Arte Moreno facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arturo Moreno
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Moreno in 2007
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| Born | August 14, 1946 Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
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| Education | University of Arizona (BS) |
| Known for | CEO of Outdoor Systems; owner of Los Angeles Angels |
| Parent(s) | Mary and Arturo Ricardo Moreno |
Arturo "Arte" Moreno (born August 14, 1946) is an American businessman. He made history on May 15, 2003, when he became the first Mexican-American to own a major sports team in the United States. He bought the Anaheim Angels baseball team from the Walt Disney Company. In 2022, he thought about selling the team, but in 2023, he decided to keep it.
Contents
Early Life and School
Arte Moreno grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He was the oldest of 11 children in his family. His parents, Maria and Arturo Moreno, came from Mexico. His dad ran a small print shop, and his grandfather owned Tucson's first Spanish-language newspaper.
After finishing high school in 1965, Moreno joined the United States Army in 1966. He served in the Vietnam War. When he returned in 1968, he went to the University of Arizona. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in marketing.
His Career
Working in Advertising
After college, Moreno started working at an advertising company called Eller Outdoor. For seven years, he moved around the country for his job. In 1984, he moved back to Phoenix. He joined a billboard company called Outdoor Systems.
Moreno and his friend Wally Kelly tried to buy the company in 1984, but it didn't work out. Instead, Moreno became a partner with the owner, William S. Levine. Later, Moreno became the president and CEO of Outdoor Systems. In 1996, Moreno made Outdoor Systems a public company, meaning its shares could be bought and sold by anyone. The company did very well, and in 1998, it was sold for a huge amount of money.
Owning a Baseball Team
Moreno loved baseball. In 1986, he bought a minor league team called the Salt Lake Trappers with 17 other investors. They owned the team until 1992, and it was a big success.
By 2001, Moreno wanted to own a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. He tried to buy the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team in his home state, but the deal didn't happen. He then looked at the 2002 World Series champion Anaheim Angels.
In April 2003, it was announced that Moreno would buy the Angels from The Walt Disney Company for $180 million. On May 15, 2003, the sale was approved. Moreno became the owner of a Major League Baseball team.
As Angels Owner
Moreno quickly showed he was willing to spend money to get great players, like star outfielder Vladimir Guerrero. He also liked to be involved with the team. He often went to home games and would even leave his special owner's box to talk with fans in the regular seats. Fans really liked these actions. In his first year as owner, the Angels had over three million fans attend their games. This was 750,000 more than when they won the championship!
However, Moreno faced some issues when he decided to change the team's name in 2005. He changed it from the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Moreno wanted the team to be linked to the whole Los Angeles area to make more money. But this made the city of Anaheim, California and many fans in Orange County, California very upset. They were proud of the team being from Anaheim. The city even sued the team, but the team eventually won the lawsuit.
Despite the name change issue, Moreno's first few years as owner were mostly successful. The team had winning seasons for three years in a row (2007–2009). They also won their division (American League Western Division) in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2014. In 2014, they had 98 wins, which was the most in the league.
Even with star players like Albert Pujols and Mike Trout, the Angels struggled to reach the playoffs or win a playoff game after 2014. From 2010 to 2022, they didn't win a single playoff game. This was despite spending over $500 million on big contracts for players like Pujols, Anthony Rendon, and Josh Hamilton. In 2022, the team had its seventh losing season in a row, matching a team record.
Just before the 2006 baseball season, Moreno made a good deal for the team's TV rights with Fox Sports Net. This ten-year deal greatly increased the money the team made from television. In 2006, Forbes magazine said the team was worth $368 million. This was twice what Moreno paid for it just three years earlier! By 2018, Forbes estimated the team was worth $1.75 billion.
In October 2020, Moreno's company agreed to buy Angel Stadium and the land around it from the City of Anaheim. However, in May 2022, the city council decided to cancel the sale.
On August 23, 2022, Moreno announced he was thinking about selling the Angels team. Forbes magazine had estimated the team was worth $2.2 billion in March 2022. However, Moreno later changed his mind and decided to keep the team.
During his time as owner, the Angels had a strong period from 2004 to 2009, winning their division five times. But they never reached the World Series. After 2014, the team struggled. From 2016 to 2024, the Angels had losing seasons and missed the playoffs every year. This happened even though they had MVP players like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the team. This eight-year losing streak is the longest in Angels history under Moreno's leadership.
In 2023, the Angels lost two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani to another team. This led to more criticism from fans who felt the team could have done better with both Trout and Ohtani.
Other Business Interests
In 2006, Moreno led a group that bought Radio 830 KMXE. This was the biggest Spanish-language AM radio station in the country. For two seasons, this station broadcasted Angels games in Spanish. In 2007, the station moved its studios to Angel Stadium. Before the 2008 season, the station became AM830 KLAA (AM) and started broadcasting in English, including the Angels games.
It's becoming more common for sports teams to own their own radio stations. For the Angels, this is a tradition that started with the team's founder, Gene Autry, who owned a radio station and broadcasted the games for many years.
Personal Life
Moreno has been married twice and has three children.
In 1997, Moreno and his wife started the Moreno Family Foundation. This foundation helps non-profit groups that focus on young people and education. It also supports sports programs at the University of Arizona.
Moreno likes to keep his personal life private. He usually doesn't give interviews about it. His family and friends also don't talk about his private life in public.
Images for kids
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Moreno in 2007
