http://gty.im/489798980
15. Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons
- Seasons owned: 14 (24th)
- Win percentage: 0.534 (20th)
- Playoff rate: 42.9% (11th)
- Championship rate: 0.0% (17th)
- Net worth ($bn): 2.6 (11th)
- Franchise growth: 13th
- Investment Factor: 5th
- Gut check: 3rd
Blank is one of the wealthiest self-made owners, has deep ties to Atlanta, spares no expense when it comes to his team, demands on-field results and is building a spectacular stadium. He also looks gangster in a pinstripe suit, which is a rare and wonderful trait for a man who wears suits all the time.
Sadly, though Blank’s demanded on-field results, they haven’t always come—and tenure-wise, he’s caught in the in-between zone: He hasn’t owned the team long enough for his significant investments to have fully paid off, yet he’s owned the team long enough for his lack of postseason success to hold him back.
http://gty.im/499241986
14. Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts
- Seasons owned: 44 (11th)
- Win percentage: 0.505 (16th)
- Playoff rate: 45.5% (8th)
- Championship rate: 2.3% (16th)
- Net worth ($bn): 2.3 (16th)
- Franchise growth: 12th
- Investment Factor: 8th
Sometimes, an opinion can only be properly expressed with a hashtag—and in this case, that opinion is #SMH.
Irsay’s father Bob was the villain who relocated the beloved Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis at one scandalous daybreak decades ago, and oversaw many years of flat-out futility. In many ways, Jim was the anti-Bob: A fun-loving Boomer with a strong hippie bent, Irsay was the rare owner who happened to be his team’s own biggest fan. For better or for worse, he’s been a strong, obvious presence in every facet of the organization, pushing everyone to deliver the on-field results he craves.
Unfortunately, Irsay’s money giveaways and posting-The Doors-lyrics-on-Twtter all turned ugly when news broke of his arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star painted an awful picture of what working under Irsay, an apparent drug addict whose life was spiraling out of control, was like.
As Kravitz wrote, Colts officials and the Irsay family had been “cleaning up” Irsay’s messes for a long time, and his behavior posed a real threat to himself and the livelihoods of others. After serving a suspension (the practical details of which were never clear), Irsay is back to being the face, voice and chief decision-maker of the franchise. He’s also back to dropping seven-figure sums on rock-and-roll memorabilia.
But with no way to know for sure if Irsay is the kind of guy you’d love to party with, the kind of boss it would be a nightmare to work for or the kind of billionaire who’d rather drive wasted than waste the time to hail an Uber—or, still, all three at once—he’s near the bottom of our Gut check list.
http://gty.im/460993347
13. Glazer Family, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Seasons owned: 21 (20th)
- Win percentage: 0.464 (24th)
- Playoff rate: 33.3% (16th)
- Championship rate: 4.8% (12th)
- Net worth ($bn): 4.7 (9th)
- Franchise growth: 21st
- Investment Factor: 9th
- Gut check: 10th
In the absence of Malcolm Glazer, who died in 2014, it’s tough to get a bead on the actual structure of the family ownership, or the exact amount of wealth Joel Glazer, Bryan Glazer, Edward Glazer and Darcie Glazer Kassewitz control. The late Malcolm is still listed as “Owner/President” on the team’s official site, with sons Joel, Bryan and Edward listed as co-chairmen.
Though the Glazers are widely reviled in England, where they bought iconic EPL franchise Manchester United and then struggled to meet the demands of running a world-class soccer factory, their title-winning tenure in Tampa Bay has been the only real time of prosperity in the franchise’s history.
http://gty.im/495304100
12. Pat Bowlen/Trust
- Seasons owned: 32 (13th)
- Win percentage: 0.613 (2nd)
- Playoff rate: 53.1% (5th)
- Championship rate: 6.3% (9th)
- Net worth ($bn): 1 (28th)
- Franchise growth: 16th
- Investment Factor: 25th
- Gut check: 16th
As with Benson, it’s difficult to cast a critical eye on the “likeability” of an elderly man in poor health. Bowlen’s Alzheimer’s Disease forced him to step down from day-to-day operations in 2014, prompting a median 16th Gut check score.
Unlike Benson, who remains in control in his team (and judged legally competent to do so), Bowlen was a beloved, and thoroughly successful, owner. Not only did he bring two titles to Denver, he also got Sports Authority Field at Mile High built without completely ditching the Mile High. The uncertainty makes his placement in this list, well, uncertain, but the Broncos have largely been ahead of the rest of the league when it comes to ownership.
http://gty.im/72630554
11. Denise DeBartolo York and John York, San Francisco 49ers
- Seasons owned: 39 (12th)
- Win percentage: 0.572 (4th)
- Playoff rate: 53.8% (4th)
- Championship rate: 12.8% (4th)
- Net worth ($bn): 1.9 (19th)
- Franchise growth: 10th
- Investment Factor: 27th
- Gut check: 25th
Here’s another sticky case of family ownership: Denise DeBartolo York, daughter of Edward DeBartolo, Sr. and estranged sister of the notorious Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., owns the team along with her husband John York. But it’s their son Jed calling the shots— it’s Jed who got the beautiful new stadium in Santa Clara built, and Jed who put together the first perennially dominant 49ers squad since his uncle was running the show and it’s Jed who just oversaw that club’s unprecedented dismantling in the name of, um, class. Or something.
If the Harbaugh Era had ended differently, or if there were any evidence York and general manager Trent Baalke will be able to put together a winner without Harbaugh’s help, the Yorks’ Gut check rank would be much higher (and so would their overall rank).
…but, it didn’t, and there isn’t, and it isn’t, so it isn’t.
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