Professional
sports are about far more than winning titles and entertaining
audiences that watch games in-person or from the comfort of their homes.
The top leagues on the planet are massive businesses, companies that
swim in money on a yearly basis. Take the National Football League as an
example. The average NFL franchise is worth over $1 billion, and the
league generates record revenues every year due largely to an incredible
television contract that has helped make the league, specifically
Sunday Night Football, the most-watched program in all of the United States. The Super Bowl makes TV ratings history every February.
Then,
there is the historic television contract netted by the Barclays
Premier League earlier in 2015. That three-year broadcasting deal that
involves both Sky Sports and BT Sports, one that kicks in come 2016, an
agreement that is reportedly
worth close to $8 billion.
The world’s game is growing in popularity in North America, due in part
to the exposure the league has gotten through ESPN and more recently
NBC and NBC Sports, and thus the days of the Premier League cashing in
on such agreements are only just beginning. Expect the next TV contract
to be even bigger and better.
The man perceived to be the greatest basketball player in the history of the sport is a newcomer to the
Forbes list of billionaires
in 2015, and his ownership of a National Basketball Franchise will keep
him in it for the foreseeable future. Nobody should be surprised that
the richest men who are featured in this piece are linked with the NFL.
The NFL is the king of sports as it pertains to making profits, and the
league has done well to become an international sensation that has,
through the
NFL RedZone station, changed the way that fans crave to watch live games.
20. Michael Jordan – Net Worth: $1 billion
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
It is somewhat surprising that
His Airness
is cracking into the list of billionaires for the first time. Jordan
has, after all, been the face of the Nike brand for decades, and he has
also netted large amounts of cash from his playing days and from
investments that he has made over the years. Now the principal owner and
the chairman of NBA team the Charlotte Hornets, the legendary former
Chicago Bulls player is an executive tasked with propelling a franchise
to greatness that it has never before reached. The Charlotte players
would do well to drink their Gatorade and do whatever else possible to
“be like Mike.”
19. Jeffrey Lurie – Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports Images
A
billion dollars can buy just about anything; well, anything other than a
Super Bowl ring, it seems. Most casual sports fans know
Lurie
as the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, the only team in the NFC East
division to have never won a Super Bowl championship. Lurie has given
his blessing to allow the Eagles to go all-in on head coach
Chip Kelly,
who will be calling the shots for the franchise for the foreseeable
future. Kelly, who made his name while head coach at the University of
Oregon, was named the czar of the club by Lurie in early 2015, and the
coach is expected to bring a championship to the city of Philadelphia
sooner than later.
18. Alexander Spanos – Net Worth: $1.3 billion
There is a real possibility that 2015 could be a banner year for
Spanos
regarding his involvement in the American sports world. The real estate
mogul currently owns NFL franchise the San Diego Chargers, and it has
been heavily rumored that the Chargers could leave town for greener
pastures if the team does not get the new stadium that, in fairness, it
desperately needs. Los Angeles is the obvious first option were the club
to relocate, and such a move could also include the Oakland Raiders.
While the Chargers will play in San Diego for the upcoming NFL regular
season, an announcement of a future move could come before the end of
the calendar year.
17. Jerry Reinsdorf – Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Reinsdorf
is one of the more well-known figures spotlighted in this piece. He
has, in the sports world, achieved much success as the owner of NBA team
the Chicago Bulls and Major League Baseball franchise the Chicago White
Sox, as those sides have won multiple world championships with
Reinsdorf running the show. Reinsdorf famously made news when he allowed
the break up of the dominant Bulls teams of the 1990s, and that
franchise has yet to again win a title. The White Sox, meanwhile, won
the World Series back in 2005, although that club could be set for a
down season as of the winter of 2015.
16. Arturo Moreno – Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Moreno
became one of the more popular owners among those who are in charge of
MLB clubs upon assuming control of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
back in 2003. He pledged to lower the prices on game tickets, team
merchandise and food and beer that was sold during games, promises that
he kept, and Moreno also stated that he was going to invest in top-tier
talent. The Angels have not yet won a World Series championship or even a
pennant with Moreno as club owner, but the club has financially
benefited from a profitable television deal, one reportedly worth $2.5
billion.
