Common Myths About Who Own the NFL
The NFL’s ownership structure breeds confusion, partly because the league actively controls the narrative. One persistent myth is that the NFL itself is a single entity owned by a central board or corporation. In truth, the league operates more like a decentralized oligarchy, where each team owner holds veto power over major decisions—from rule changes to media rights deals. The NFL’s commissioner, currently Roger Goodell, is an employee of the league, not its owner, and his authority is derived from the owners’ collective will. This misconception stems from how the NFL markets itself as a unified brand, but the reality is that who own the NFL is a question of 32 individual owners, each with their own agendas.
Another widespread belief is that NFL ownership is an open market where anyone with deep pockets can buy a team. While it’s true that teams occasionally change hands—like the Rams’ 2013 relocation or the Dolphins’ sale to Stephen Ross in 1993—the process is rigged with safeguards. The NFL’s ownership rules require approval from 24 of 32 owners for any sale, giving incumbent owners a de facto veto. This has led to situations where teams remain in the same family for generations, like the Rooney family’s Pittsburgh Steelers or the Kraft dynasty in New England. The league’s rules ensure that who own the NFL stays within a tight-knit circle, even as public perception suggests it’s a free-for-all.
A third myth is that the NFL’s revenue is evenly distributed, making ownership a guaranteed path to wealth. While the league’s revenue-sharing model is one of the most generous in sports, profits aren’t uniform. Smaller-market teams like the Cleveland Browns or Detroit Lions often operate at losses despite sharing in league-wide revenue. Meanwhile, teams in lucrative markets—like the Cowboys or Patriots—reinvest heavily in stadium upgrades and player salaries, creating a two-tiered ownership experience. The NFL’s financial reports paint a rosy picture, but the truth is that who own the NFL also means who benefits most from its success—and that’s rarely the same group.
Myth 1: The NFL Is Owned by a Single Corporation or Board
The idea that the NFL is a single entity, like a publicly traded company, is a fundamental misunderstanding. The league’s governance structure is a hybrid of private ownership and centralized control, but the power lies with the 32 team owners. The NFL’s board of governors—comprising one representative from each team—makes the final call on everything from rule changes to new team expansions. This isn’t a board of directors in the traditional sense; it’s a cartel of franchise heads where each vote carries equal weight, regardless of team value.
What often gets lost in the conversation about who own the NFL is that the league itself doesn’t own the teams. Instead, it operates as a federation of independent businesses bound by a shared revenue model and collective bargaining agreement. The NFL’s headquarters in New York serves as an administrative hub, but its authority is derived from the owners’ consent. This structure allows the league to act as a unified front—whether in labor negotiations or political lobbying—while keeping the financial risks and rewards with individual owners. The confusion arises because the NFL’s branding and media presence make it seem like a single entity, but in legal and financial terms, who own the NFL is a question of 32 separate (if interconnected) businesses.
Myth 2: Anyone Can Buy an NFL Team
The NFL’s ownership rules are designed to preserve the status quo, and one of the most restrictive aspects is the approval process for new owners. While the league doesn’t explicitly ban women, minorities, or outsiders, the cultural and financial barriers make entry nearly impossible without existing connections. The sale of the Rams to Stan Kroenke in 2011, for example, required the league to override its own rules to allow a single owner to control two teams (the Rams and the Chargers). Even then, Kroenke’s bid faced resistance from other owners who feared his influence would disrupt the balance of power.
The process of determining who own the NFL in the future hinges on the league’s ownership transfer policy, which includes financial thresholds, background checks, and a mandatory waiting period. Prospective buyers must also secure approval from 24 of 32 owners—a supermajority that ensures no single owner can unilaterally block a sale. This has led to a self-perpetuating cycle where ownership remains concentrated among a small group of insiders. The NFL’s rules don’t explicitly discriminate, but they create a system where who own the NFL is determined by who already has the connections, capital, and political capital to navigate the league’s red tape.
