The National Football League is a professional football league consisting of two conferences. It sets the rules for the game, enforces them and ensures that fans get to watch incredible games from their favorite teams. With so many important decisions being made by this group of people – you may be wondering who actually makes these choices? This article will highlight exactly what it means to own an NFL team and how one can become part-owner themselves!
In recent years, the NFL has become an international powerhouse. More and more people are tuning in to watch games; as interest rises, so does revenue. But as of recently, the league has been labeled for-profit, which many don’t understand just how it operates internally. This brings up one important question that needs answering: who actually owns the NFL?
Who Owns The NFL?
No single person has full ownership over the National Football League. One example of this is that many teams share owners with other franchises. The Green Bay Packers are owned by the people, and other examples include Ralph Wilson Jr., who owns four teams: Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
- Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jimmy and Dee Haslam of the Cleveland Browns
- Malcolm Glazer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Virginia Marion Halas McCaskey of the Chicago Bears
- Gayle Benson of the New Orleans Saints
- Sheila Ford Hamp of the Detroit Lions
- Denise York of the San Francisco 49ers
- Amy Adams Strunk of the Tennessee Titans
- Stan Kroenke of the St. Louis Rams ((Now Los Angeles Rams)
- Zygi Wilf of the Minnesota Vikings
- Roger Goodell of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Art Rooney II of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dean Spanos of the San Diego Chargers
- Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills
- David Tepper of the Carolina Panthers
- Jody Allen of the Seattle Seahawks
- Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots
- Steven Bisciotti of the Baltimore Ravens
- Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs
- Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys
- Jim Irsay of the Indianapolis Colts
- Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons
- Jeffrey Lurie of the Philadelphia Eagles
- Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals
- John Mara of the New York Giants
- Green Bay Packers, Inc of the Green Bay Packers
- Stephen Ross of the Miami Dolphins
- Walton-Penner Group of the Denver Broncos
- Woody Johnson of the New York Jets
- Janice McNair of the Houston Texans
- Daniel Snyder of the Washington Commanders
- Mark Davis of the Oakland Raiders
- Michael Bidwell of the Arizona Cardinals
How Is The NFL Structured?
Considering that many people technically own the NFL, you may wonder how it’s structured and how decisions are made. It starts with team franchise owners. Whenever an individual buys a team, they become a franchise owner who can sit on the executive committee at the board meeting. The representative for some teams is chosen by another person; for example, Aaron Rodgers represents The Green Bay Packers (a publicly-traded franchise) at board meetings because he’s their president and CEO.
Board members create decisions together. 75% of the Board needs to agree in order for a decision to pass. If this number isn’t met, then it won’t be passed; and so each member’s vote is very important. On top of everything else at the football league – at the head stands Roger Goodell (Commissioner). After being elected by his fellow Board Members, he currently holds this position for life just as long as he agrees with their policies- which has been true for most commissioners since Pete Rozelle took office 43 years ago.
While some people may wish to place the blame for certain rulings at Goodell’s feet, he is not one of those who make them. He handles all the day-to-day affairs and manages discussions during board meetings. While his job doesn’t include making decisions that fans agree with or dislike – he can only give his opinion when asked. If there are rulings that you disagree with, you should take it up with your individual team’s owner since they are responsible for making these decisions.
Who owns the NFL brand?
There are many parties that claim they own the National Football League, but in reality it is each NFL team owner who owns this league. It is these very people whose responsibility it is to uphold such values as integrity and excellence that make up the National football team brand.
Many sports teams are owned by a single person, and some have dual ownerships. Some are shared between family members, such as the Green Bay Packers who now have over 350,000 shareholders thanks to their move to become public back in 1923 when they became a non-profit corporation.
Each team has representation on the executive committee
It is the members of the Executive Committee who make decisions regarding league policy changes, and all 32 teams are represented by a member on this committee. For most teams, it’s usually the owner.
Teams usually have someone from the front office present during committee meetings but not all do. The Packers for example nominate their own president, Mark Murphy, to represent them on the committee. A three-quarter vote is required for any league changes voted on by members of the Executive Committee.
Other sports leagues saw one owner run them, such as the XFL that Vince McMahon owned for both iterations of it. However, he has since sold the league and so it is no longer under his control.
Does the NFL Commissioner own the league?
Commissioner Roger Goodell owns the NFL, or so they say. If this is true, then you’re less likely to boo him when you realize he doesn’t exist at all.
