Led by Mukesh Ambani, the 20 richest sports activities house owners on the planet are collectively value $509 billion.

_{By Justin Birnbaum and Matt Craig, Forbes Staff}

Since taking on as proprietor of the New York Mets in 2020, Steve Cohen has despatched shockwaves by the game. The 66-year-old hedge fund billionaire has dedicated $1.5 billion to free brokers throughout his tenure, and Major League Baseball even instituted a brand new luxurious tax penalty, informally dubbed the “Cohen Tax,” to verify his spending habits. Yet for all of the hoopla surrounding Cohen’s clean verify mentality, he’s not even the richest proprietor within the baseball world. In reality, Cohen–value $17.5 billion–is almost $5 billion quick.

The crown nonetheless belongs to Masayoshi Son, regardless of his $22.4 billion fortune being roughly half of what it was two years in the past. The founder and CEO of telecommunications and funding large SoftBank Group, Son picked up a crew in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in 2004 after two years of searching. The franchise has since grow to be a Japanese baseball powerhouse, amassing seven Japan Series titles, most just lately in 2020. (In reality 4 of his gamers had been on the crew that defeated the U.S. within the World Baseball Classic title recreation in March.)

Son and Cohen are two of the richest sports activities house owners on the planet, becoming a member of a gaggle of 20 who’re collectively value $509 billion. The mixed fortunes of the highest ten are valued at $396 billion, up 12% from a 12 months in the past. That’s partly as a result of Walmart inheritor Rob Walton, who’s value $57.6 billion, joined the membership, shopping for the Denver Broncos for a document $4.65 billion in 2022.

The richest sports activities proprietor of all is India’s Mukesh Ambani, proprietor of the Mumbai Indians cricket crew. Worth $83.4 billion as of March 10, 2023–when Forbes locked in internet worths for the 2023 World’s Billionaires checklist–Ambani has reclaimed the highest spot from Los Angeles Clippers proprietor Steve Ballmer. Shares of Ambani’s conglomerate Reliance Industries fell 3% over the previous 12 months–however not as a lot as shares of Microsoft, the place Ballmer was CEO from 2000 to 2014. A 13% drop in Microsoft inventory pushed Ballmer’s internet value down by $10.7 billion, to $80.7 billion, making him the planet’s second-wealthiest crew proprietor.

Soccer is the most represented sport among the 20 richest owners, with eight of them owning stakes in ten teams. That includes five Major League Soccer clubs, which have become a popular investment opportunity for the ultra wealthy. Forbes estimates there are at least 19 billionaires or members of billionaire families with key ownership stakes in MLS teams. This year, LAFC became the league’s first billion-dollar franchise and, with soccer rising in reputation, the fortunes of these invested within the sport might maintain climbing. Closely trailing soccer is the NFL, with sevens house owners, and the NBA, with 5.

Here are the 20 richest sports activities crew house owners:

^{(NET WORTHS ARE AS OF MARCH 10, 2023)}

#1. Mukesh Ambani

Citizenship: India | Team: Mumbai Indians | Source of Wealth: diversified | Net Worth: $83.4 Billion

The founder and chairman of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries ($104 billion annual income) owns the Indian Premier League’s Mumbai Indians, which Forbes named India’s most-valuable cricket franchise, value $1.3 billion, final 12 months. Reliance just lately bought a franchise within the inaugural Women’s Premier League and owns cricket groups in South Africa and UAE.

#2. Steve Ballmer

Citizenship: United States | Team: Los Angeles Clippers | Source of Wealth: Microsoft | Net Worth: $80.7 Billion

The former CEO of Microsoft has seen his guess on the Clippers repay since buying the crew for $2 billion in 2014. His subsequent transfer: Investing one other $2 billion for a new arena for the team in Inglewood, California.

#3. Rob Walton

Citizenship: United States | Team: Denver Broncos | Source of Wealth: Walmart | Net Worth: $57.6 Billion

In June, the Walmart inheritor blew away all different bids to buy the Broncos for a sports activities franchise document $4.65 billion. His first season didn’t go as deliberate, although, with the crew ending 5-12.