Myth 3: NFL Owners Are Just Rich Fans
The stereotype of NFL owners as eccentric billionaires who love the game overlooks the corporate and strategic investments behind many franchises. While some owners—like Jerry Jones or Art Rooney II—are deeply involved in day-to-day operations, others treat their teams as financial assets to be maximized. The sale of the Dolphins to Stephen Ross in 1993, for instance, wasn’t just about football; it was a calculated move to leverage Miami’s real estate and tourism economy. Similarly, the NFL’s recent push into international markets—like the league’s first London game in 2013—was driven by owners looking to expand revenue streams, not just grow the sport.
The distinction between who own the NFL and who benefits from it is critical. Some owners, like the Walton family (owners of the Arizona Cardinals), use their teams as part of a broader business empire. Others, like the Glazer family (owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), have faced criticism for leveraging team assets to secure personal loans. The NFL’s revenue-sharing model ensures that even smaller-market teams profit from the league’s success, but the real wealth is often tied to stadium deals, naming rights, and ancillary businesses. Understanding who own the NFL means recognizing that ownership isn’t just about the game—it’s about control over a billion-dollar ecosystem.
What Holds Up to Scrutiny
At its foundation, the NFL’s ownership structure is built on two pillars: exclusivity and mutual benefit. The league’s rules ensure that who own the NFL remains a closed group, but this isn’t arbitrary—it’s a deliberate strategy to maintain stability. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, for example, is a monopoly-negotiated deal that ensures players are compensated fairly while keeping costs predictable for owners. This stability is why teams like the Green Bay Packers—owned by fans through a community trust—can operate differently than for-profit franchises. The Packers’ model is an outlier, but it proves that who own the NFL doesn’t have to follow a one-size-fits-all approach.
The most scrutinized aspect of NFL ownership is the revenue-sharing model, which redistributes about 48% of league-wide income to teams based on need. This system ensures that even the least valuable franchises (like the Browns or Lions) remain competitive, but it also means that who own the NFL in smaller markets often rely on subsidies to stay afloat. The league’s financial reports show that while some teams generate billions in profit, others operate at a loss—yet none are allowed to fold. This socialist-leaning capitalism is what keeps the NFL’s ownership structure unique. Without it, the league’s balance of power would shift dramatically, and who own the NFL would become a question of pure market dominance rather than negotiated equity.
"The NFL’s ownership structure is designed to prevent any single entity from gaining too much power. That’s why the rules are so strict—because if one team or owner could dominate, the league would collapse." — Former NFL Executive (anonymous)
| Common Belief | What the Evidence Says |
|---|---|
| The NFL is owned by a central board. | Ownership is decentralized among 32 team owners, each with equal voting power. |
| Anyone can buy an NFL team. | Sales require 24/32 owner approval, making entry extremely difficult for outsiders. |
| NFL owners are just football fans. | Many treat teams as financial assets, leveraging stadiums and media rights for profit. |
| Revenue is evenly distributed. | Smaller-market teams rely on subsidies, while large-market teams reinvest heavily. |
| The NFL is a public company. | Teams are private entities; the league operates as a governance body, not a corporation. |
Why the Confusion Persists
The NFL’s opacity is by design. The league’s marketing machine presents a unified front—whether in commercials, labor negotiations, or political lobbying—while the reality of who own the NFL is a patchwork of private deals and behind-the-scenes power struggles. The NFL’s media rights deals, for example, are negotiated as a single entity, but the money flows back to individual owners. This creates a perception gap: outsiders see the NFL as a monolithic brand, while insiders know it’s a negotiated oligarchy.
Another reason the confusion endures is the lack of transparency in ownership transactions. When a team changes hands—like the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas or the Rams’ sale to Stan Kroenke—the NFL’s approval process is rarely explained publicly. The league’s rules allow owners to structure deals through holding companies or trusts, obscuring the true beneficiaries. For example, the Rooney family’s control over the Steelers spans decades, but their ownership is spread across multiple entities, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly who own the NFL in any given year. This lack of clarity reinforces the myth that the league is a single, unified ownership group rather than a collection of independent (but interconnected) businesses.
Conclusion
The question of who own the NFL isn’t just about names on a roster—it’s about the unwritten rules that govern who gets to play the game. The league’s structure ensures that ownership remains concentrated among a select few, but it also guarantees that the NFL’s financial engine runs smoothly. While the public sees a unified brand, the reality is a delicate balance of power, where each owner’s vote carries equal weight, regardless of their team’s value. This system has its critics—those who argue it stifles competition or excludes new voices—but it has also allowed the NFL to thrive as the most profitable sports league in the world.
