Prior, throughout, and after the 2017 NBA Finals, basketball fans were debating things such as how historically great LeBron James is, whether he has eclipsed the likes of Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, and whether Kevin Durant has now surpassed LeBron in the present as the world’s best basketball player.
During and after the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, hockey enthusiasts opined on where Sidney Crosby now ranks in the annals of hockey’s greatest players.
And after winning his fifth Super Bowl trophy after a historic comeback in Super Bowl LI versus the Atlanta Falcons, few are debating just how historically great Tom Brady is.
But nobody is talking about another great “sports debate” topic.
Nobody is talking about what could go down as the greatest quartet of championship owners in the history of the four North America sports leagues.
With the Golden State Warriors and the Pittsburgh Penguins recently winning the NBA and NHL championships, respectively, they join the Chicago Cubs (owned by the Ricketts family, led by Tom Ricketts) and the New England Patriots (owned by Robert Kraft) as the 4 teams currently reigning as champions in their respective leagues.
And when you begin to reflect on who these individuals are and what they’ve done in their respective leagues, it’s pretty hard to think back to a quartet of championship ownership groups that is more impressive than these four.
Let’s start with the Warriors and Joe Lacob. He, along with minority owner Peter Guber, are in charge of one of the greatest franchise transformations in sports history:
- From the 1994-95 season until Lacob’s first full season as owner in 2010-11, the Warriors missed the playoffs in 15 of 16 years, with losing records in 14 of those 16 years, and fewer than 30 wins in 8 of 16 years.
- Having just concluded his seventh season as owner, the team has made the playoffs in 5 consecutive seasons, with the last 3 seasons being among the greatest 3-season stretches in NBA history…during which time they have reached the NBA Finals 3 years in a row, winning the title in 2015 and 2017, setting a single-season records for wins in 2015-16 with 73 wins, and amassing a 207-39 record over the last 3 seasons.
- Lacob purchased the team for $450 million in 2010, and is now valued by Forbes at $2.6 billion (and this is before they just won their 2nd title in 3 years).
While the Warriors’ sustained level of championship excellence hasn’t reflected the Chicago Cubs play so far in 2017, there is no doubt how impactful the Ricketts family’s ownership has been. And of course, they helped foster the environment which ultimately led to the death of sports’ longest standing curse.
- After losing the 1945 World Series in 7 games, the Cubs didn’t taste post-season action again until 1984.
- From 1984 until the Ricketts family took ownership of the Cubs prior to the 2010 baseball season, the Cubs only made the postseason 6 times in 25 years (excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season)
- In 7 full seasons with the Ricketts family in ownership, the Cubs became World Champions, with the last 2 seasons being particularly strong. In 2015, the Cubs had the 3rd best record in baseball, and in 2016, they had the best record with 103 wins.
- Most importantly, the Cubs finished the 2016 season with a thrilling World Series title which featuring the team overcoming a 3 games to 1 deficit to overtake the Cleveland Indians, resulting in the team’s first title since 1908.
- The Ricketts family purchased the team for $700 million in 2009, and is now valued by Forbes at $2.675 billion.
Of course, Robert Kraft has done more than build one of the greatest NFL franchises in league history. He also played an integral role in ensuring the league did not miss games due to a labor stoppage in the summer of 2011. That said, he has been the man in charge of a team that has played in 7 Super Bowls during his ownership tenure.
- Prior to Kraft buying the team for $172 million in 1994, and going back to the team’s first season in the NFL (1970), the Patriots had only made the playoffs 5 times in 24 years.
- In his 23 years as team owner, the Patriots have made the playoffs in 18 of 23 years, reaching 8 Super Bowls, and winning 5 titles.
- According to Forbes’ 2016 NFL franchise valuations, the Patriots today are worth $3.4 billion.
And then there is Mario Lemieux, majority owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While hockey is less popular in North America than the other sports discussed herein, Lemieux stands out from his ownership peers on two fronts. First, he has tasted championship success as both a player and owner (being among the greatest players in NHL history). Second, he rescued the franchise from bankruptcy. The team declared bankruptcy in November 1998, and some believed the franchise would fold or move after the 1998-99 season. But Lemieux stepped in by converting $20 million in deferred salary owed to him as equity, and ultimately became the majority owner of the club.
- The purchase price of the team in 1999 was $107 million
- The 2016 Forbes valuation has the club’s value pegged at $570 million
- In the last 11 seasons, the Penguins have reached the Stanley Cup 4 times, winning 3 times…including being the reigning back-to-back champs
- Lemieux has been with the club for 34 of the franchise’s 50 years. The first 16 years of the team’s existence produced 9 post-season trips but zero Stanley Cup Finals appearances. Since his rookie year with the team in 1984-85, the Penguins have won the Stanley Cup 5 times.