One major sports team’s success is dependent entirely on Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson isn’t defined by just his songs, but his success elsewhere in the media sphere. Alternatively, just as Michael Jackson is defined by more than just his music career, his failures are just as vital to pop culture.
Per Relix, such pivotal failure for Michael Jackson would change the sports world forever, as one bad tour led to Robert Kraft buying the New England Patriots. Robert Kraft is the NFL owner who has served as the CEO of the New England Patriots ever since 1994, but he would never have considered investing in football if he first did not bet on a tour for the Jacksons.
Many of Michael Jackson’s tours have been lauded among the best music tours of the century they took place on, but his biggest flop produced dollar signs for someone else.
The Jacksons’ Victory Tour Led To The New England Patriots’ Owner Selling The Team
Michael Jackson’s Worst Tour Paid Dividends for Robert Kraft
One decade before Robert Kraft bought the New England Patriots, Michael Jackson and his family tree would reunite for the Victory Tour, running from July to December 1984 and named after their 15th album together. In anticipation for the tour, Chuck Sullivan, the man who owned the New England Patriots at the time, convinced the family to bring their tour to Sullivan Stadium, the Patriots’ home. Sullivan was so convinced the tour would be a booming success that he decided to produce the entire run. This proved to be a costly mistake worth $20 million, the equivalent of more than $60 million today.
For the first half of the Victory Tour, Jackie Jackson was out suffering a leg injury, turning the Jacksons reunion into a Jackson Five reunion at least momentarily.
The Sullivan family was nearing bankruptcy by the time the tour ended, made all the worse as Chuck’s wife was divorcing him. He would sell the team to Victor Kiam in 1988, who would then sell the team to James Orthwein in 1992 due to additional financial struggles. The Patriots struggled to remain afloat, lapsing into another bankruptcy. In the midst of all this, also in 1988, Sullivan sold the stadium to Robert Kraft, but the stadium came with a lease to the Patriots that he’d purchase in a $172 million hostile takeover in 1994. The rest is history.
What Caused The Jacksons’ Victory Tour To Fail So Badly?
The Tour Conflicted with Michael Jackson’s Newfound Superstardom
The Jacksons’ reunion was plagued by a flurry of problems. One of those problems was bad timing, as in 1984, Michael Jackson was experiencing his breakout as a superstar. MJ had just released his Thriller short film and accompanying album. Audiences worldwide became obsessed with him overnight, to the point that most fans were viewing this as more of a tour for the Thriller album than for Victory. Jealousy from his brothers was one of the contributing factors to in-fighting within the group and in meetings, to the point that they weren’t even speaking to each other before performances.
MJ was so disgruntled about working with his brothers and anxious to embark on his solo career that during one performance, he’d announce that he was leaving the band without any of his brothers knowing he would say this. Much of their arguments and tension was all for naught, and several shows, like those at the Sullivan Stadium, failed to sell out and some dates canceled. As Michael Jackson’s star was on the rise, the Jacksons as a collective was fading, but not worse than Chuck Sullivan’s status as a New England Patriots owner.
Source: Relix
The Failure Of Michael Jackson’s Last Tour With His Brothers Paved The Way For One Of Sports’ Greatest Franchises In History
