Baseball has walk-up songs for hitters. Kwanza Jones apparently decided principal owners could use one, too.
When Jones and her husband and business partner, José E. Feliciano, made their formal debut as the new San Diego Padres owners at Petco Park on Aug. 24, the first thing the room heard was a Padres-themed track Jones had written and recorded herself. It was an unmistakably personal opening to an ownership era built around one of the biggest sports transactions of the year.
The music was not a random flourish. Jones has worked as a singer-songwriter as well as an investor and entrepreneur, and she said the new track was inspired in part by Fernando Tatis Jr.'s recent home-run robbery in New York. The song's message matched the rest of the event: the new owners are presenting themselves as fully committed to the club and eager to chase the championship San Diego has never won.
Three days earlier, the ownership transaction formally closed after Major League Baseball's owners unanimously approved the transfer of control on Aug. 17. Jones and Feliciano now jointly lead the Padres ownership group. Feliciano is the team's official control person, while Jones holds the title of principal owner.
The deal carried a $3.9 billion valuation, an MLB record for a control transfer. For Jones, it also created a milestone that goes beyond the price tag: she is the first Black woman to become a majority owner of a Major League Baseball team.
That history sat alongside the lighter moments Monday. Jones arrived with the energy of someone who understands performance and branding, while Feliciano played the straight man at points. He chose No. 21 for his Padres jersey in honor of Roberto Clemente, the Puerto Rican baseball icon. Jones chose No. 00, a number she associated with having no limits.
But beneath the personalized jerseys and entrance song was a serious ownership message. Feliciano said the team needs to win a World Series and described a financial philosophy that mixes discipline with selective aggression. The Padres, he said, will live within their means, though those means can change depending on the year, and the ownership group will make major investments when they make sense for the club's long-term health.
That is a notable shift in tone from the image the Padres built under the late Peter Seidler, when San Diego became one of baseball's boldest spenders. The new owners did not reject that ambition. In fact, they repeatedly embraced the same end goal. They simply framed the path as one that has to support the organization over time.
Jones and Feliciano are not arriving cold to the sports world. Both are minority investors in the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. Feliciano is also a co-controlling owner of Chelsea F.C. of the English Premier League. Still, leading an MLB ownership group makes the Padres a different kind of platform — one where business decisions, sports culture and local identity all collide in public.
Jones appears especially interested in that cultural side of the job. The Padres describe her as a former NCAA Division I athlete, and her public comments have emphasized the idea that sports can connect people and communities. The fact that she chose to introduce herself with original music made that philosophy visible before she even answered a question.
The Padres are keeping their existing executive leadership in place for now. CEO Erik Greupner and president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller remain responsible for day-to-day operations, which means the transition starts with continuity on the baseball side rather than immediate disruption.
That leaves Jones and Feliciano free to define what kind of owners they want to become. Their first appearance was part press conference, part performance and part statement of intent. It gave fans a memorable image, but it also set a high bar. Championship promises have a way of following owners long after the music stops.
San Diego will get plenty of time to see whether the new era matches its opening number. Jones has already given the Padres a theme song. Now the franchise has to supply the ending she and Feliciano keep talking about: a World Series celebration the city has never had.