’s always been like a second home to us. … In the beginning of our career, we were going to move to D.C. because we were playing there so much.”

White is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a 2019 Kennedy Center honoree.

But why rugby?

“I thought it was sexy … because it was from overseas,” stated White. “I thought that was really great. It’s now in a new generation, people are really getting into it … and I wanted to … be part of it.”

It was a thrill for the music famous person to just lately be acknowledged as a sports activities entrepreneur by none apart from basketball nice Magic Johnson, who’s additionally a minority proprietor of the Washington Commanders.

“I did see Magic and he gave me a big hug. I thought that was the biggest compliment, that he noticed me outside of music. … I was elated,” stated White.

White, a veteran of the live performance stage, is keen to see the crew reach its fifth season in Major League Rugby and stated he is able to develop in his first enterprise into sports activities possession.

“I think (Old Glory DC is) a tough team … I can’t wait to sit in the stands … support the team and I’m learning as I go,” stated White. “I’m always open for challenge. … Whenever you’re involved in anything, it’s going to be a challenge and that’s what I love about it.”

Old Glory DC, which reached the playoffs final yr, hosts the Chicago Hounds Saturday at 4 p.m. on the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds.

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