Bezos is not only the richest person in the world with an interest in owning a franchise, he has strong support among current NFL owners.
Good morning, Broncos Country!
Since the announcement that a certain lawsuit has been stayed and vacated, rumors have been flying as to what it all means.
Are the Denver Broncos for sale?
For now, all we know is the trial to challenge the Pat Bowlen Trust set to start on Tuesday won’t happen. So the hope for resolution has been muddied even more.
Let’s say the Broncos are for sale, who could purchase them?
As it stands now, according to Forbes, the franchise is worth $3.2 billion. What’s fascinating about the value of the Broncos is that NFL owners believe a random franchise will be worth $8 to $10 billion sooner rather than later. The reason? Legal gambling. So if the Broncos are for sale, legal sports betting could help raise the price.
That limits the pool of potential buyers even more. Very few people have the money to pay 30% of $8 to $10 billion. The NFL mandates that any purchase includes 30% of the total price.
So who is a possible buyer? On the MHR Radio Podcast, Adam Malnati and I went over some of the prospects. However, if the franchise is sold, reports indicate that the NFL won’t approve the sale until March of next year.
At the top of the list is Jeff Bezos. In 2021, the creator and former CEO of Amazon is the richest person in the world at $177 billion. So he could not only foot the 30%, he could pay the full price without hesitation, regardless of whether it’s $3.2 or $10 billion.
And according to a CBS story in 2019, not only does Bezos want to own a NFL franchise, he has strong support among current owners to join their ranks. The story adds that Bezos has spent “considerable time around owners,” and even watched Super LIV in Roger Goodell’s suite.
As the story notes:
“Powerful owners like Jerry Jones believe he would be a great addition to the NFL, to say nothing of the ability to pay top dollar, in cash, for a franchise to his liking as they become available.”
If the Denver Broncos are sold, the team will likely set a record for the highest purchase price of any sports franchise. Let’s look at what the NFL’s recent history and economics tells us about a future buyer. Hint: Ex-athletes are wealthy but not rich enough. #9NEWS pic.twitter.com/haQGBZBtT2
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 30, 2021
As for other possibilities, Kyle Clark with 9News had a great thread on billionaires with ties to Colorado who could buy the Broncos.
The first possible purchaser that Clark mentions is Colorado’s richest man, Phil Anschutz, worth an estimated $11.7 billion. But as Clark mentions, “Anschutz tends to own teams in places where he also owns the arena (ie the Lakers/Kings’ Staples Center and Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park) — and, at age 81, may not be interested in enormous new acquisitions. The Broncos may end up for sale, but not the stadium.”
The other possibility from Clark is private equity billionaire and Denver native Robert F. Smith. As Clark said, “He’s pledged to give the bulk of his $6 billion net worth to charity but he could spare a billion for the Broncos.”
Since I’m in the gambling industry, if the Broncos are for sale, Bezos is the favorite to become the new owner. He not only can purchase the organization in cash, at the full price, but he also has strong support from current owners.
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