Business

Tech vets, pro athletes eyeing each other’s games

What is it with pro athletes and tech billionaires eyeing the other’s game?

It’s a bit understandable that jocks, with a relatively limited playing career and lots of disposable cash, would look to put some of that money to work in a growing and popular industry.

And the power and fame is alluring.

The reverse, it seems, is also true, as tech billionaires are showing their jock sides.

Consider, for example, the $2 billion that former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer plunked down for the NBA’s LA Clippers.

Of course, Ballmer is following in the footsteps of Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, who made his riches off PayPal.

And don’t forget Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who owns two professional sports teams: the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.

What’s next? A pro-athlete venture capital firm? Oh wait, that already exists thanks to Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and his Melo7, which also invested in SeatGeek.