Dodgers Franchisees File Divorce, Battle to Kick Spouse Out

The husband and wife franchise owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team are at war with each other.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has fired wife Jamie [a co-owner of the franchise] as CEO of the team, the first shot in what promises to be bitter battle over the storied baseball team, SI.com has learned. Jamie McCourt was fired within the last two days, according to several sources.

Frank owns 50% of the team, as does wife Jamie. But in better days Jamie signed a contract that gave full control to her soon-to-be former husband. Both Jamie and Frank would like to own the Dodgers separately. The Dodgers team is a business format franchise that has been licensed by and pay royalties to Major League Baseball, a franchisor of 30 premier major teams and many second-tier minor league units.