These Billionaires Probably Own Your Favorite Sports Team

When it comes to sports and money, many people would automatically think of professional players as they are indeed earning a lot of money just by playing for their teams. However, did you know that the players are not the only ones making big bucks in the group? The team owners earn a lot more than you think! You may see a lot of them for the other things that they do, which is why it would not be much of a surprise if you would find someone you already know on this list!

Drew Carey – Seattle Sounders

Drew Carey is an actor, comedian, and game show host from the United States. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his sitcom, The Drew Carey Show. On top of that, he also owns the sports team named “The Seattle Sounders.” A soccer team famously purchased by the comedian.

Bill Murray – St. Paul Saints

Bill Murray is famous for being an actor, comedian, and writer. Known for his deadpan delivery, he first rose to fame on Saturday Night Live, a series of performances that earned him his first Emmy Award, and later starred in a variety of comedy films. He is also known to be part-owner of the St. Paul Saints baseball team as he is known to watch some of the team’s games occasionally.

David Letterman – Rahal Letterman Lanigan IndyCar Racing Team

David Michael Letterman is loved by everyone thanks to his work as a television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He hosted a late-night television talk show for over 33 years, starting with “Late Night with David Letterman on NBC” and ending with the “Late Show with David Letterman on CBS.” Besides his talk shows, he also owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team competing in the United SportsCar Championship.

Stan Kroenke – Los Angeles Rams (NFL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Arsenal F.C. (Premier League)

Stan Kroenke is best known as a billionaire who built a fortune through real estate, which he did by founding the Kroenke Group, a real estate development firm that has built shopping centers and apartment buildings. There is no surprise that he is the owner of a lot of successful sports teams with his fortune.

Jeanie Marie Buss – Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)

Jeanie Marie Buss is an American sports executive who is the controlling owner and president of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). She is the daughter of a real estate investor named Jerry Buss, who later owned the Lakers and other sports companies. She started as general manager of the Los Angeles Strings professional tennis team at the age of 19 in the family business.

Harold Steinbrenner – New York Yankees

Harold Steinbrenner is an American businessman. He is the owner, managing general partner, and chairman of the Major League Baseball team called New York Yankees. The team was granted to him and his brother by their father, George Steinbrenner, who died in 2010. Harold’s brother, Hank, died on April 14, 2020.

Tim McGraw – Nashville Kats

Many people know Tim McGraw for his work as a country musician, but did you know that he is also the son of the American professional baseball relief pitcher and long-time Major League Baseball (MLB) player. Tug McGraw? This may explain his interest in baseball, which is evident with his minority ownership of the Nashville Kats.

Jeffrey Lurie – Philadelphia Eagles (NFL)

In 1994, Lurie took out a loan to purchase the Philadelphia Eagles for $185 million. The team is valued at $3.1 billion now. He bought the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team from its previous owner, Norman Braman, for $195 million. In 1983, Lurie took an executive position at General Cinema Corporation, the film company that his grandfather founded.

Gene Simmons – LA Kiss

By now, most of us probably know who Gene Simmons is. Known by his fans as “The Demon,” he is famous for being the bass guitarist and being the legendary rock band Kiss’s co-lead singer. Simmons is also the owner of a Florida-based Arena Football team, LA Kiss.

Shaquille O’Neal – Sacramento Kings

Shaquille Rashaun “Shaq” O’Neal is a former professional basketball player from the United States who is a sports analyst on TNT’s Inside the NBA television program. He is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time in basketball. He is also a partial owner of the Sacramento Kings, using the time he spent playing basketball to help him make the team’s decisions.

Arthur Blank – Atlanta Falcons/Atlanta United

Arthur M. Blank is an American entrepreneur and a co-founder of The Home Depot, the home improvement retailer. He currently owns two Atlanta, Georgia-based professional sports teams, the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer, which he bought with his large net worth.

Jimmy Buffett – Miami Dolphins

James William Buffett is a songwriter, musician, author, actor, and businessman from America. He is best known for his music, which often portrays the lifestyle of “island escapism” Buffett has recorded various hit songs along with his Coral Reefer Band. He has been in the music industry since 1969. He also owns a moderate-sized part of the Miami Dolphins, the team for which he also wrote the team songs.

