< Why are so many rich Americans investing in British soccer teams?

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Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady, LeBron James, Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds have all invested in British soccer teams. They're part of a trend. Half of English Football League teams are now partly or wholly owned by Americans. Imagine. NPR's Robbie Griffiths went out to a game to find out why.

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ROBBIE GRIFFITHS, BYLINE: Nestled on Britain's south coast in the county of Dorset, Bournemouth is a quintessential English seaside town known for its sandy beach and fish and chips.

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GRIFFITHS: Tonight, Bournemouth men's soccer team, known as The Cherries, are hosting Fulham, London's oldest professional club, in a tightly contested Premier League match.

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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #1: And your Cherries, AFC Bournemouth.

GRIFFITHS: But there's a twist. Although these two soccer teams might seem as English as they come, they are both owned by Americans. And they are not alone. Teams like Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, with fans around the world, all have American owners.

JIM FREVOLA: It's a much more affordable option into a high level of major sport.

GRIFFITHS: Jim Frevola is Bournemouth's president of business operations. He moved from America to Bournemouth three years ago to help run the club for billionaire owner Bill Foley. Frevola explains that it's more affordable for rich Americans to invest in smaller British soccer teams and work on growing them than to buy sports franchises back in the USA, comparing prices to the NFL and NBA.

FREVOLA: Teams are going for $6 billion, $8 billion, where you could buy, you know, teams in the Premier League for a much more affordable opportunity. And it's the best league in the world of the best sports - the best sport in the world.

GRIFFITHS: In fact, half of the 72 teams in the English Football League have some American ownership, and Americans are also investing in teams in Scotland and across Europe. There are so many U.S. owners of British soccer clubs that many of them are in a WhatsApp group where they compare notes.

KEVIN NAGLE: Well, here's the thing. I guess instead of saying the British are coming, we say the Americans are coming. Right?

GRIFFITHS: Health care and real estate investor Kevin Nagle is the owner of Huddersfield, a third-division team in Yorkshire. Nagel also owns a soccer team in Sacramento. But like Jim Frevola, he says there's something special about the richness of British soccer history.

NAGLE: It's just amazing when we see a lot of our fans because their great, great, great grandparents, you know, were watching the team play. Do we love our soccer in the U.S.? Yes. But do we have the traditions in the U.K.? Absolutely not.

GRIFFITHS: The involvement of several U.S. celebrities has brought extra attention to British soccer teams. Actor Will Ferrell has invested in Leeds, rapper Snoop Dogg in Swansea, and basketball player LeBron James in Liverpool. Some have even made TV shows about their teams.

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RYAN REYNOLDS: (As self) To make a diamond, you have to have pressure.

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ROB MCELHENNEY: (As self) What could possibly go wrong?

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CHANNING TATUM: (As self) I'm very much into this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FANS: (Shouting) Yeah.

REYNOLDS: (As himself) Football.

MCELHENNEY: (As self) Football.

GRIFFITHS: That's Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and fellow actor and producer Rob McElhenney in their documentary about buying the Welsh franchise Wrexham.

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JASON SUDEIKIS: (As Ted Lasso) And all you fellas need to do is believe it.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters) Ooh.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Coach, no. It's a sign.

GRIFFITHS: TV fiction has also boosted American interest in British soccer. This is the hugely successful TV dramedy "Ted Lasso," about an American college football coach who is hired to manage a London soccer team. But it's the real-world Americans - notably celebrities - who seem to be making the difference.

CHRISTINA PHILIPPOU: They are able to effectively use their status to enhance the image of the club and help bring in more external income, particularly around commercial partnerships.

GRIFFITHS: Christina Philippou, an associate professor in accounting and sports finance at the University of Portsmouth, said the celebrity involvement - usually a minority stake - helps with sponsorship. She explains that while English football has seen investment from Russians and the Gulf countries over the years, the new U.S. owners have made it more commercial, as well as making other changes.

PHILIPPOU: We've seen a little bit more investment in women's football, as well, within club level. Part of it is American money because traditionally, they've been more interested in women's football as well.

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GRIFFITHS: Back in a pub in Bournemouth, some soccer fans having a pint were worried that American investors would want to change their game somehow. But most, like life-long Bournemouth supporter Dom Webb, said they are happy. The U.S. owners have raised ticket prices, but are also upgrading the stadium and signing better players.

DOM WEBB: It's been incredible. We've got really solid foundations now. And, like, it feels like the sky's the limit, really.

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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #2: Semenyo.

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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #2: The Cherries are heading to second in the Premier League.

GRIFFITHS: In the driving English rain, Bournemouth come from behind to beat Fulham 3-1, and the crowd goes wild. Bournemouth supporters say as long as their team keeps winning, they will keep backing their American owners.

Robbie Griffiths, NPR News, Bournemouth.

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