Stan Kroenke, the businessman who turns his sports teams into a money-making machine
He has built a gigantic sports empire with clubs in several of the major U.S. leagues
T here are those who buy a team out of passion, those who do it for prestige, and those who see in sport a business opportunity . Stan Kroenke seems to have found the formula to combine it all. The American businessman has spent years expanding his collection of clubs and, with each new acquisition, the value of his empire has continued to grow.
At 79 years old, Kroenke is behind some of the best-known franchises in the United States and also one of the Premier League’s big clubs. His latest deal once again shows that the magnate does not seem willing to take his foot off the accelerator: he has reached an agreement to take control of the Los Angeles Angels, an MLB baseball team, in a deal valued at around $4 billion.
Stan Kroenke: a bet that has paid off handsomely
What is truly striking is to look back and see how much his investments have changed. Kroenke paid approximately $2.4 billion to acquire his main sports teams. Today, those franchises would have a combined value close to $22 billion . In other words, the businessman has managed to multiply several times the value of what he once bet on.
Among his major assets are the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, MLS's Colorado Rapids, and England's Arsenal.
The Rams case is especially illustrative. Kroenke steadily increased his stake in the franchise until he took control and, years later, moved the project to Los Angeles, where he built the spectacular SoFi Stadium together with his partners. The deal turned the team into one of the most valuable sports assets in the world. Something similar has happened with his investments in Denver and with Arsenal itself, where he also controls Emirates Stadium.
Behind this entire network is a fairly simple idea: buy major sports assets before they reach their maximum value and grow them over time. The result speaks for itself. H is personal fortune is around $27 billion, and his teams have appreciated extraordinarily in value. With the Angels on the verge of joining the group, Kroenke is expanding even further a business that already seems to have no ceiling.
