Stephen Ross was a tax attorney before founding Related Companies in 1972 as an affordable housing developer. Related has developed or acquired $60 billion worth of properties since it was founded. Ross also owns the Miami Dolphins and has stakes in Equinox Fitness, SoulCycle, and numerous restaurant chains.
Robert Kraft sold newspapers growing up and then amassed a fortune as the owner of paper and packaging companies Rand-Whitney and International Forest Products. He purchased the New England Patriots in 1994 for $172 million, and they have grown into one of the most popular and successful sports franchises. Kraft's net worth is $11.1 billion.
Shahid Khan is an engineer who bought Illinois-based Flex-N-Gate, an auto parts supplier, in 1980. His design for a one-piece truck bumper was key to his success, and the company now has 69 plants and more than 26,000 employees worldwide. Khan purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012. Now, he and his son, Tony, are front and center for the day-to-day operations of the Jaguars. He has a net worth of $12.2 billion.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones amassed his fortune in oil drilling with the Arkansas-based company, Jones Oil and Land Lease. He struck oil in 12 of his first 13 wells, with the first yielding $4 million in oil, according to the book “The Dallas Cowboys: The Outrageous History of the Biggest, Loudest, Most Hated, Best Loved Football Team in America.” Back in 1989, Jones bought the Cowboys for $150 million, and today the franchise is worth $9 billion — the highest valuation of any sports team in the world. Jones has become one of the most powerful (and polarizing) owners in all of sports and has a $13.8 billion net worth.
Woody and Christopher Johnson are businessmen and owners of the New York Jets. They are great-grandsons of Robert Wood Johnson and heirs to the Johnson & Johnson empire. The Johnson family was reported to be worth $16 billion in 2024.
Stan Kroenke is a real estate magnate who also owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and the Arsenal Football Club in England. He owns some 60 million square feet of real estate, more than 1.5 million acres of ranches across the U.S. and Canada, and is married to Ann Walton, the daughter of late Walmart co-founder Bud Walton. Kroenke is one of the biggest powers in sports, with an impressive catalogue of teams under his control.
Jody and Paul Allen were once considered the richest owners in the NFL. Paul Allen, who passed away in 2018, co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates. At the time of his passing, he owned the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, and he was part-owner of the Seattle Sounders.
Jody is currently the chairwoman of the Seahawks. Her family’s estimated net worth is around $20.3 billion.
In 2018, David Tepper bought the Carolina Panthers for $2.8 billion. Tepper is a hedge fund manager. His Appaloosa Management hedge fund firm now manages nearly $13 billion in assets. He recently surpassed the Allen family on this list. His net worth is estimated to be $20.6 billion.
The Hunts are one of the wealthiest families in America. Clark Hunt, CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, is the son of Lamar Hunt, who was one of H.L. Hunt’s 14 children. The family remains active in the oil and gas businesses, as well as in real estate. They also own FC Dallas of MLS and a minority stake in the Chicago Bulls. Lamar Hunt helped launch the American Football League, and their family played a huge part in the history of the game we know and love. Forbes estimates the Hunt family’s wealth to be $24.8 billion.
The Denver Broncos have been sold to the Walton-Penner ownership group. The group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, Greg Penner, and Carrie Walton Penner, and including limited partners Mellody Hobson, Condoleezza Rice, and Lewis Hamilton, will be the Broncos’ first new owners in 38 years.
Walton is considered the richest owner in the NFL by net worth. According to Forbes, Walton’s net worth is $77.4 billion, which makes him more than twice as rich as any of the other NFL ownership groups.
