Flying with the Angels
Arturo Moreno is one of America’s most successful Latin entrepreneurs. But will his business acumen keep the Anaheim Angels soaring?
By Angelique Flores

The new owner of the Anaheim Angels has been turning heads since becoming the first Hispanic to acquire controlling ownership of a baseball team. Recently, he decided to dress some of those heads—namely, some of the team’s executive heads—with red and silver sombreros bearing the Angels’ logo.

“This is going to be the new headwear for the Angels,” he joked at a recent media event. Few had heard of Arturo Moreno before he struck a deal this spring to buy baseball’s defending champions for more than $180 million from Disney. Yet the self-made billboard mogul had made history by entering the elite, 30-member fraternity of baseball owners. In 2002, Moreno ranked at 246 in Forbes’ 400 Richest Americans list; with his most recent purchase, Moreno is near the top of Sports Illustrated’s 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports, ranking fifth on the list.
Uncomfortable under the spotlight, Moreno vehemently guards his private life. Father of three, Moreno splits his family’s time between homes in Phoenix, Arizona and La Jolla, California. The 56-year-old (who insists on being called “Arte”—not “Mr. Moreno”) is a regular family man who likes sports, beer and a bowl of menudo after a rough night. He just happens to also be worth $940 million, according to Forbes.

“It’s sort of like the American dream,” Moreno said about his acquisition of the team created by the late Gene Autry, one of baseball’s most beloved owners. It’s a role he clearly enjoys. “You get to come to the ball park and have a free beer.”

A popular man, Moreno is best known for his manners, not his money; his wit, not his wallet. Though generous, Moreno never flaunts his wealth. Calm and cordial, his warmth and smile leaves no room for ego. If anything, he’s the first to poke fun at himself. But this down-to-earth Mexican-American businessman has become the first Hispanic to own the largest stake in a major U.S. sports franchise. “It’s a great thing for baseball and the Hispanic community, especially since this team’s in Anaheim,” said Angels shortstop Benji Gil, who was born in Tijuana, Mexico. Anaheim is one of 33 cities in Orange County, whose population is about one-third Hispanic. Trying to cater to that growing market, the Angels recently have added to their Spanish-language media, advertising and community outreach, according to Robert Alvarado, the Angels’ director of marketing.

Having Moreno at the helm may draw more Hispanic interest to the team and the game, Angels catcher Bengie Molina pointed out. It may also open more doors for Latinos to come in to all levels of baseball, he hopes.

Moreno, however, doesn’t see any special significance in his being Latino, nor does he feel a greater responsibility to Latinos than any owner might. “I’m a fourth-generation American. First thing is, I’m an American. I’m proud of being Mexican American,” he said. “We’re all Americans. Most of us are immigrants from some place.”

Though Moreno isn’t putting an extra focus on Hispanics, he hasn’t forgotten his roots, either. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Moreno grew up working in his parents’ print shop, where they published a Spanish-language newspaper. The oldest of 11 children, he came from a tight-knit family that barbecued and picnicked with the extended family on weekends. “We went to church stuffed in a station wagon together every Sunday,” he recalled.

Moreno still believes in those family values. He and his wife, Carole, are active members of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Phoenix, where the Moreno children attended school. At St. Thomas, Moreno coached his sons’ baseball, football and basketball teams. “He’d miss a meeting with the president to watch his kid in the game,” said Chris Del Conte, associate director of athletics at the University of Arizona. “His wife and children come first.” Del Conte even remembers having a meeting with Moreno while the mogul shuttled his children to various activities.

Before the family years, Moreno spent time in Vietnam during his stint with the U.S. Army (from 1966 to 1968). The first of his family’s generation to attend college, he graduated from the University of Arizona in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. An avid sports fan, he still attends many of his alma mater’s athletic games.

Out of college, Moreno went into the billboard business, working his way up from the bottom to senior manager at Gannett Outdoor. In 1984, he partnered with Bill Levine at Outdoor Systems, a small Phoenix-based billboard company. In short order, the two built it into one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in North America. In 1999, Moreno and Levine sold the company—the first billboard company ever to go public—to Infinity/CBS for $8.7 billion in stock. In 2000, the company merged with Viacom.
Moreno worked his way up to professional baseball ownership, too. In 1985, after sharing a few beers with some buddies, he and some friends decided to buy the former Salt Lake City Trappers, a Class A Pioneer League baseball team. During his seven years in Salt Lake, the Trappers won three championships, held a record 29 consecutive wins and broke minor league attendance records. “We worked real hard in the community and made sure the kids got in there,” he said.

Moreno made it into the big leagues in the mid ‘90s, when he became one of the original minority investors in the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also bought a stake in the Phoenix Suns, which he still has.

Given the track record, Moreno’s deal to buy the Angels was swiftly approved in May—one of the quickest approvals seen by officials who have been in the business for decades. “We think we’ve found a gem,” said Kevin Uhlich, the Angels’ senior vice-president of business operations.

Just days into his new role, Moreno was already busy trying to win over everyone who has a stake in the Angels—from the management team to the fans. Believing the game ultimately belongs to the fans, Moreno wants to make his home grandstand a kid-friendly place that’s affordable to the whole community. “My responsibility is to take care of the Angel fans,” he said.

He especially wants to reach out to people who might never experience a baseball game. He started doing so immediately. During one of his first days at the stadium as an owner, he met a man from Culiacán, Mexico, in the souvenir shop. After finding out the man didn’t have tickets, Moreno gave him some.

“He wants to appeal all across the board to both genders, rich, poor, black, green, red whatever,” said Tim Mead, Angels vice president of communications.

“We always want to increase our fan base,” said Moreno. “We’d like to reach out to all communities. Obviously, being Mexican American, I’d like to reach out to Mexican Americans too. I’d like everyone to be welcome here.”

Like Moreno, major league spokesman Richard Levin and other baseball officials are downplaying Moreno’s ethnicity. It’s his passion for the game, his business acumen and his sense of humor that they say impress them. Nevertheless, “diversity is very important to major league baseball,” said Levin. “Having a Hispanic owner is very significant to us, given the large Hispanic fan base and the number of Hispanic players.”

Among the relatively few Latinos that have moved up in the ranks in major league baseball are managers Felipe Alou of the San Francisco Giants, Tony Peña of the Kansas City Royals and Carlos Tosca of the Toronto Blue Jays. Omar Minaya of the Montreal Expos is the only Hispanic general manager.

Still, “he’s not here only for the Mexicans; he’s here for the team,” said Angels coach Orlando Mercado.

Moreno insists that, for now, he doesn’t plan on making major changes in the Angels organization—after all, he points out, general manager Bill Stoneman and manager Mike Scioscia led the Angels to their first World Series title last October. But one thing is certain: the fourth-generation Mexican American won’t sit passively in the executive suite. He didn’t become one of the world’s richest by letting somebody else call the shots. “Every night, I’ll take a lap or two [around the stadium] to see what’s going on,” he said.
One of his first decisions: lowering the $8.50 price tag on a beer. Moreno also jests that the next Angels press luncheon may include huevos rancheros and enchiladas on the menu.
“I love the game, but I’m going to try to run it as a business,” Moreno said.

Given his business success, that probably isn’t a bad idea.