From Ballmer to Anschutz: These are the 10 richest owners in the sport

2022 is being a year that Roman Abramovich will not easily forget. The Russian tycoon has seen his fortune fall from nearly $15 billion to $6.9 billion due to sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A consequence that ended with the sale of his beloved soccer team, Chelsea FC, which he bought in 2003 for 190 million and is currently valued at about 3,000 million.

All this has caused Abramovich to abandon the list, prepared by the magazine Forbes, of the ten richest sports team owners in the world (in 2021 it was ranked eighth). Between them they have amassed a net worth of $352.8 billion, a figure that has held steady for a year despite rampant inflation and market volatility.

1. Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer, owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, is the richest owner at the moment, with a net worth of $91.4 billionwhich places him in ninth place among the wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes.

Ballmer bought the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014 for $2 billion, and it is now valued at $3.3 billion. Although what has really allowed him to increase his assets have been the shares of Microsoft (he was CEO of the company for fourteen years), since they have made him 33% richer this year.

2. Mukesh Ambani

The Indian businessman and CEO of Reliance Industries comes in at number two with an estimated fortune of $90.7 billion, and the ninth richest person in the world. Ambani has lost first place to the detriment of Steve Ballmer. Both have been competing for the top spot since 2016.

Ambani has seen his wealth increase by 7% in the last year. He is currently the owner of the Mumbai Indians, an Indian cricket team. In addition, his company is considering bidding for the broadcasting rights to IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket.

3. Francois Pinault

Apart from being the CEO of the Kering group, a company founded by his father in 1963, which owns several shares and luxury fashion brands including (Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga), François Pinault is the third owner of the richest sports team in the world, with a heritage of $40.4 billion.

Pinault has been the owner of Stade Rennes FC since 1998. A mid-table football team in the French Ligue 1 that until now has always been in the shadow of clubs like Lyon or PSG. In the past year, Pinault has seen his fortune drop 4%.

4. Dietrich Mateschitz

Mateschitz is an institution in Austria and Germany. Thanks to being the owner of Red Bull energy drinks, of which he controls 49% of its shares, Mateschitz is the owner of the Leipzig teams, in the Bundesliga, and the New York Red Bulls of the US MLS.

Although great passion is in Formula 1. Mateschitz is the owner of Red Bull Racing, a team that was champion last season thanks to the Dutch driver Max Verstappen. He currently has an estimated fortune of $27.4 billionand in the last year has seen it grow by 2%.

5. Daniel Gilbert

Owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Daniel Gilbert is the fifth most successful sports owner in the world, with a net worth of $22 billion. Although Gilbert cannot be happy at all, since his fortune has fallen by more than half (58%) compared to 2021, when it was estimated at 51.9 billion dollars, due to the bad stock market moment of Rocket Companies.

6. Masayoshi Son

Founder and owner of the SoftBank group and president of Sprint Corporation, Masayoshi Son is also the owner of Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball, one of the most successful clubs in the Japanese league.

Son has a fortune of $21.3 billion and has lost more than 50% in a single year.

7. Steve Cohen

Cohen is a well-known hedge fund manager. He is also the owner of the New York Mets, a baseball team in the United States. Thanks to his presence, the Mets have overtaken the Yankees as the nouveau riche in town, with a roster spend of $252 million, the second-highest in the competition and behind only the Dodgers.

He ranks seventh in wealthiest sports owners, with a net worth of $17.4 billion. In one year he has seen his fortune increase by 9%.

8. David Tepper

Tepper is another top hedge fund manager with an estimated fortune of $16.7 billion. In one year he has seen how his fortune has increased by 15% compared to 2021.

He is the owner of the Carolina Panthers of the NFL (National Football League) of the USA. Since its purchase in 2018, the team’s value has increased by $600 million to $2.91 billion.

9. Robert Pera

Pera is the founder of Ubiquiti Networks, Inc., a global communications technology company that he took public in 2011. In October 2012, he also became the owner of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. Since buying him, the team has increased its valuation from $377 million to $1.5 billion. In sports, this will be the team’s best season of results in RS (regular season), with a balance of 55-25 so far, which will make it finish in second position while waiting for the start of the Playoffs.

Currently, Pera has $14.6 billion20% less than last year’s figures, according to the magazine Forbes.

10. Philip Anschutz

Anschutz is one of the great fortunes of the United States, with an estimated net worth of $10.9 billion and has seen how it has increased by 8% compared to 2021.

He is the owner of the Los Angeles Kings, an ice hockey team, and the Los Angeles Galaxy, of the MLS (Major League Soccer). In July 2021 he sold his 27% stake in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers to co-owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers.