What are the 25 largest sporting empires in the world? Forbes has compiled the ranking of the main groups in the world of sport, which sees at the top Liberty Media, the company controlled by the president John C. Malone majority shareholder, among others, of Formula 1 and the Atlanta Braves of the MLB (the US league of baseball). The NFL stands out in the ranking but football also finds ample space, with the City Football Group ranking in the top 10 but just behind the Glazer family, owner of Manchester United (as well as the Tampa Bay Bucaneers in the NFL) in a city derby. But it is English football, however, that dominates, considering that all the teams present in the ranking come from the Premier League. Collectively, the value of these empires rose 22% from $ 102 billion to $ 124 billion, thanks to the growth in particular of TV rights deals for the NFL and NHL.
At the top, we said, we find Liberty Media, with a total value of 17.2 billion dollars, an increase of 32% compared to last year, driven by large gains in terms of revenues and operating income for the Braves and Formula 1 in the last year. On the podium also enter Stan Kroenke’s Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (10.54 billion), leading among others the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, the Denver Nuggets in the NBA and Arsenal as regards the world of football, and the Fenway Sports Group (9.81 billion) led by John Henry, major shareholder of the Boston Red Sox in MLB and Liverpool.
Among the 25 in the standings:
- 15 have at least one NFL team;
- 4 have at least one MLB team;
- 9 have at least one NBA team;
- 6 have at least one English football team.
The 25 richest sports empires, the ranking
- Liberty Media: $ 17.2 billion. Main properties: Atlanta Braves (MLB), Formula 1;
- Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: $ 10.54 billion. Main properties: Los Angeles Rams (NFL), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Arsenal;
- Fenway Sports Group: $ 9.81 billion. Main Properties: Boston Red Sox (MLB), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), Liverpool;
- Jerry Jones: $ 8.85 billion. Main Properties: Dallas Cowboys (NFL);
- Madison Square Garden Sports: $ 7.84 billion. Main properties: New York Knicks (NBA), New York Rangers (NHL);
- Yankee Global Enterprises: $ 6.81 billion. Principal Owners: New York Yankees (MLB);
- Kraft family: $ 5.88 billion. Main properties: New England Patriots (NFL), New England Revolution (MLS);
- Glazer family: $ 5.84 billion. Main Properties: Manchester United, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL);
- Paul G. Allen Trust: $ 5.69 billion. Primary Properties: Seattle Seahawks (NFL), Portland Trail Blazers (NBA);
- City Football Group: 5.0 billion dollars. Principal Properties: Manchester City, New York City;
- Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment: $ 4.98 billion. Major Properties: Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL);
- Shahid Khan: 4.80 billion dollars. Primary Owners: Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL), Fulham FC
- Benson family: $ 4.35 billion. Main Properties: New Orleans Saints (NFL), New Orleans Pelicans (NBA);
- York family: $ 4.31 billion. Major Owners: San Francisco 49ers (NFL), Leeds United (minority stake);
- Dan Snyder: 4.20 billion dollars. Main properties: Washington Football Team (NFL);
- Johnson family: 4.05 billion dollars. Main Properties: New York Jets (NFL);
- WITH Group: $ 3.65 billion. Major Properties: Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Atlanta United (MLS);
- Buss family: $ 3.63 billion. Principal Owners: Los Angeles Lakers (NBA);
- Guggenheim Baseball Management: $ 3.54 billion. Primary Properties: Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB);
- Jeffrey Lurie: $ 3.5 billion. Main Properties: Philadelphia Eagles (NFL);
- Stephen Ross: 3.45 billion dollars. Primary Properties: Miami Dolphins (NFL);
- Steve Ballmer: $ 3.35 billion. Primary Properties: Los Angeles Clippers (NBA);
- Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment: $ 3.33 billion. Top Properties: Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL)
- Monumental Sports & Entertainment: $ 3.32 billion. Principal Owners: Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL);
- Tepper Sports & Entertainment: $ 3.31 billion. Primary Owners: Carolina Panthers (NFL), Charlotte FC (MLS).
