Tigers fans have questions about team's future from Chris Ilitch's impending divorce

This is not looking good for either the Detroit Tigers or the Detroit Red Wings at all. With majority owner Chris Ilitch and his wife Kelle heading to a divorce, fans of both Detroit professional sports teams are wondering what this means for the MLB and NHL franchises the Ilitches own. Chris Ilitich inherited both of these franchises from his late father Mike, who also founded Little Caesars Pizza.

While it is not up to me to understand the impending litigation at hand or the nature of their divorce proceedings, all I know is some of the extra money that could have been used to help field winning franchises on the baseball diamond and the hockey rink are not going to be as readily available. Surely, there are some stipulations baked into team ownership should a divorce were to ever occur.

Though I do not follow the NHL, I know that Mike Ilitich bought the team in the 1980s and helped transformed the Red Wings into one of the league's best in the 1990s and 2000s. The Red Wings have fallen on hard times in the wake of his passing, but they are still an Original Six franchise. As for the Tigers, they are coming off their best season in over a decade. The team is ready to win right now.

We did see Frank McCourt eventually sell the Los Angeles Dodgers in the aftermath of his divorce.

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Chris Ilitich's impeding divorce may impact his Detroit Tigers ownership

No, I do not think that this is going to end up like Major League or some other nonsense in that comedic vein. I would be shocked if the Tigers ever left Detroit. They have been in this city for as long as time itself. In truth, the divorce may afford whoever ends up being the majority owner a greater emphasis to eventually invest more in the franchise. The big question is if that person is even Ilitch.

Financial struggles lead people to do any number of crazy things. Sports ownership is the epitome of luxury, but it is also the best investment a billionaire can make. When something can grow and outperform even the S&P 500 year over year over year, you have to consider all your options. Overall, I struggle to see the Ilitches losing the Tigers or the Red Wings in the divorce, but things may change.

For the time being, the only thing I can definitively say is the Tigers and the Red Wings are not going to be big spenders while the franchises are locked up in divorce proceedings. Little Caesars may be the belle of the ball, but every asset must accounted for and hashed out accordingly. The real shame in all this is the Tigers are finally good again. I am afraid the divorce pulls the franchise back just a bit.

In the meantime, let's keep close tabs on the impending divorce and how it impacts both franchises.