It’s not the first time — and certainly won’t be the last — that Reinsdorf has been embroiled in reports and rumors of interest in either offloading or moving the White Sox. His tenure as owner is the second-longest in Major League Baseball behind the Steinbrenner family, which has owned the Yankees since 1973. Ownership of the White Sox has clearly become a contentious issue for Reinsdorf in recent years.
But could he consider a similar path for the Bulls as well? The quick answer: it’s extremely unlikely. The long answer is more complicated — and a reflection of the disparity between MLB and NBA ownership, both in Chicago and across both leagues at large. The White Sox were Reinsdorf’s first sports endeavor in Chicago.
He purchased the team for roughly $20 million in 1981, then acquired the Bulls for $16 million in 1985. Reinsdorf rounded out his investments in Chicago sports with the joint construction of the United Center in 1992, which was shared equally with the Blackhawks ownership group. While the early decades of the family’s Bulls ownership were jubilant with the success of the Michael Jordan era, it’s always been assumed that Reinsdorf held a favorite between his two teams.
A report from The Athletic earlier this year stated Reinsdorf told staffers “without hesitation” that he would rather see the White Sox win a title than the Bulls. That apparent favoritism hasn’t actually translated into any higher level of success for the White Sox.
