Jewish owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders Josh Harris. Photo: Lady Philly via Wikimedia Commons

Josh Harris, the new Jewish owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, said last week he believes it was meant to be that he own his hometown’s professional football team.

“I’m a man of faith, I’m Jewish, and I would call this bashert,” he told Sports Illustrated, using a Hebrew word which refers to one’s destined soulmate. “The fact that I was able to end up owning, being part of and stewarding for this city, my hometown franchise, in the NFL, is something I never could’ve imagined in my wildest dreams. I’m humbled. It’s like I’m on some greater mission that I don’t understand.”

Harris was officially approved as the new owner of the Commanders on July 20, replacing former owner Dan Snyder, and paid $6.05 billion for the team. He is already managing partner of the professional basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers; co-managing partner and vice chairman of the New Jersey Devils hockey team; and general partner of South London’s professional soccer team Crystal Palace, which competes in the Premier League.

Harris, whose mother and cousins still live in Washington, also told Sports Illustrated that owning his hometown’s NFL team is “a very personal moment that brings me back to my childhood in Chevy Chase,” which is the neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC, where he grew up.

The Commanders have not made it to the NFL playoffs the last two seasons and failed to finished over .500 since 2016. Harris’ first training camp as owner of the Commanders began this week and he told Sports Illustrated he definitely feels the pressure to make sure his team performs to the best of their ability.

“I’m a middle-class kid from Chevy Chase; this is an exciting day for me,” he explained. “But honestly, it’s not about me. It’s about the city and the fans. So I’ll just tell you that I feel an awesome sense of responsibility to deliver. And so as much as this is exciting, I’m having some sleepless nights because I’m thinking already about how I can deliver. I know there’s a lot of hard work coming.”