(JTA) - Josh Harris already owned parts of professional sports teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL and the English Premier League.

But when the opportunity arose to purchase his hometown Washington Commanders, the Chevy Chase, Maryland, native said it was "bashert," using the Yiddish word for fate.

Harris, a co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which manages over $500 billion in assets globally, bought the Commanders earlier this year from embattled Jewish owner Daniel Snyder for $6.05 billion - a record for a North American sports franchise. The sale was approved by the NFL...