15. Lorenzo Fertitta – Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Images
The
first of the two Fertitta family members featured in this piece took a
gamble when he and his older brother acquired the rights to
mixed-martial-arts federation the Ultimate Fighting Championship in
2001. Since that time, the UFC has become an international sensation,
far and away the biggest and best MMA organization in all of the world.
Seen as barbarians by detractors of the sport over a decade ago, elite
UFC fighters such as
Jon Jones and
Ronda Rousey
are now household names, athletes who are showcased and spotlighted in
national advertising campaigns and on television programs such as
SportsCenter.
14. Frank Fertitta III – Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Images
This
Fertitta is also listed as an owner of Zuffa LLC, which is the MMA
organization that stands as the parent company of the UFC. Once a
product that could legitimately not get on television in some markets,
the UFC is now on TV in the United States seemingly on a weekly basis.
Whether it is FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FOX or pay-per-view, fans do
not have to search for or wait long periods of time for their next UFC
fix. Truth be told, some observers and individuals who follow and/or
cover the sport have suggested that the UFC has been over-exposed
because of the company’s current television deals.
13. John Henry – Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports Images
Henry
has helped the Boston Red Sox go from a franchise that was in the heart
of a World Series drought that appeared to be endless to a team that is
capable of winning it all every few years. 2014 was a rough year for
the Red Sox, but some shrewd acquisitions should have Boston in the race
for at least a playoff spot in 2015. Henry is also involved in other
sports ventures, most notably Roush Fenway Racing and Liverpool FC.
Liverpool contended for the Premier League title in 2013-14, and the
club also made a brief return to Champions League football in 2014.
12. Leslie Alexander – Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Images
2015 could be a particularly good year for
Mr. Alexander.
The Houston Rockets, a team that won back-to-back championships in the
years following Alexander’s acquisition of the club, are once again in
the race for a title, and the team may also have the league’s Most
Valuable Player.
James Harden
is silencing any and all doubters with his play in 2014-15, and some
are viewing Harden as the best player in pro basketball heading into the
upcoming spring. The Rockets are destined for postseason play, and
Houston could emerge as the last team standing when all is said and
done.
11. Dan Snyder – : $1.7 billion
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports Images
Snyder
gets mentioned in headlines because of his unwillingness to even
entertain the notion of changing the name of his NFL team. The
Washington Redskins are, for many of us, the only reason that we know
the “R-word” exists, but the time came long ago for Snyder to ditch the
name for something that is inoffensive to everybody. Outside of that
controversy, it is rough times for the franchise during this current
offseason. Nobody can say for sure that
Robert Griffin III
will prove himself to be the team’s quarterback for the now and for the
future, and Washington may be the worst team in the NFC East with free
agency fast approaching.
10. James Irsay – Net Worth: $1.8 billion
Irsay
made news for reasons that he would have, in retrospect, liked to avoid
when he was arrested on DWI charges in the fall 0f 2014. That incident
resulted in the owner of the Indianapolis Colts being “suspended” by the
NFL for six games, although the owner of a football team being
suspended by the league is more of a public slap on the wrist than it is
an actual punishment. Irsay, who is known to interact with fans via
social media websites such as Twitter, is hoping that quarterback
Andrew Luck is the man who will take the Colts back to the mountaintop, somewhere the team has not been since the day of
Peyton Manning lining up under center.
9. Tom Benson – Net Worth: $1.9 billion
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports Images
Benson
is the owner of what was one of the more disappointing NFL teams of the
2014 regular season. The New Orleans Saints had, during the previous
offseason, taken steps to bolster the team’s defense, but the Saints
were shockingly poor even when playing in the comforts of home.
Quarterback
Drew Brees
showed signs that he could be in the twilight of his career last year,
and Benson will soon have to invest in a younger QB who will be asked to
follow a man who guided the Saints to the first Super Bowl championship
in the history of the franchise. Best of luck to whoever that guy will
be.
8. Jim France – Net Worth: $2.1 billion
NASCAR
is the top organization in all of American motorsports, and Jim France
is the head of the family that runs the king of stock car racing. While
some in the sports world would say that the popularity of NASCAR has
been on the decline over the past few years, it was only back in 2013
when the company landed a
massive television deal
with NBC and FOX. That agreement was worth a reported $8.2 billion even
though TV ratings have fallen over the past decade. NASCAR is now set
to be a cornerstone for cable sports networks FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2
and NBC Sports.
