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Lucrative Sports - The Richest Sports Team Owners 2017

Making it into the Forbes 400 is getting tougher than ever, with a minimum net worth of $2 billion needed to decode the list of wealthiest Americans. The bar for entry will be up 18% from last year thanks to a booming stock market. The world of sports is well represented, with more than 10% of those 400 owning a major sports team.

Franchise owners are profiting from a brand new landscape in which they may control blockbuster contracts from broadcasters for the rights to televise live sports at a time when more and more Americans are flowing ad-free content on demand or recording it for playback on commercial-skipping DVRs. There are 87 sports teams worldwide worth at least $1 billion.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

Steve Ballmer keeps his hold since America's richest sports group owner for the fourth consecutive season with a net worth of $33.6 billion, up $6.1 billion in one year ago and No. 15 among all Americans.

Ballmer dropped from Stanford's MBA program to eventually become Microsoft's 30th worker and served as its CEO between 2000 and 2014. He bought the Los Angeles Clippers for a record $2 billion the same year he stepped down.

Microsoft's stock is up 35% over the previous 12 months, fueling the profits in Ballmer's net worth. The Clippers are in a transition period with the departure of continuing All-Star Chris Paul, who had been traded to the Houston Rockets in July. Blake Griffin is your group's centerpiece now after signing a five-year, $173 million contract that summer.

Ballmer is looking for a new home for the Clippers, who share the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered discussions in June with the city of Inglewood to explore the potential for building a new arena there.

Another Microsoft alum, Paul Allen, ranks as the second richest sports owner from the U.S. Allen co-founded the company in 1975 with high school friend Bill Gates, who's topped Forbes' list of the wealthiest Americans for 24 consecutive years. Allen has sold nearly all of his Microsoft stock since departing the business in 1983 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease (he beat it).

Allen owns the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers. His net worth jumped $1.7 billion to $20.6 billion.

We only counted sports owners who maintain a vast majority stake or are the managing partner of a significant sports franchise. We did not include cases where possession is dispersed across a household like the Steinbrenners (New York Yankees) and Glazers (Manchester United and Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

You will find over a dozen billionaires with minority stakes in groups like Steve Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell Jobs ($19.4 billion), who recently bought an estimated 20% stake at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, including the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and the arena they share.

The 43 owners restrain 55 teams combined, together with 11 owners possessing multiple teams. The combined net worth for its 43 sports team owners is $238 billion. The most recent member of this exclusive club is Tilman Fertitta ($3.5 billion) who closed on his $2.2 billion purchase of the Houston Rockets this month.

Following Paul Allen. Rounding out the top five wealthiest owners is Philip Anschutz ($12.6 billion), owner of the Los Angeles Kings and LA Galaxy, Miami Heat owner Micky Arison ($9.4 billion) and Stanley Kroenke ($8.1 billion), whose sport empire touches the NFL, NBA, NHL and European football.

The average NFL franchise is worth $2.5 billion, and not surprisingly soccer owners would be the best-represented sports club one of the 400. Eighteen owners made the cut, directed by Allen, Kroenke and Stephen Ross ($7.5 billion). The NBA landed 15 owners on the list, followed by nine in MLB with Charles Johnson ($5.9 billion), Marian Ilitch ($5.2 billion) and Ted Lerner ($4.9 billion) at the top.

Sports have paved the road to riches for many other Americans outside of team possession. Nike founder Phil Knight is worth $25.2 billion and ranks as the 18th richest individual American. Last year he pledged $500 million to the University of Oregon and $400 million to Stanford, his alma maters. The net worth of Fanatics owner Michael Rubin got a boost in August when SoftBank declared a $1 billion investment in the sport product online retailer. Rubin is worth $2.9 billion, up $600 million. Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta are each worth $2 billion after selling their mixed-martial-arts firm UFC for about $ 4 billion last year to WME-IMG.

Many Forbes 400 members from the world of sports dropped off the list this year, including Under Armour creator Kevin Plank ($1.7 billion). His net worth is off $1.3 billion following a 60% decrease in the stock price of this sports apparel manufacturer. Nascar's battles caused a $300 million fall in the net value of James France ($1.7 billion) who owns the estimated 36 percent of the stock car racing series based on his father.

Richest Sports Team Owners:

1. Steve Ballmer: $33.6 billion (Los Angeles Clippers)

2. Paul Allen: $20.6 billion (Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers)

3. Philip Anschutz: $12.6 billion (Los Angeles Kings, LA Galaxy)

4. Micky Arison: $9.4 billion (Miami Heat)

5. Stanley Kroenke: $8.1 billion (Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal)

6. Stephen Ross: $7.5 billion (Miami Dolphins)

7. Shahid Khan: $7.1 billion (Jacksonville Jaguars)

8. Robert Kraft: $6.2 billion (New England Patriots, New England Revolution)

9. Charles Johnson: $6 billion (San Francisco Giants)

10. Daniel Gilbert: $5.8 billion (Cleveland Cavaliers)

11. Jerry Jones: $5.6 billion (Dallas Cowboys)

12. Ann Walton Kroenke: $5.5 billion (Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche)

13. Richard DeVos & family: $5.4 billion (Orlando Magic)

14. Marian Ilitch: $5.2 billion (Detroit Red Wings)

15. Charles Dolan & family: $5 billion (New York Knicks, New York Rangers)

16. Ted Lerner & family: $4.9 billion (Washington Nationals)

17. Jeremy Jacobs Sr: $4.4 billion (Boston Bruins)

18. Terrence Pegula: $4.3 billion (Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres)

19. Stephen Bisciotti: $4 billion (Baltimore Ravens)

19. Joan Tisch: $4 billion (New York Giants)

21. Arthur Blank: $3.8 billion (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United)

21. Robert McNair: $3.8 billion (Houston Texans)

21. Henry Samueli: $3.8 billion (Anaheim Ducks)

24. Tom Gores: $3.7 billion (Detroit Pistons)

25. Jimmy Haslam: $3.6 billion (Cleveland Browns)

26. Tilman Fertitta: $3.5 billion (Houston Rockets)

27. Mark Cuban: $3.3 billion (Dallas Mavericks)

27. Joshua Harris: $3.3 billion (Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils)

29. Robert Pera: $3.8 billion (Memphis Grizzlies)

30. John Middleton: $3 billion (Philadelphia Phillies)

31. Ray Davis: $2.8 billion (Texas Rangers)

31. Tom Benson & family: $2.8 billion (New Orleans Pelicans, New Orleans Saints)

33. John Fisher: $2.7 billion (Oakland Athletics)

33. Herbert Simon: $2.7 billion (Indiana Pacers)

33. James Irsay: $2.7 billion (Indianapolis Colts)

36. John Henry: $2.5 billion (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool, Roush Fenway Racing)

36. Arturo Moreno: $2.5 billion (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

36. Mark Walter: $2.5 billion (Los Angeles Dodgers)

36. Denise York: $2.5 billion (San Francisco 49ers)

40. Alexander Spanos & family: $2.4 billion (San Diego Chargers)

41. Glen Taylor: $2.3 billion (Minnesota Timberwolves)

41. Dan Snyder: $2.3 billion (Washington Redskins)

43. Jeffrey Lurie: $2 billion (Philadelphia Eagles)

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