Sports inspire a great deal of emotion in fans. From hoping for impressive wins to developing their own opinions about the best way to manage talent, sometimes these feelings spill over outside of the court or field. We surveyed nearly 2,000 American sports fans to get their feelings about one of the most divisive elements of their favorite teams: the owners. Which teams had the best owners in the eyes of their fans, and which are in desperate need of some change?
This article will explore what makes some sports owners stand out from the crowd and how some of the less popular might consider changing their management style to better fit fan expectations.
Top (and Bottom) of the Pack
Owning a sports team might seem fairly straightforward, but finding acceptance among the team’s fans is far from assured. Some owners manage to do just that, however, be it with their business acumen or their passion for their team. The first data set in this study reveals our participants’ ranking of the most popular and least owners in the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
Our survey found Mark Lerner of the Washington Nationals to be the most well-liked sports team owner out of the NBA, NFL, and MLB with a 94% approval rating. Following hot on his heels were the NBA’s Ryan Smith (Utah Jazz) and Ted Leonsis (Washington Wizards) with 91% and 90% approval ratings, respectively. Interestingly, despite recent heated contract negotiations resulting in a three-month MLB lockout, it was the NFL with the lowest owner approval ratings overall. Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons) was the highest-rated NFL owner at just 82%, a figure lower than the approval rating given to the fifth most popular owners in the NBA and MLB.
Subject to Scrutiny
Not all sports team owners are able to endear themselves to fans, especially when the performance of the team fails to meet expectations. In the following section, fans of each team shared how they would rate the job performance of each owner.
MLB continued to showcase the highest overall owner ratings, with even the lowest-scoring owner, Jim Pohlad (Minnesota Twins), netting the approval of 60% of our participants. In comparison, Sheila Ford Hamp, owner of the Detroit Lions, was the lowest-scoring NFL owner with a 27% approval rating, while Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons, scored lowest for the NBA with 30%. These findings reflect the results we saw in the first section of this study, where the NFL owners were the least liked and MLB owners were the most liked.
What the Fans Want
What makes a sports team owner liked or disliked? What characteristics are most important to fans?
Eighty percent of American sports fans said the personal characteristics of their favorite team’s owner were important to them, compared to 65% who said team success was more important than anything else. The three biggest factors impacting owner approval revolved around close engagement with the team and the sport (62%), making smart staffing choices (54%), and making the right decisions under tough circumstances (51%). Sports fans tend to use “we” when talking about their teams, indicating that choices made by team owners are likely to be felt personally.
Notably, most respondents (52%) said they could overlook owners’ political activity even if it went against their own beliefs as long as their team remained successful—and this despite political disagreement being more prevalent than ever in the United States. Sex scandals and criminal behavior were considered most unforgivable, with just 33% and 30% of our respondents, respectively, being able to look past them.
On their Best Behavior?
When it comes to team owners’ personal characteristics, what influences the opinions of fans? Let’s take a closer look at some of the “dos” and “don’ts” of owning a sports team.
Authenticity was one of the most important characteristics impacting owner likability. Forty-nine percent of respondents said that owning a team for the “right” reasons was the behavior most likely to make them approve of an owner while being inauthentic was the most common negative characteristic at 41%. Political and social statements were nearly just as important, with 49% of respondents reporting that opinions they supported factored into their approval and 35% saying such comments, if contradictory to their own, were a cause for disapproval.
Politics can often put owners, managers, and players alike in hot water, such as Joe Tsai’s defense of controversial Chinese policies, or when protesting pandemic-related issues, including vaccine mandates for pro athletes. According to our respondents, the listed behavior that had the least impact on owner approval was putting the team’s needs above their own (36%), while the behaviors that had the least impact on owner disapproval were having an objectionable sense of humor and unethical sources of wealth (29% each).
Conclusion
Our survey likely confirms what some fans have already assumed: A team’s success trumps nearly everything else. A significant percentage of fans could overlook anything from political beliefs they found odious to scandals and criminal behavior, as long as their team was winning. It would be interesting to learn a bit more about where the boundaries between tolerating less-than-ideal behavior and calling it out and demanding a change in leadership lie.
Methodology
Time2play surveyed 1,834 American fans of professional sports about their perceptions of NFL, NBA, and MLB team owners. Among them, 649 were NFL fans, 435 were NBA fans, and 462 were MLB fans. An additional survey was run for 288 fans of the NFL, NBA, or MLB. While our research is impacted by the limitations inherent with self-reported responses, our survey was designed to elicit as accurate responses as possible.
Fair Use Statement
Whether or not your favorite (or least favorite) team owners made the list, feel free to share it! All we ask is that you do so for non-commercial purposes only and link back here to give us credit for our work.
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