The Walt Disney Company purchased the California Angels from Gene Autry in 1997. The company's ties to the team go back much further, however. Walt Disney sat on the team's board of directors as a good friend of Mr. Autry. It was the success of DISNEYLAND that encouraged Mr. Autry to relocate his team to Anaheim. Had Mr. Disney not passed away in 1966 he would have likely purchased a piece of the team; a sales agreement to buy a share of the Angels was discovered in Mr. Disney's desk after he had died.
After the Walt Disney Company purchased the team, the hope was to do more cross-promotion between DISNEYLAND and the team. Since the company had just purchased ESPN, there were also plans to launch a localized sports channel. These plans never came to fruition, but in 2002 the team did something magical that it had never managed to do before; it won the World Series! The celebration was magical, taking over both DISNEYLAND and Disney California Adventure. It was a unforgettable day!
The company eventually sold the team, but the memories and the magic live on. Anaheim Angels- A.O.K!
