The 22 Worst Owners in Sports

Sports activities usually feels extra like a ardour than a capitalist pursuit. Followers purchase jerseys of their favourite gamers and fake they’re children once more as they rejoice athletes and ask for his or her autographs. Nevertheless, when the company big-shots who personal an expert sports activities franchise make a blunder, the rose-colored glasses come off. Followers are then reminded of how badly these enterprise professionals can mess up.

The worst sports activities house owners in historical past vary from racists and harassers to scumbags who put revenue above success. 

1. Donald Sterling – Los Angeles Clippers

Donald Sterling’s atrocities ranged from gawking at athletes within the locker room to racist rants towards Magic Johnson. Sterling stored the Clippers within the shadow of Los Angeles basketball for many years. Since Steve Ballmer purchased the workforce in 2014, the Clippers have been a contender nearly each season.

2. George Preston Marshall – Washington Commanders

George Preston Marshall based the Washington franchise within the NFL, however he deserves legendary mocking for his outdated stance on racial integration in soccer. Marshall tried as exhausting as he may to forestall different groups and his personal from signing Black gamers within the Nineteen Forties-Nineteen Sixties. The workforce’s racist nickname, the Redskins, additionally turned controversial within the 2010s and led to a reputation change.

3. James Dolan – New York Knicks

James Dolan can’t be known as a racist just like the earlier two house owners on the record, however his lack of caring for the New York Knicks makes him an unpopular determine in America’s largest metropolis. Dolan inherited the workforce from his dad, and regardless of having one of the profitable groups within the league, he usually fields one of many worst merchandise on the courtroom.

4. Robert Sarver – Phoenix Suns

Robert Sarver’s ode to horrible possession included racism and low cost spending. The Phoenix Suns usually didn’t have the money to compete with different contenders within the Western Convention with Sarver on the helm of the franchise. He bought the workforce in 2023, and followers can now wait and see if the workforce wins a title with out him.

5. Clayton Bennett – Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder

Clayton Bennett most likely receives adulation in his hometown of Oklahoma Metropolis, however the way in which he dealt with relocating the Seattle SuperSonics to the Midwest will go down as one of many NBA’s worst workforce heists ever. Bennett by no means meant to maintain the Sonics in Seattle, but he stored feeding the followers lies and deceit for over a yr after buying the basketball workforce.

6. Stan Kroenke – Los Angeles Rams

Stan Kroenke truly owns much more than simply the Los Angeles Rams, together with the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche. His terrible possession principally resides in his remedy of the followers in St. Louis when he moved the Rams to Los Angeles. Like Bennett, Kroenke ruthlessly ripped the workforce from the folks within the authentic market.

7. Frank McCourt – Los Angeles Dodgers

Frank McCourt constructed a poor legacy in Los Angeles by not asserting his spending energy or efforts correctly with the Dodgers. Followers have been usually annoyed all through the 2000s when McCourt wouldn’t prioritize successful over cash with the Dodgers. The workforce has since change into the most effective in baseball yearly after McCourt’s sale to Magic Johnson and others.

8. Marge Schott- Cincinnati Reds

Marge Schott separates herself from different house owners in baseball historical past by exclaiming her racist views with vigor and an unforgivable nature. Schott owned the Cincinnati Reds however apparently didn’t need any Black gamers on her workforce. Schott continuously used slurs towards the athletes on the sphere and received in bother for utilizing Nazi symbols.

9. Artwork Modell – Cleveland Browns

One other untrue proprietor who moved his workforce from one metropolis to a different, Artwork Modell ingrained himself into the Cleveland neighborhood earlier than ripping the Browns from the town. The return of the workforce 4 years later helped soften the blow, however followers in Ohio nonetheless despise Modell for transferring a workforce he owned for many years to Baltimore.

10. Jack Kent Cooke – Los Angeles Lakers

Jack Kent Cooke did loads of good issues for the Lakers, akin to transferring them into their iconic stadium, the Discussion board, and suggesting the purple and gold coloration scheme they’ve employed for many years. His conceitedness usually interfered with the workforce’s possibilities of enchancment, nonetheless. He famously hung balloons from the rafters earlier than Sport Seven of the 1969 NBA Finals, a transfer that motivated Invoice Russell and the Celtics.