Goodell does not have any direct say over the direction the NFL takes. Goodell is only there to represent team owners and run day-to-day operations for them. Major changes in league rules or structures cannot happen without executive committee’s approval, which consists of a majority vote from owners. For all intents and purposes, then, it is safe to say that Goodell really has no power; his job is merely there to execute what other people tell him to do.
What does that mean for the players?
There is some debate whether or not the NFL players themselves have a stake in ownership. But it seems that they do not, because they are unable to represent their interests on the executive committee. Rather, the NFLPA – who represents them – has no seat at the table either.
Team owners may ask their players for input on league issues; however, they ultimately decide how their franchise casts its vote when it comes to official protocol.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement is a clear demonstration of who owns the NFL
The CBA is a document that outlines the agreement between the NFL team owners and players on various important topics. Among these are revenue distribution, which has been covered extensively.
However, it also shows us who actually owns the NFL. If negotiations are not reached on an agreement, then the team owners could decide to continue the season with replacement players for any game there is no agreement about – including playoff games if necessary.
Who are the wealthiest NFL owners?
Although many people believe Jerry Jones to be the wealthiest owner in the NFL, he is actually ranked third with a net worth of $5 billion. David Tepper comes first on the list with a net worth of $10 billion.
1) David Tepper, Carolina Panthers
2) Stan Kroenke, Los Angeles Rams
T-3) Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
T-3) Shahid Khan, Jacksonville Jaguars
5) Stephen Ross, Miami Dolphins
Do Players Own The NFL?
Considering that the NFL has created new rules that directly affect player behavior, you may wonder if they own the league. They don’t. Players who retire and then buy a team can one day sit on the executive board but not active players – these individuals are part of their own union, the NFLPA (National Football League Player’s Association).
The NFLPA, or National Football League Player’s Association, represents the players and while they may often meet with executives from the league – they do not have any power when it comes to decision-making. The NFLPA is technically a labor organization meant to provide assistance for professional athletes who are interested in joining together for representation purposes.
Which NFL Owners Are The Richest?
To own an NFL team, you’ll need a lot of money. Some owners purchase teams because they’re passionate about football while others do it to increase their wealth. Here are some of the wealthiest NFL team owners out there today.
1. Arthur Blank
Of the many rich NFL team owners, Arthur Blank is one of the most notable and successful. Starting up an organization to bring soccer to Atlanta may seem like a small act for somebody of his stature, but in reality he has been able to make it such an integral part of life here that there are people who live for nothing more than watching this sport.
When Blank first began working, he was still enrolled in school at Babson College. To afford tuition and other college costs, he offered landscaping and laundry pick-up services. After time passed, his hard work finally paid off when he started working at the hardware store with Bernie Marcus. Soon after their conversation about starting their own business came to fruition, they were laid off from the company for reasons unknown – an unfortunate event which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
They established their own hardware store called The Home Depot. Blank served as a co-chairman at The Home Depot for many years until they finally retired in 2001. With newfound success and large amounts of money, they purchased the Atlanta Falcons team a year later. At first it cost them $545 million but now its worth around $1.8 million. They are currently worth 7.4 billion dollars
2. Stephen Ross
Stephen Ross is another wealthy NFL team owner who studied to be an attorney before taking his knowledge and experience in tax law and starting Related Companies. His company built offices all over the world including Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Paris, London and Mexico City as well as many other locations.
The innovative developer had been proven successful through his construction of both affordable housing and luxury apartments. His ideas ranged from building complexes in California up to Abu Dhabi, China and even Miami. In addition to being a brilliant architect, he was also an investor for many other franchises such as Equinox Fitness, SoulCycle, and multiple different fast-casual restaurant chains. Purchasing partial ownership with the NFL team Miami Dolphins since 2008 were only just a few of his achievements.
A whopping $550 million was lost when he first acquired the Dolphins. Yet, an additional $450 million dollar investment the next year gained him total ownership of his newly bought team. Not only did he buy out the original owners, but he also paid to own both the stadium and its surrounding grounds; making what would later become Sun-life Stadium – his personal property. With this investment, Ross has a net worth of eight point two billion dollars – an exponential growth from what it was before.
3. Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft is another self-made millionaire who worked hard to make his way up in the world. When he was young, he would stand outside of the old Milwaukee Braves stadium and sell newspapers. Eventually, he went off to college where he earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and then came back home to earn his master’s degree from Harvard before starting out on an illustrious career. The rest, as they say, is history: today Mr. Kraft sits as chairman emeritus of one of America’s most successful sports franchises, the New England Patriots football team
He purchased the New England Patriots for $172 million in 1994. Under his ownership, they went on to win 6 Super Bowl Championships. In addition to owning a pro football team, he also owns a successful business – which reaches out past American borders. Just this year, Kraft got into gaming when he bought an esports organization (gaming club) called Overwatch League – all while still finding time to be an active philanthropist who founded The Robert and Myra Kraft Foundation
He also chooses to spend his money on stopping hate crimes and antisemitism. The New England Patriots are worth $5.88 billion. Kraft has an approximate net worth of $8.3 billion dollars.
4. Shahid Khan
First, Khan made his way up from being an engineer. A lucky break came one day when he overheard that his company would soon be sold off to someone else and seeing the opportunity for himself; he quickly snatched it up and became owner of Flex-N-Gate, supplying auto parts to local businesses. From there on out, Khan took full advantage of this opportunity – using all the knowledge gleaned from tinkering around in his garage back home – and built a brand new product of his own invention; proudly dubbed Flex-N-Gate.
He developed an innovative one-piece truck bumper. Before his invention, many trucks had bumpers that came in separate pieces which made repairs on them difficult since the mechanic would have to wait for different parts to arrive before fixing it. Khan’s creation lowered costs and sped up repair times for these bumpers significantly; so much so that the company profited tremendously from its sole innovation.
With his new fortune, Khan was able to purchase the Jacksonville Jaguars. It cost him $770 million at the time. His love for sports never died out either; he purchased another football club in England too. In 2013, he became owner of Fulham Football Club which is now worth over $2 Billion. All Elite Wrestling- a competitor to WWE- was founded by Khan himself and his son. The current value of the Jaguars is valued at $2.075 billion with a networth of over $7 Billion
How Do You Become An NFL Team Owner?
If you dream of someday owning an NFL team and calling all the shots, you may wonder what it takes to become one. There are many things that you will need to do before becoming an NFL owner – so here they are!
1. Have Lots Of Money
It takes a lot of money to buy an NFL team. In fact, most NFL teams are now valued at over $1 billion. If you’re going to be looking to buy one soon, you’ll need quite a bit of cash on hand because the National Football League restricts how much debt purchasers can take out when buying franchises (it’s basically a all-or-nothing deal). So if it seems like owning your own football team is for you– but it does seem unlikely that owning one will happen anytime soon– just know that it requires having enough funds available for purchase in order for it to go through.
2. Find A Team
Becoming an NFL team owner can be very challenging, but once you do find one for sale, it will take a bit of luck and some patience until the right time to make your move. In order to become an NFL team owner, there are some requirements; most importantly being a certain amount of money which ranges from $150 million up to $1 billion depending on if the team is established or relatively new. It can take a lot longer than just one day to find the perfect opportunity because there are only 32 teams in the league – each trying desperately to stay afloat.
3. Right Personality
One final note about this that the NFL does not just hand over teams to anyone who can afford them. Not even if they are able to pay for them- owners must meet certain benchmarks set by the league before receiving clearance for ownership. To the NFL, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend or how many games you win- what matters is what type of individual you are and whether you can maintain a positive image for yourself (and consequently your company).
The NFL’s most important corporate officers
At the very top of the National Football League (NFL) is Commissioner Roger Goodell. The league is also run by its Executive Committee, which consists of representatives from every team. This person can either be a majority owner or a high-ranking front office official at his or her respective club.
According to the website for the National Football League, any changes in game rules, league policies or team owner modifications to the game must be approved by at least 3/4 of the committee before they are accepted.
Besides Roger Goodell, other executives are also responsible for running the NFL, including Troy Vincent. As Executive Vice President of Operations, he’s responsible for game analytics, accountability, integrity of the game, among others.
Conclusion
The NFL’s team owners are all of the league’s franchises. While there is a Commissioner who oversees the day-to-day operation of the league, he isn’t an owner either – just like most teams have their own General Manager overseeing them. For example, in order to even consider becoming an owner of one of these franchises you need money and/or experience owning a sports franchise before being able to afford it.
While the NFL is indeed a business, it operates at its best when every team acts autonomously. Contrast this to the XFL, which will be under control of Vince McMahon who owns all the teams therein. In contrast to how it operates now, with all the owners sitting on an executive committee that governs them all- they will instead act independently from one another in order to maximize their collective potential.