As the NFL continues to expand globally and negotiate multibillion-dollar media deals, the dynamics of who own the NFL will remain a critical factor in its success. The league’s governance model may seem opaque, but it’s precisely that opacity that allows owners to protect their investments while maintaining the illusion of a fair, open system. For now, the answer to who own the NFL remains a mix of family dynasties, corporate investors, and a few outliers who broke the mold—all operating under a set of rules designed to keep the game (and the money) flowing.
Comprehensive FAQs
#### Q: Can a woman or minority own an NFL team?
A: Technically, yes—but the NFL’s ownership rules and cultural barriers make it nearly impossible without existing connections. The league has no explicit gender or racial restrictions, but the approval process and financial thresholds favor insiders. For example, while Jody Allen (wife of former Cowboys owner Jerry Jones) has significant influence, she doesn’t hold an ownership stake. Minority ownership is even rarer; the only current example is Shahid Khan, who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his path required decades of networking within the league.
####Q: How much does it cost to buy an NFL team?
A: There’s no fixed price, but recent sales suggest figures in the $4–7 billion range for top-tier franchises. The Los Angeles Rams sold for a reported $6.6 billion in 2023, while the Carolina Panthers changed hands for around $2.2 billion in 2018. Smaller-market teams like the Cleveland Browns (sold for $2.3 billion in 2014) are cheaper, but the real cost isn’t just the purchase price—it’s the NFL’s approval process, which can add years of uncertainty and legal fees.
####Q: Do NFL owners make more money than players?
A: Yes, but the comparison isn’t straightforward. The average NFL player earns around $2.7 million per year, while team owners can generate hundreds of millions annually from revenue sharing, sponsorships, and stadium profits. However, not all owners profit equally—smaller-market teams often operate at a loss despite sharing in league revenue. Meanwhile, owners like Jerry Jones (Cowboys) or Robert Kraft (Patriots) reinvest heavily, using their teams as part of larger business empires. The disparity highlights why who own the NFL matters: some owners treat their teams as cash cows, while others see them as long-term investments.
####Q: Has the NFL ever expelled an owner?
A: No, but the league has forced sales or transfers to maintain stability. The most notable case was Al Davis, who was denied the right to relocate the Raiders to Los Angeles in 1982. The NFL’s board overruled him, leading to a bitter feud that lasted until his death in 2011. More recently, the league blocked Mark Davis (son of Al Davis) from moving the Raiders to Las Vegas until he agreed to a new stadium deal. These cases show that while the NFL won’t expel an owner, it will use its governance power to shape who controls a franchise.
####Q: Can an NFL team go bankrupt?
A: No—not legally. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and revenue-sharing model ensure that even struggling teams (like the Browns or Lions) remain solvent. However, owners can lose money personally if they mismanage finances. The Cleveland Browns have been a perennial money-loser, yet the NFL has repeatedly intervened to keep them afloat. The league’s rules prioritize preserving franchises over market efficiency, meaning that who own the NFL is more about who gets to stay in the league than who can turn a profit.
####Q: Are there any publicly traded NFL teams?
A: No. All 32 NFL teams are private entities, and the league actively discourages public ownership. The Green Bay Packers are the closest to a public model, as they’re owned by shareholders (mostly fans) through a community trust. However, even this structure is unique—most other teams operate under family trusts or corporate holdings to avoid scrutiny. The NFL’s rules make it nearly impossible to go public, as doing so would subject teams to stock market volatility and outside investor influence, which the league’s owners want to avoid.
####Q: How do NFL owners influence politics?
A: NFL owners are major political donors, with teams often aligning with local and national leaders to secure tax breaks, stadium funding, and regulatory favors. The league itself is a lobbying powerhouse, spending millions annually on issues like immigration reform (to attract international players) and labor laws. Individual owners, like Art Rooney II (Steelers) or Mark Cuban (future Mavericks owner, if he buys an NFL team), use their influence to push agendas—whether on gun control, healthcare, or economic policy. The NFL’s political clout means that who own the NFL also shapes policy debates far beyond the football field.
