Who’s the Owner of the NFL?
Contents
We all know that the National Football League is a huge business, but who actually owns the league? The answer may surprise you.
The Structure of the NFL
The NFL is made up of 32 teams. These teams are split into two conferences, the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference is then split into four divisions, North, South, East, and West.
The League Office
The NFL’s primary office is located in New York City. Other offices are located in: Los Angeles, California; New Jersey; Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; and Toronto, Canada. The league also has a training center in Aurora, Colorado.
The NFL is composed of 32 teams: 24 in the United States and 8 in Canada. Each team is divided into two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFC is further divided into four divisions: East, West, North, and South. The AFC is divided into the same four divisions.
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the champion of the NFL. The playoffs consist of six teams from each conference: four division winners and two wild card teams. The tournament culminates with the Super Bowl, which is held annually to determine the champion of the NFL.
The Teams
The NFL is made up of 32 teams, divided equally into two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference is then further divided into four divisions, each containing four teams. This structure ensures that every team plays every other team in their own division twice a season, as well as several games against teams from the other divisions in their own conference. Finally, each conference’s champion faces off against the champion of the other conference in the annual Super Bowl.
The NFC is made up of the following divisions:
-NFC East: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
-NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
-NFC South: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
The AFC similarly contains these divisions:
-AFC East: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
-AFC North: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
-AFC South: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
-AFC West: Denver Broncos. Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland Raiders. Los Angeles Chargers
The Owners of the NFL
Jerry Jones is the owner of the NFL franchise, the Dallas Cowboys. Robert Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots. These are just two of the many owners of NFL teams.
The Rooney Family
The Rooney family is the controlling owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the 32 National Football League (NFL) franchises. Art Rooney Sr., the founder of the Steelers, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was also a founding member of the AFL-NFL merger. The Rooneys are related to loretta Lynn and Comedian Greg Warren. The family maintains an intrinsically close relationship with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The father of American football, Walter Camp, is credited with creating many of the game’s rules. He also selected Ivy League schools like Yale, Harvard, and Princeton as some of football’s first powerhouses. The Rooney family has its origins in New Ireland (now County Mayo), in rural Ireland. Emigration from Ireland to America began increasing in earnest in the 1840s, spurred by the Great Famine. Many Irish immigrants found work in America’s burgeoning coal mines and steel mills.
One such Irish immigrant was Art Rooney Sr., who emigrated to America with his parents when he was just a child. After a stint working in the coal mines, Rooney eventually made his way to Pittsburgh, where he started a numbers game known as “Policy.” In 1933, he used his winnings from Policy to buy a horse named “Dan Patch” for just $2500. Dan Patch went on to become one of the most successful racehorses in history, setting world records for single-season earnings and wins.
In 1934 after cashing in on his investment in Dan Patch Art decided that it was time for him to get into another line of work so he approached his father about going into business together opening a bar on Fifth Avenue inPittsburgh called The Calico Club which quickly turned into one of Pittsburgh’s most notorious nightspots during prohibition because liquor was openly served there . Business was booming and it wasn’t long before they had to move the club to a larger location on Second Avenue which they christened “The Fort Pitt Hotel & Casino” where it remained open until 1937 when it was closed down by federal agents during an attempt to crack down on illegal gambling operations across the country .
After Art Sr.’s death in 1988, control over the Steelers passed to his son Dan Rooney. Under Dan’s leadership, the Steelers won Super Bowl titles in 1995, 2005, 2008, and 2010; this made them one of only six teams to win at least four Super Bowls.[1] In recent years critics have argued that NFL parity has decreased due largely to gaps between large market teams like the Steelers with their large fan base and revenue streams generated by things like PSLs from new stadiums and small market teams whose fans can’t afford PSL prices or don’t have enough discretionary income left after paying for season tickets .
The Mara Family
The Mara family has been involved with the NFL since its inception in 1920. In 1925, Tim Mara purchased the New York Giants for $500, and the team has been in the family ever since. The Mara children, Wellington and Jacqueline, have both played prominent roles in NFL history. Wellington was instrumental in getting the NFL to adopt a television contract in 1955, while Jacqueline became the first female owner of an NFL team when she purchased the Giants in 1991.
The Mara family has had a significant impact on the NFL, both on and off the field. They are one of the most influential families in the league, and their legacy is sure to continue for years to come.
The Kraft Family
The Kraft family has been one of the most important families in the NFL for decades. They own the New England Patriots, which are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. The patriarch of the family, Robert Kraft, bought the team in 1994 for $172 million. Since then, the team has won six Super Bowls, including two in the last three years. The Krafts also own the Boston Major League Soccer team, the New England Revolution.
Other Notable NFL Owners
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league. The NFL is the highest level of professional football in the United States. NFL owners are the richest people in the world. There are 32 NFL teams, and each team has an owner. The average worth of an NFL team is $1.97 billion. The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable team, worth $5.5 billion.
Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones (born c. 1942) is an American businessman, best known for being the owner of the National Football League (NFL)’s Dallas Cowboys. He bought the team in 1989. He also owns a holdings company called Jerry Jones Enterprises, as well as several entertainment and real estate ventures. In 2017, Forbes estimated his net worth to be about $5 billion, making him one of the richest people in sports.
Robert McNair
Robert McNair (born September 27, 1937) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the chairman and founder of The McNair Group, a diversified financial holding company, as well as the majority owner of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL).
In 1999, McNair led a group that was awarded an NFL expansion franchise for Houston. The team began play in 2002 as the Houston Texans. In October 2018, Forbes magazine estimated the value of the Texans at $3.1 billion, making them the fifth most valuable franchise in the NFL. In 2017, McNair donated $1 million to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Houston.
In addition to his business interests, McNair has been active in philanthropy and civic affairs. He served on the boards of several non-profit organizations including Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital System, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In 2008, he was appointed by then-Governor Rick Perry to chair a task force on higher education.
Stephen Bisciotti
Stephen Francis Bisciotti (born March 23, 1961) is an American businessman who is the majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He is a graduate of Salisbury University.
Bisciotti and his partners purchased controlling interest (51%) in the Ravens from Art Modell on April 8, 2004 for $530 million. At the time, it was the highest price ever paid for an NFL team. The sale was approved unanimously by NFL owners on April 20. When the transaction was finalized on May 1, he became majority owner of the franchise. In his first year as owner, Bisciotti helped lead the team to victory in Super Bowl XXXV.
Prior to purchasing the Ravens, Bisciotti was a minority owner of the team, holding a 1% stake that he purchased in 2000 for $75 million as part of a deal in which he would have an option to buy a majority stake in 2004. He exercised that option in 2004 and bought out co-owner Art Modell’s children David and John for an additional $275 million, giving him full ownership of the franchise.
Bisciotti also owns two American Hockey League teams, the Hershey Bears and Lowell Devils.