The world’s 10 richest sports owners are worth a collective $353 billion, according to Forbes’ 2022 list. 

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tops the list with a net worth of $91.4 billion, a 33% year-over-year increase. He purchased the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion eight years ago, and Forbes now values the team at $3.3 billion — in that time, Microsoft’s shares have ballooned by more than 600%.

Mukesh Ambani, owner of the Mumbai Indians, is not far behind with a net worth of $90.7 billion (+7%). After Ambani, the owners’ net worths take a dip.

• Stade Rennais FC owner François Pinault: $40.4 billion 
• New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Racing, and RB Leipzig owner Dietrich Mateschitz: $27.4 billion
• Cleveland Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert: $22 billion (a 58% year-over-year drop)

The list rounds out with Masayoshi Son ($21.3 billion), Steve Cohen ($17.4 billion), David Tepper ($16.7 billion), Robert Pera ($14.6 billion), and Philip Anschutz ($10.9 billion).

Four of the top 10 owners saw their net worth fall from the same period last year.

Missed The List

For the first time in six years, Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the U.K. government due to his ties to Russia, did not make the list. His net worth was more than halved from nearly $15 billion in January to $6.9 billion as of March 11.

Despite owning the world’s most valuable private sports empire — Kroenke Sports & Entertainment ($8.4 billion), which includes the Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, and Denver Nuggets — Stan Kroenke is $200 million short of making the Forbes list.

South Carolina’s Destanni Henderson is the first player since 2000 to notch a personal scoring record in the championship game, according to ESPN. Henderson is also the first player in history to promote an NIL activity — her clothing line — during the official postgame interview.

Henderson, along with countless other women’s basketball players, was able to capitalize on NIL this season — with the March Madness stage providing an even bigger opportunity.

Through March 31, women’s college basketball players ranked second in total NIL earnings (17.8%), according to Opendorse data. 

College football players, who raked in more than half of total NIL profits, topped the list. Men’s college basketball players ranked third with 15%. 

Heading into the Sweet 16, four of the five players with the highest social media earning potential per post were women’s players, Opendorse found:

• UConn’s Paige Bueckers ($62,900)
• Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith ($44,200)
• South Carolina’s Zia Cooke ($7,900) 
• UNC’s Deja Kelly ($7,100)

March Madness Deals

The NIL deals kept flowing throughout March Madness.

Orangetheory Fitness promised a partnership to the championship game’s Most Outstanding Player — an accolade won by South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston.

Bueckers inked a partnership with Chegg focused on raising awareness for student hunger, which included a pop-up food market in Minneapolis during the Final Four. Her previous deal with Gatorade also featured via a wall-sized poster at the Mall Of America.

Sacramento Republic FC is the latest sports team to propose an idea for a sports community around a stadium.

The USL team’s owner and chairman Kevin Nagle announced a plan for a Railyards Stadium to help Sacramento recover from pandemic losses and “provide a new downtown home for sports and entertainment.” 

Railyards Stadium will lead a nearly $1 billion investment in The Railyards — a 242-acre district that will include mixed-used, housing, and retail development projects, doubling the size of downtown.

Goals for the “world-class facility” include:

• A downtown facility with 12,000-15,000 seats
• Expanding Sacramento’s sports and entertainment calendar
• A “future-proof” plan to expand to or exceed 20,000 seats

The team has met with MANICA Architecture and Machete Group to work on the concept — the firms’ previous projects include the Allegiant Stadium, Chase Center, and TQL Stadium.

MLS Move

Republic FC was working toward joining Major League Soccer and was once set to debut this year until it lost Ron Burkle’s backing in early 2021. His group planned a $300 million soccer-specific stadium with 21,000 seats but reportedly ran into cost issues.

“We continue to identify and work with potential Major League Soccer investors, and at the same time we’re ready to work together on an adaptable stadium in the Railyards,” Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg said on Friday. “It’s not one or the other.”

Sports and live entertainment investment company Oak View Group has broken ground on a $150 million renovation project at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. 

OVG is working with Baltimore Development Corp. and Thirty Five Ventures, an investment firm launched by Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and investor Rich Kleiman, on the project. It will be fully funded by OVG and Thirty Five Ventures.

The renovations for the 60-year-old facility include new suites and exterior, terraces, refurbished concourses and concession areas, and upgraded electrical and lighting systems. The number of seats will also increase from 14,000 to 16,000. 

The project is expected to be completed by Feb.1, 2023.

• The arena was once the home of the Baltimore Bullets (basketball), Blast (soccer), and Skipjacks (hockey).
• The facility will host NBA exhibitions, UFC, tennis, NCAA, and mixed martial arts events. 
• It is set to host the 2023 men’s and women’s CIAA basketball tournaments. 

The Baltimore complex has carried naming rights with privately owned convenience store chain Royal Farms since 2014. OVG is currently accepting bids for a new naming rights sponsor.

Staying Busy 

Last month, OVG announced plans to build a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas that is expected to cost roughly $1 billion. The multipurpose arena, which is part of a $3 billion sports and entertainment district, could potentially be the future home of an NBA team.