Let us get one thing straight – to be a sports team owner, you have to already be rich. And we mean, really rich. Only then can you begin to amass even more wealth by buying a successful sports team. So, who is wealthy enough to own a sports team, and how did they get in a position to do so? Let’s look at the top 10 richest sports owners in the world.
Jerry Jones
Net worth: $8.7 billion
While American businessman Jerry Jones has been involved in several business ventures throughout his lifetime, he was born into an incredibly wealthy family. Some of Jones’ successful business ventures include the Arkansas-based oil and gas exploration business, Jones Oil and Land Lease, as well as stadium operations corporation Legends Hospitality.
Jerry Jones was co-captain of Arkansas' 1964 national championship football team, which would pave the way for him to buy the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. Initially purchased for $140 million, the team is now worth over $5.5 billion.
Stan Kroenke
Net worth: $10.7 billion
American businessman Enos Stanley Kroenke initially made his fortune in real estate, starting real estate development firm Kroenke Group in 1983. Although Kroenke has taken part in several other business ventures, he has invested considerable time and money into his many sports teams.
Stan Kroenke is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, a sports and entertainment holding company based in Denver, Colorado. He is also the owner of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth, the Arsenal Football Club in England, and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.
David Tepper
Net worth: $16.7 billion
Hedge fund manager David Tepper is the owner of the Carolina Panthers (National Football League) and the Charlotte Football Club (Major League Soccer) and is a former 5% stakeholder of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tepper amassed his $16.7 billion net worth through his job as the founder and president of the global hedge fund Appaloosa Management.
Tepper received a $2.2 billion paycheck in 2012 for his work as a hedge fund manager, which was named the world’s highest for a hedge fund manager by the Institutional Investor's Alpha.
Steve Cohen
Net worth: $17.4 billion
Hedge fund manager Steve Cohen is the owner of the New York Mets. Cohen started on Wall Street as a junior trader in 1978 and was running his trading group by 1984. He would go on to become the founder of Connecticut-based S.A.C. Capital Advisors (now closed) and Point72 Asset Management.
While Cohen initially became a minority holder of the New York Mets in 2012, he would go on to become the majority owner in 2020.
Robert Pera
Net worth: $18.3 billion
Robert Pera is the founder of global communications technology company Ubiquiti Networks, Inc and the owner of the National Basketball Association team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Robert Pera has been working towards his $18.3 billion net worth since high school when he started his first computer services company. After graduating from college, he secured a job at Apple Inc., where he worked until he was ready to start his own company, Ubiquiti Networks. The rest is history.
Dan Gilbert
Net Worth: $22 billion
Co-founder of what is now Quicken Loans, Dan Gilbert, found his roots in real estate, as he worked part-time at his parent’s Century 21 Real Estate agency while in law school. Turning his passion for real estate into online direct mortgage lending, Gilbert would eventually become the chairman of the largest retail mortgage lender in the United States.
Dan Gilbert became the majority stakeholder of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. He also owns minor league teams, the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League.
Dietrich Mateschitz
Net worth: $27.4 billion
You might recognize the name Dietrich Mateschitz from being the co-owner of the wildly popular energy drink, Red Bull. The success of Red Bull has allowed this Austrian billionaire to purchase multiple soccer clubs, including the FC Red Bull Salzburg of Austria, the Red Bull Leipzig of Germany and the Major League Soccer team, the New York Red Bulls.
Dietrich Mateschitz is also the founder of Red Bull Racing, under which Belgian-Dutch racer Max Verstappen won the Formula One World Champion in 2021.
Sheikh Mansour
Net worth: $30 billion
United Arab Emirates businessman and deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour has been the majority shareholder of the Manchester City Football Club since 2008. Sheikh Mansour was born into extraordinary wealth, belonging to the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. In addition to owning Manchester City FC, Mansour also owns a share of Major League Soccer team, New York City Football Club.
Mukesh Ambani
Net worth: $90.7 billion
Mukesh Ambani is not only one of the 10 richest sports owners in the world but also the wealthiest man in India. Mukesh Ambani amassed his billionaire wealth by being chairman and managing director of the multinational conglomerate company Reliance Industries Limited. This allowed him to purchase two sports teams, which added to his significant wealth.
In 2008, Mukesh Ambani purchased the Indian Premier League cricket team, the Mumbai Indians, and founded the Indian men's professional top-tier football league, the Indian Super League in 2013. Ambani currently ranks number 10 on the Forbes World’s Billionaires List.
Steve Ballmer
Net Worth: $98 billion
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is the Los Angeles Clippers owner and the world's richest sports owner. It’s safe to say that just because you can afford to purchase a successful sports team doesn’t always mean you will have success doing so. Purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers was Ballmer’s third attempt at buying an NBA franchise, losing out on purchasing both the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings before snagging the Clippers.
With a net worth of $98 billion as of 2022, he is the ninth richest person on earth. After being hired by Bill Gates in 1980, Steve Ballmer led the company from 2000 until 2014. While currently retired and focusing his attention on the Los Angeles Clippers, Ballmer also invested $59 million into Social Solutions in 2018.
