David McDavid will join a growing fraternity when he buys the Hawks and Thrashers --- car dealers-turned-sports owners.

Five other owners of big-league franchises are current or former auto dealers, and McDavid believes that is no coincidence.

"I have thought about that. I have thought, 'Isn't this an interesting thing?' " he said from his Fort Worth home. "I think there are a lot of similarities between the automobile and sports businesses.