Paul Allen – Seattle Seahawks (NFL)

Paul Allen is an American business magnate, a philanthropist, and an investor. He was best known for having co-founded Microsoft Corporation in 1975 with childhood friend Bill Gates, which helped spark the 1970s and 1980s microcomputer revolution. He also owned the Seahawks, and the Seattle FC, both of which are now owned by his family. He used to own the NBA’s Trail Blazers as well!

Will Ferrell – Los Angeles F. C.

Will Ferrell is best known for his works as an actor/comedian. He rose to prominence thanks to the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and starring in a lot of different comedy films. He is also known as a member of the “Frat Pack,” a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s. Did you know that he also owns a soccer team from Los Angeles?

Michael Jordan – Charlotte Hornets (NBA)

Michael Jordan needs no introduction as his achievements alone shows just how incredible he is. Known by his initials MJ, he is a former professional basketball player and the Charlotte Hornets’ principal owner of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, in which he won six championships with the Chicago Bulls.

Mark Cuban – Dallas Mavericks (NBA)

According to Forbes and ranked #179 on the 2019 Forbes 400 list, Mark Cuban is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, media owner, and investor whose net worth is an estimated $4.3 billion. Although he isn’t a former sports player or a Hollywood star, he is known as a sports team owner.

Bill Maher – New York Mets

Bill Maher is known for his works as a comedian, political commentator, and TV host. He is renowned for HBO’s political talk show “Real Time With Bill Maher,” as well as the similar late-night show, originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC, called “Politically Incorrect.” What not many people know about Maher, though, is that he is a part-owner of the New York Mets.

Jay Z – Brooklyn Nets

Jay Z is best known as a rapper, songwriter, record executive, businessman, and record producer. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists in history and is often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. On top of that, he is also known to be a part-owner of a relatively new NBA team called the “Brooklyn Nets.”

Robert McNair – Houston Texans (NFL)

McNair formed Houston NFL Holdings in 1998 and was committed to bringing the NFL back to the city of Houston after the Oilers left the city to become the Tennessee Titans in 1996. The NFL announced on October 6, 1999, that McNair had been granted the 32nd NFL franchise. That team would become the Houston Texans, who started playing in 2002.

Gayle Benson – New Orleans Saint (NFL)

Gayle Benson is an American billionaire, businessman, and sports franchise owner. In 2018, following the death of her husband, Tom Benson, she became the principal owner of the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints and the National Basketball Association’s New Orleans Pelicans.

Stephen Ross – Miami Dolphins

Stephen Ross is the chairman and majority owner of The Related Companies, founded in 1972 as a global real estate development firm. On top of that, he also owns 95% of the NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, as well as being the creator of the Drone Racing League.

Henry Samueli – Anaheim Ducks (NHL)

Henry Samueli is an American businessman, engineer, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Broadcom Corporation, the owner of the Anaheim Ducks, a National Hockey League team, and a prominent philanthropist in the community of Orange County, California. He holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Broadcom Inc.

Joshua Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

Joshua Harris is a well-known private equity investor and philanthropist who co-founded one of the world’s largest alternative investment firms, Apollo Global Management. He is also the principal owner and managing partner of the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils and the National Basketball Association’s Philadelphia 76ers. The general partner of the English Premier League’s Crystal Palace.

Ted Lerner – Washington Nationals

Ted Lerner is a real estate developer and the Washington Nationals baseball team’s former managing principal owner. He is the founder of the real estate company Lerner Enterprises, the Washington metropolitan area’s largest private landowner, which owns commercial retail, residential, and hotel properties, and New York City’s Chelsea Piers. Did you know that according to Forbes magazine, he was the richest person in the State of Maryland in 2015?

Charles Johnson – San Francisco Giants

Charles Bartlett Johnson businessman, with an estimated current net worth of around $4.8 billion. A Yale alumnus currently owns the San Francisco Giants, despite not living in the same city as the team. Despite being a principal owner, he leaves team control duties to the head of the ownership group, Larry Baer. Other group members include Scott Seligman, Peter Magowan, Philip Halperin, Allan Byer, and David S. Wolff.

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha – Leicester City F.C.

Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha is a Thai businessman, the CEO and the Chairman of King Power, Leicester City Football Club, and OH Leuven. He is one of the five youngest billionaires in Asia on Forbes’ World’s 2020 Billionaires List. He is known to have a net worth of almost $6 billion.

Robert Pera – Memphis Grizzlies

Robert J. Pera is the founder of a global communications technology company, Ubiquiti Networks, Inc., which Pera made public in 2011. Pera also became the professional basketball team owner in October 2012, the National Basketball Association’s Memphis Grizzlies. He is only 41 years old, making him one of the youngest billionaires in the world.

Robert Kraft – New England Patriots (NFL)

Robert Kenneth Kraft is an American billionaire businessman. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with a portfolio of paper and packaging assets, sports and entertainment, real estate development, and private equity assets. Did you know that he has been a fan of the Patriots for so long that he bought the team for over $172 million in 1994? At the time, it was the highest anyone has ever paid for an NFL team.

Jim Irsay – Indianapolis Colts

Jim Irsay is the owner and CEO of the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts. Through successful heating and air conditioning companies, Jim Irsay’s father, Robert Irsay, built a fortune estimated to be over $150 million. The Baltimore Colts were purchased by Jim Irsay’s father when his son was only 12. He became vice president and general manager of The Colt by the time 1984 came around. Irsay’s father passed away in 1997, and he inherited the team.

Mikhail Prokhorov – Brooklyn Nets

Mikhail Prokhorov is a Russian billionaire, a politician, and a former Brooklyn Nets owner. He worked in the financial sector after graduating from the Moscow Finance Institute. Subsequently, He became one of Russia’s leading industrialists, holding major stakes in multinational corporations in the precious metals sector.

Philip Anschutz – LA Lakers, LA Kings

Philip Frederick Anschutz is a billionaire and a businessman in various industries, including energy, railroads, real estate, sports, newspapers, movies, theatres, arenas, and music, who owns or controls many businesses. He has since expanded into sports and entertainment and is currently the owner of two Los Angeles teams.

Hasso Plattner – San Jose Sharks

Hasso Plattner is a businessman from Germany. He has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SAP SE since May 2003 and is a co-founder of the software company SAP SE. Forbes reported that he had a net worth of $17.9 billion as of August 2020. He is also the owner of an American NFL team, the San Jose Sharks.

Dietrich Mateschitz – Red Bull Racing, New York Red Bulls

Dietrich Mateschitz is a billionaire businessman from Austria. He is the co-founder of the Red Bull energy drink company and a 49 percent owner. According to Forbes, as of 24 July 2020, the net worth of Mateschitz was estimated at $26.9 billion, making him the 40th richest person in the world. It was on a trip to Thailand when he had the idea for Red Bull, in which he later formed both the energy drink company and the professional racing company, Red Bull Racing.

Mukesh Ambani – Mumbai Indians

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian billionaire business magnate. Reliance Industries Ltd., a Fortune Global 500 company and India’s most valuable market value company, is chairman, managing director, and major shareholder. Thanks to all the proceeds he got from his business, Ambani purchased a cricket team, the Mumbai Indians.

Richard DeVos – Orlando Magic

Richard DeVos is a billionaire. He co-founded Amway alongside Jay Van Andel. He is also the owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team. In 2012, he was listed as the 60th richest person in the United States and the 205th richest person in the world by Forbes magazine, with an estimated net worth of $5.1 billion.

Sheikh Mansour – Manchester City F.C.

Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan is an Emirati politician, often referred to as Sheikh Mansour, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family. He also owns the famous football club, Manchester City F.C.

Bill Bidwill – Arizona Cardinals

Bill Bidwill is a businessman and is the owner of the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals. He co-owned the team with his brother Charles Jr. from 1962 for ten seasons and was the sole owner from 1972 until he died in 2019. Since 1932, the Bidwell family has owned the team.

Dan Snyder – Washington Redskins (NFL)

Dan Snyder is a businessman who owns most of the Washington Football Team, the National Football League’s American football team. In 1999, Snyder bought the team, then known as the Redskins, from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke. At the price of $800 million, it was the most expensive purchase in sports history during its time. He was the creator of Snyder Communications, too.

Stephen Bisciotti – Baltimore Ravens

Stephen Bisciotti is an American business executive and the current majority owner of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. He founded Aerotek, the largest U.S. private team member and recruiting company based in Hanover, Maryland, and co-founded Allegis Group, a Hanover, Maryland-based international talent management company. He is a board member for Associated Catholic Charities and the main decision-maker for the Baltimore Ravens.