Since they took over control of the New York Giants in 2006 from their fathers, John Mara and Steve Tisch have presided over 33 percent growth in the value of their team – best in the NFL. The 2010 opening of MetLife Stadium helped them rack up a 21 percent bump in revenue last year, the latest achievement for an ownership duo that also lifted the Lombardi Trophy in 2007 for the organization’s third Super Bowl victory.
Based on their team’s performance on the field and financial growth off of it, the Mara and Tisch families are the best owners in the NFL, by Forbes’ estimation. To come up with our list, we looked at teams’ change in franchise value and win percentages (including a bump for playoff and Super Bowl victories) over the last five years. Each factor accounts for half of their rank.
Close behind in second place is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose team has racked up the highest winning percentage in the NFL over the last five years. New England’s gate receipts were second-highest in the NFL in 2010 at $93 million, and by Forbes’ appraisal, the team’s value has increased 17% over the past five years.
In third place: James Irsay. His Indianapolis Colts have appeared in two Super Bowls in the last five seasons, but the Colts’ new stadium deal is just as successful as the product on the field. The team pays just $250,000 a year in rent on the three-year-old Lucas Oil Stadium, while the city of Indianapolis covers all operating and maintenance expenses. The deal allows Irsay to keep one of the lowest debt percentages in the league.
The fourth spot goes to the Green Bay Packers owners, who happen to be over 100,000 shareholders. The Packers, winners of the most recent Super Bowl, are the only publicly-owned major sports team in the United States. The franchise is based in by far the smallest NFL city, but still has one of the highest brand management values in the league at $85 million. The team’s value has risen 17% over the past five years.
Infamous Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones comes in at number five. Despite no recent postseason success, the Cowboys opened a $1.3 billion new stadium in 2010 – the most expensive ever. The iconic blue star represents the most valuable team in American sports, a title the Cowboys hold over the New York Yankees.
The average NFL franchise has grown 8 percent in total team value over the last five years , something you certainly can’t say about the stock market. But some teams have actually been losing value during this football boom time.
The worst NFL owner by our estimation is William Clay Ford Sr. of the Detroit Lions, who’s known for both losing seasons and losing money. Not only did the Lions post the first 0-16 season in NFL history in 2008, the value of the franchise dropped 3 percent over the last five years. Detroit was also the only team in the NFL to lose money in 2010.
Second-worst: the late Al Davis, who died on Oct. 8. His Oakland Raiders have won only 30 percent of their games over the last five seasons, and posted the lowest revenues in the league in 2010. Ralph Wilson Jr. (Buffalo Bills), Randy Lerner (Cleveland Browns), and Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) round out the bottom five.
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