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10 Greediest Owners In Sports Today

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10 Greediest Owners In Sports Today

Dallas Cowboys
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately for fans of some teams, winning isn't the first priority for all owners of sports franchises. Professional sports, after all, are a business, and businesses are all about making money. These 10 greedy owners care more about their pocketbooks than they do about winning championships.

10. Jeffrey Loria - Miami Marlins

Jeffrey Loria
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10. Jeffrey Loria - Miami Marlins

Jeffrey Loria
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The owner of the Marlins has somehow a World Series titles while consistently having his club among baseball’s lowest in payroll. Loria made a deal with the city of Miami to build a new stadium with the Marlins agreeing to pay $155 million and taxpayers required to pay $2.6 billion to pay off the bonds. Shortly after the construction of the stadium, Loria traded away many of the team’s stars in an effort to cut payroll.

9. Daniel Snyder - Washington Redskins

Daniel Snyder
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9. Daniel Snyder - Washington Redskins

Daniel Snyder
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Snyder is best known for his refusal to change the Redskins' team name despite growing opposition. Whether the Redskins owner should change the team name or not is beside the point. Despite being the third-most valuable franchise in the NFL by Forbes at $2.4 billion, the Redskins have a 105-144 record since Snyder purchased the team in 1999.

8. Jerry Reinsdorf - Chicago Bulls and White Sox

Jerry Reinsdorf
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8. Jerry Reinsdorf - Chicago Bulls and White Sox

Jerry Reinsdorf
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The Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox owner purchased the White Sox in 1981 for only $19 million. When the greatest basketball player to ever live chose to pursue baseball instead of basketball, Reinsdorf had the chance to make Jordan the highest paid player in basketball but did not. In baseball, Reinsdorf completely held out from signing any free agents and was one of the last holdouts of the 1996 labor agreement.

7. David Glass - Kansas City Royals

David Glass
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7. David Glass - Kansas City Royals

David Glass
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As the former president and CEO of Walmart, David Glass knows all about cost-cutting. Glass has long been criticized for bringing his penny-saving techniques from Walmart to MLB’s Kansas City Royals. Glass is known for turning the Royals from one of baseball’s best franchises in the '80s to one of the worst franchises over the next 20 or so years.

6. Mike Brown - Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Brown
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6. Mike Brown - Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Brown
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The Bengals owner threatened to move the team to Baltimore in 1995 if the city of Cincinnati did not fund a new stadium for the team. Brown got his wish and the city passed a vote increasing the sales tax by one-half percent to fund the new stadium. Since Brown took over in 1991, the team has had only five winning seasons and set the record for most games needed under one owner to win 100 games.

5. Thomas S. Ricketts - Chicago Cubs

Thomas S. Ricketts
Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports

5. Thomas S. Ricketts - Chicago Cubs

Thomas S. Ricketts
Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports

The owner of one of the most popular MLB franchises, Thomas S. Ricketts bought the Cubs for $900 million in 2009. Ricketts made his fortune as the son of the founder of Ameritrade and as the CEO of Chicago investment bank Incapital LLC. Despite being one of baseball’s most popular franchises in one of the most iconic stadiums in the world, the Cubs' payroll ranked 23rd among 30 MLB franchises.

4. Jerry Jones - Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones
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4. Jerry Jones - Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones Cowboys
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ greed is not for money, but for power. Jones has the last say in all personnel matters and is the team’s general manager despite possessing questionable football knowledge in terms of personnel and scouting. The Cowboys have won just one playoff game since 1996.

3. Jeremy Jacobs - Boston Bruins

Jeremy Jacobs
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3. Jeremy Jacobs - Boston Bruins

Jeremy Jacobs
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Jacobs has owned the Boston Bruins since 1975. After many years of disappointing results on the ice, the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years in 2011. Jacobs is known as being one of the main owners responsible for the 2012-13 NHL lockout. Jacobs is described as a “bully” and is reportedly hated by the majority of NHL players.

2. Jim Crane - Houston Astros

Jim Crane
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2. Jim Crane - Houston Astros

Jim Crane
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The Houston Astros have had the two lowest payrolls in baseball since Jim Crane took over. This includes an opening day payroll of $22 million in 2013. With a 25-man roster, that equates to an average of just over the league minimum per player.

1. Dan Gilbert - Cleveland Cavaliers

Dan Gilbert
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1. Dan Gilbert - Cleveland Cavaliers

Dan Gilbert
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Dan Gilbert was clearly upset and a little hurt when the man who made him millions upon millions, LeBron James, left town and headed for Miami. Gilbert promised his Cavaliers would win a championship before LeBron ever did in Miami. LeBron went on to make the NBA Finals in all four of his seasons in Miami, winning two titles before returning home to Cleveland. Sorry, Mr. Gilbert.

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