Transfer Of Ownership Shares Not An Indication Of Sale

Mariners Exec Assures Fans That Team Is Not For Sale

Mariners execs said that the transfer of Mariners ownership shares from former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi to Nintendo of America “is not the precursor of a sale of the team,” according to Bob Finnigan of the SEATTLE TIMES. Mariners CEO & Nintendo BOD member Howard Lincoln said the transfer “was no more than simple estate planning” for Yamauchi. Lincoln: “Nothing has changed by this transfer. The fans of the Seattle Mariners will see or feel no difference whatsoever in the way our ballclub is operated. ... There will be no changes in ownership.” Mariners President Chuck Armstrong added, “MLB has always regarded Nintendo shares and Mr. Yamauchi’s shares as essentially one entity; therefore, when this transaction was reported to MLB, there was no vote of owners on it. Nothing had changed in the eyes of [MLB]” (SEATTLE TIMES, 11/30).