7. Robert McNair – Net Worth: $2.4 billion
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports Images
It was back in January 2014 when
Bob McNair took to the official team website of the Houston Texans to voice his admiration for to-be rookie
Jadeveon Clowney.
The Texans used the first overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft to acquire
the standout defensive end, but Clowney was a disappointment in his
first year in the league. McNair and those running the Texans will be
hoping that Clowney can recover from a serious knee injury, and those
individuals are also banking on Ryan Mallett to be the quarterback that
the franchise has sought since it officially joined the NFL over a
decade ago.
6. Arthur Blank – Net Worth: $2.5 billion
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Images
Blank‘s
Atlanta Falcons broke ground on a new stadium in the spring of 2014,
and that future venue raised the value of the club by a reported 21
percent. The owner of the Falcons is often a favorite of television
cameras during games because of the suits that he wears, but Blank was
in the news earlier in 2015 when it was suggested that the Falcons
pumped fake crowd noise into the stadium over the speakers during
regular season contests. That investigation is ongoing as of the posting
of this piece, and the Falcons could lose a draft pick if they are
found to be guilty of wrongdoing.
5. Stephen Bisciotti – Net Worth: $2.7 billion
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Images
Bisciotti
has, in the past, been a quiet NFL owner, but he was thrust into the
spotlight in 2014 due to the controversy involving running back
Ray Rice.
The head man of the Baltimore Ravens was the star of one of the more
uncomfortable sports press conferences in recent memory, and exactly
what Bisciotti and others within the Ravens organization knew about the
domestic violence allegations against Rice remains a mystery for much of
the public. That public relations disaster is now in the past, and
Bisciotti will likely be hoping that everybody associated with the
Ravens will be law-abiding citizens during the offseason.
4. Bernard Ecclestone – Net Worth: $3.9 billion
NASCAR may be the top motorsports league for sports fans who live in the United States, but it is
Ecclestone
who is financially the king of auto racing. The self-made billionaire
from London who turned 84 years old in 2014 is the chief executive of
the Formula One Group. Ecclestone is credited for landing Formula One
with multiple lucrative television contracts that helped spread the
sport to the masses around the world, and he also, for a time, owned
English football club Queens Park Rangers. QPR have, in recent years,
struggled to remain in the top-flight in England, suggesting that
Ecclestone got out of that deal when the getting was good.
3. Jerry Jones – Net Worth: $4.2 billion
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports Images
Odds
are that you either love him or you hate him, but there is little doubt
that you know him if you pay attention to the NFL every fall. The
eccentric and outspoken owner of the Dallas Cowboys was kept from
drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel in the spring of 2014, and that
non-move may have been the smartest football decision that
Jones
has made in recent memory. The Cowboys instead built what became the
best offensive line in the NFL, and Dallas made a run to the playoffs
that was stopped just shy of a championship game. Jones is already busy
this offseason, placing the franchise tag on superstar wide receiver
Dez Bryant.
2. Robert Kraft – Net Worth: $4.3 billion
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports Images
The
perception held by many knowledgeable and respected football people is
that there is no more influential owner in the NFL than the man who is
currently running the New England Patriots.
Kraft
has, since buying the Patriots in 1995, hoisted the Vince Lombardi
Trophy on four occasions, and his club is a modern-day dynasty during a
time when parity is supposed to be the name of the game in pro football.
Kraft is not a popular figure among all sports fans in his region,
however, as he has not provided Major League Soccer side New England
Revolution, which he owns, a soccer-specific stadium.
1. Stan Kroenke – Net Worth: $6.3 billion
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Images
The owner of Kroenke Sports Enterprises who is married to Wal-Mart heir
Ann Walton is likely going to make and lose friends in different regions of the United States in 2015.
Kroenke
is reportedly considering moving NFL franchise the St. Louis Rams, a
relocation that has been rumored for several years, and he is said to
possess a piece of land for a new football stadium just outside of the
city of Los Angeles. The Rams will play in St. Louis during the next NFL
season, but it is widely believed that it’s a matter of
when and not
if the team is moved back out west.
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