Ryan Reynolds wants to expand his sports empire. Will Snoop stop him?

J ust a few months ago, the idea that multiple celebrities would be anxious to buy the Ottawa Senators might have seemed a tad ridiculous. Yet, here we are. Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd are each part of different offers being considered for the NHL team, which was recently valued at $800m by Forbes despite reaching the playoffs just twice in the last 10 seasons. The Senators are currently owned by the estate of Eugene Melnyk, who died in March 2022, and will only sell to a group willing to keep the team in Ottawa – although most likely in a stadium a bit closer to downtown.

It’s hardly unheard of for celebrities to buy into sports teams. In fact, Reynolds and Snoop are both already heavily involved in sports. Reynolds has attracted huge amounts of publicity as part-owner of Welsh soccer club Wrexham FC, which he acquired alongside another actor, Rob McElhenney. For his part, Snoop has successfully launched youth football and basketball leagues. As for The Weeknd? He’s new to this.

Here’s a look at each celebrity-tied bid. The NHL hopes to find a new owner by the start of July.

Reported bid value: More than $1bn.

The sell: While the fact that Reynolds wants to own the Senators has been widely discussed, it’s still not very clear why. The closest he has come to an explanation was last fall during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “I grew up in Vancouver, which has my heart always, but I also grew up in Ottawa,” Reynolds said, noting he’d spent time in Vanier, a suburb of the city.

In November, Reynolds popped up at a Senators game, where he received a standing ovation. In March, Reynolds paid a visit to Ottawa’s mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, who was vague when asked what they covered during their