Are There Any Black NFL Owners?
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A look at the number of black NFL owners and what it means for the league and the country.
There are no black majority NFL owners
The National Football League (NFL) has never had a black majority owner, and currently there are no black majority owners in the league. There are, however, several black minority owners, as well as a number of female owners.
The lack of black majority ownership in the NFL has been a source of criticism for the league, as many believe that the league should do more to promote diversity among its ownership ranks. In recent years, the NFL has taken steps to address this issue, including the creation of an advisory council on diversity and inclusion, and the launch of a $1 billion venture capital fund to invest in companies founded by women and minorities.
It is worth noting that while there are no black majority NFL owners, there are a number of prominent black figures who have been involved with the league in other capacities. These include former NFL players like Doug Williams and Jerry Rice, who have served as front office executives; broadcasters like Jim Nantz and Deion Sanders; and current players like Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson.
There are three black co-owners
Although a number of NFL team owners are black, there are only three co-owners who are black. There are, however, several prominent African American businessmen and women who have ownership stakes in NFL teams. These include Renetta McCann, the CEO of Starcom Worldwide and a minority owner of the Chicago Bears; Fred Smith, the founder, chairman, and CEO of FedEx and a minority owner of the Washington Redskins; Oprah Winfrey, a talk show host and actress who owns a small stake in the Green Bay Packers; and Robert F. Smith, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners and the majority owner of the Carolina Panthers.
There are three black minority NFL owners
According to a report from USA Today, there are three black minority NFL owners: Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Anita Zucker of the Carolina Panthers, and Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills. All three owners are linked to their teams through marriage. Notably, Khan is the only one of the three who purchased his team outright; Zucker and Pegula inherited their teams from their husbands.
There are many black NFL players
There are many black NFL players, but no black majority owners of teams. There are, however, four African American minority owners in the NFL: Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula, Miami Dolphins vice chairman and owner of Sun Life Stadium Bruce Beal Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, and Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank.
