Peter Seidler was a businessman and philanthropist who owned the MLB team the San Diego Padres.
- Died: November 14, 2023 (Who else died on November 14?)
- Details of death: Died in San Diego at the age of 63.
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Peter Seidler’s legacy
Owning baseball teams ran in Seidler’s family – his grandfather, Walter O’Malley, was the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and his uncle, Peter O’Malley, owned the Los Angeles Dodgers during their climb back into relevance in the 1980s. Siedler did not go right into baseball, however. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), then launched a private equity firm, Seidler Equity Partners, in 1992.
In 2012, Seidler followed the family tradition and took the plunge into team ownership. He partnered with Peter O’Malley and Ron Fowler to form the O’Malley Group, which in turn purchased the San Diego Padres. They collectively owned the team until 2020, when Seidler bought out Fowler’s shares to become the primary owner. An avid baseball fan, he pumped a considerable amount of money into the team. Their payroll increased to the sixth highest in the sport in 2022, and the third highest in 2023. In 2022, the team went to its first League Championship Series in 24 years. Seidler’s devotion to winning earned him the trust of fans and players alike.
When not involved in ownership, Seidler focused on charitable efforts. He formed the Tuesday Group, an organization of business and civic leaders in San Diego who discussed ways to support unhoused people in the city. He also helped raise over $18 million for cancer research via “Pedal the Cause,” among other philanthropic efforts.
Notable quote
“We’re gonna have every chance to be in the mix for the World Series every single year. And so that gives me some kind of serious long-term comfort.”—from a July 2023 interview in the San Diego Union-Tribune
Tributes to Peter Seidler
Full obituary: The San Diego Union-Tribune
