Qatar based investor now owns stake in NHL team

The Qatari Investment Authority is reportedly buying a minority stake in Washington Capitals' and Washington Wizards' parent Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

This marks the first time that a sovereign fund has invested in major U.S. team sports, a trend that seems to be gaining steam elsewhere in the sporting world. 

If you know anything about the Saudi Arabian backed ownership of sports teams/leagues like LIV Golf and Manchester City FC, this news should make you a bit nervous. Sure, the Qataris have more money than God, but the country's lack of concern for basic human rights has to give you second thoughts as a supporter. It's one thing to support an NHL team owned by some douchebag billionaire, it's quite another to support a team that's owned by an oppressive regime that actively enslaves its own citizens.

Frankly, the idea of foreign money invading the NHL is a touchy subject and I suspect I'll be called every name in the book for holding my opinion. That's fine, I'm not concerned what anyone thinks of me because I know who I am in my heart. Personally, I think it's very short-sighted for the NHL to engage in partnerships with owners outside of North America. There's simply no way that an owner in Doha, Qatar can have the best interests of a hockey team in Washington, D.C. Period. The Qatari's are in this for money, pure and simple. And when you have owners or an ownership group with no local ties, whose sole reason for investing is to turn a profit, then you lose control over what should truly matter with a sports franchise.

I'm not saying that the NHL should ban foreign ownership, I'm just saying that the league should be cautious when choosing who it does business with.