11. Nintendo of America – Seattle Mariners

Anytime a company owns a workforce, the possibilities of success fall off a cliff. Nintendo of America purchased the Seattle Mariners due to their geographical proximity to the workforce, however they put in zero effort within the two-plus a long time they owned the M’s from 1992 by way of 2016. Seattle has been one of many worst groups in baseball of their whole historical past, and the results of Nintendo’s possession are nonetheless seen at this time.

12. Daniel Snyder – Washington Commanders

Daniel Snyder remodeled the Washington Commanders into one of many worst groups within the NFC throughout his twenty years proudly owning the workforce. He frequently botched the nickname scandal surrounding the earlier moniker, Redskins, and received in bother for harboring a poisonous work atmosphere and harassment within the office.

13. Dan Gilbert – Cleveland Cavaliers

Dan Gilbert clearly cares concerning the Cleveland Cavaliers — perhaps even slightly bit an excessive amount of. His important blunder was writing a nasty and inappropriate letter to the followers in Ohio after LeBron James left the Cavs on nationwide tv in 2010. Gilbert’s opinion of James felt tinged with private hatred and bitter grapes, however LeBron returned to the workforce in 2014 anyway.

14. Jerry Richardson – Carolina Panthers

Jerry Richardson completed little or no in his 20-plus years proudly owning the Carolina Panthers. He received in bother for sexual misconduct within the office and set a regular of poor execution in Charlotte. The Panthers have endured as one of many worst groups in sports activities, even after his loss of life.

15. David Glass – Kansas Metropolis Royals

When a workforce can’t ever get above water, look to possession as one of many first the explanation why. David Glass ran the Kansas Metropolis Royals throughout one of the unsuccessful durations of the franchise. The workforce missed the playoffs for the primary 13 seasons he owned the workforce earlier than lastly successful a World Sequence in 2015. Glass all the time put his pockets above the success of the workforce.

16. Jimmy Haslam – Cleveland Browns

Any affiliation with the present Cleveland Browns brings ominous clouds to an individual’s resume, and Jimmy Haslam deserves the identical distinction. Haslam doesn’t do a lot to enhance the repute of the Browns, and his choice to signal abuser Deshaun Watson ought to be criticized.

17. Jeffrey Loria – Miami Marlins

Jeffrey Loria by no means gave the Miami Marlins a lot of an opportunity to compete after their World Sequence successes within the late Nineties and early 2000s. Followers complained of his low cost administration and awful negotiations for brand new stadiums utilizing taxpayers’ cash as an alternative of personal funds.

18. Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones actually cares concerning the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps an excessive amount of. Jones fields a aggressive workforce in Texas each season, however his over-involvement within the selections on and off the gridiron makes it inconceivable for the franchise to take one other step ahead and return to Tremendous Bowl glory.

19. George Steinbrenner – New York Yankees

George Steinbrenner makes the record for a similar causes as Jerry Jones. Steinbrenner usually believed he was the rationale the Yankees have been successful as an alternative of the gamers and administration. He fired his bench coaches on the drop of a hat and engaged in media and interviews like a film star.

20. Dean Spanos – Los Angeles Chargers

Taking possession from household nearly all the time spells bother. Dean Spanos hails from his father’s enterprise ventures and took over the Chargers within the final decade. Spanos’ workforce lives within the shadow of the Rams and in addition left the loyal followers in San Diego after 56 years.

21. Michael Jordan – Charlotte Hornets

Michael Jordan made historical past as one of many solely Black house owners in sports activities throughout his time with the Charlotte Hornets, however he didn’t deliver his signature aggressive edge to the town. Charlotte solely made the playoffs 3 times throughout Jordan’s 13 years proudly owning the workforce.

22. Jerry Reinsdorf – Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox

Jerry Reinsdorf went from the most effective house owners in sports activities to one of many worst when he wouldn’t shell out sufficient cash to take care of legendary coach Phil Jackson in 1998. Reinsdorf’s groups have skilled little or no success because the White Sox gained the World Sequence in 2005.