A New Jersey native, Jozy Altidore grew up a New York Giants fan. But nowadays the former United States national team soccer player sports a different shade of red and blue.

Altidore recently joined the Buffalo Bills ownership group as a limited partner—part of a consortium of minority owners that includes former NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter. The 10 new limited partners, which includes private equity firm Arctos, bought roughly 20% of the franchise at a reported $5.8 billion valuation. Like Altidore, a former MLS star for Toronto FC, McGrady and Carter hold Canadian ties, having played in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors.

Using his cross-border connections, Altidore, who won an MLS Cup with Toronto in 2017, wants to assist Buffalo by bridging the gap between North American regions.

That includes creating more Buffalo Bills fans in the Great Lakes area. The third all-time leading scorer for the USMNT played seven seasons for Toronto FC. It was there Altidore realized the affinity some Toronto residents already have for the Bills, the closest NFL team by proximity. This includes his former TFC teammates who would regularly take a bus from the Toronto area to Buffalo, about a 115-mile trek, to catch football games.

“When you go and live in Toronto, the Buffalo Bills are your team, whether you like it or not,” he said in an interview. “It’s kind of crazy that it has evolved to this.”

The Bills sold a 10% stake to Arctos Partners, which already has equity in several pro teams across MLB, NBA, MLS and other sports leagues. The NFL approved private equity investment last fall.

Arctos managing partner Doc O’Connor has said that growing the number of Bills fans in Toronto, which has a metro-area population of 6.7 million, will help the firm secure a satisfactory return on its investment. Altidore, who is also an investor in emerging leagues TGL, NWSL (with Bay FC) and SailGP (through the United States team), wants to do his part to drive more connectivity within the region with early ideas of community events and various cross-border activations.

As Altidore courts Canadian NFL fans, his longtime supporters hope he can also improve the soccer culture in Buffalo as a side benefit of his Bills investment.

The local soccer community outreach to Altidore was heavy, he said, when it was announced that he would be joining the franchise as a limited partner. The Buffalo faction of the American Outlaws—a nonprofit and unofficial supporter of the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams—immediately reached about collaborating on potential events and pegging him as a celebrity who can help the region embrace soccer more.

The semi-pro National Premier Soccer League announced last week that the Buffalo Stallions will be joining the league. There also remains a push by local soccer supporters to bring an expansion USL Championship men’s team to Western New York.

Next year, the Bills will move to their new stadium, which they designed to host major events including soccer matches. The team hopes to one day host an international friendly, or even a World Cup match, at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Altidore said it would be a “welcomed conversation” if he’s asked to help with the bidding process to land a major soccer match in Buffalo. “It’s all fresh, but it would be great to bring that to the table one day as an opportunity to host a game,” he said.

By buying into the Bills, Altidore, Carter and McGrady joined the growing ranks of Black athletes in limited partner roles with NFL organizations. Their peers include F1 star Lewis Hamilton (Denver Broncos) and NBA legend Magic Johnson (Washington Commanders).

“This is something that the league office has been working on for a number of years,” NFL SVP chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said in a phone interview. “You have Jozy, Vince and T-Mac, but you also have incredible business leaders like [Acrew Capital co-founder] Theresia Gouw and others. They don’t run the clubs or have a lot of say. That’s the responsibility of the primary owner, but they can still have a presence and be part of the overall effort to be an inclusive organization.”

Shepherd Park Sports CEO Derrick Heggans lent a hand to Altidore before he became a limited partner in Buffalo. Heggans, a former NFL attorney with close ties to league owners, approached Altidore during the MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio, last year about the potential opportunity, and the process accelerated from there. Heggans also helped orchestrate a similar deal with a string of new, Black limited partners of the Atlanta Falcons that included Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes.

Altidore became enamored with the sports team acquisition process after he inquired about buying a stake in MLS team Real Salt Lake while he was still playing in MLS (though it eventually was sold to sports team owner David Blitzer and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith). He said he’s still interested in adding an MLS team to his portfolio, but in the meantime, he’s excited about wearing his new shade of red and blue.

“I’m all Bills now,” he said laughingly. “Giants who?”