I know what you’re thinking, all this online Web 2.0 malarkey was great when it was connecting you with old girlfriends on MySpace, but what has it done for you lately? Just remember, Internet or no Internet, strength is in numbers.

A fan base with an interest in a minor-league soccer team, Ebbsfleet United of Northfleet England, took that lesson to heart. Who needs fantasy leagues when you can just buy the team outright? Twenty-six thousand fans pitched in $70.50 each. That price bought them a place in history as the first online community to both own and manage a professional sports team.

The site is a meeting place for owners; allowing them to vote on issues such as lineups and the purchase of new players. Fans are able to watch the games via a live feed and thumb through real-time stats on each and every player. The portal will have weekly updates from the coach they select, giving them the skinny on player performances during practice.

This is where you let your mind wonder. Imagine making a bid for the Dallas Cowboys. Last time the franchise was evaluated, its price was estimated at a dizzying $923 million. Yet if 10 million people each ponied up $100 in a mass collaborative effort they’d have a shot at snatching America’s Team from Enemy No. 1, Jerry Jones, for a cool $1 billion.

So let’s sneer at the golden rule for once. Why does it have to be that ‘he’ who has the gold makes the rules. Massive projects like this one – online and off – turn that ‘he’ into a ‘we.’ And with the right motivation, buying a team no longer need be a rich man’s game.

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