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Darthtiki

Hierarchy of Worst Owners in Sports

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Something Czech hit on in his post about the passing of Bill Wirtz. Just who are the worst owners in sports, how do they rank and what is the criteria for bestowing such an (dis)honor.

 

I nominate either Philip Anschutz or Frank McCourt to start.

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Guest Smues

Jeffrey Loria pretty much has to be #1.

 

Edit: Well current #1, all time I dunno, but he's gotta be on the list.

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Guest Gym Class Fallout

Wirtz isn't even in the ground yet, so let's put him at #0 for now or something. Douchebag emeritus.

 

#1 has to be Jeffrey Loria - he killed baseball in Montreal, then he killed baseball in Miami, and somehow, he won a world championship in between. Few people get to ruin two baseball clubs.

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Guest Gym Class Fallout

I'm torn on where Jerry Reinsdorf goes. On one hand, he brought six world championships to Chicago and another world championship to its slum. However, consider

 

putting the White Sox on subscription UHF

threatening to move the White Sox to St. Petersburg and subsequently squeezing New Comiskey Park out of the state taxpayers' balls

Playing a large part in the strike

The White Flag trade

Dissembling the Chicago Bulls

General cheapness in most years

 

I don't know. It's tough. He's not one of the all-time worst, but he seems like a pretty bad dude, and the too-close-for-comfort friendship with Bud Selig makes me a little wary as the Cubs go up for sale.

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PH20070319020011.jpg

 

The only good thing about him owning the Os over the last 10 years is that he has a hardon for players of Greek descent like himself and that landed us Nick Markakis, the best offensive player (and 2nd best overall to Bedard) on the Os roster right now. Its too bad Greece doesnt churn out that many great baseball players..

 

 

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Don't forget Mike Brown. His desire to shit on his father's legacy led to the worst run NFL franchise of the 1990's. He slightly redeemed himself for the Marvin Lewis hire but his lack of action against the constant criminal chaos his franchise went through in the span of 18 months only shows how ineffective he is as a owner/manager.

 

However, nobody presently alive can touch Loria.

 

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Agreed on Ralph Wilson.

 

He hires a first time GM who's in his 80s...won't ever pay for a decent coach...and has done NOTHING to help insure the future of the franchise in Buffalo.

 

Thanks Mr. Wilson!

Let's not forget renaming the stadium after himself instead of selling the rights and actually making the team some money.

Or the Rob Johnson disgrace. Or the subsequent Wade Phillips scapegoating.

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Guest

Until recently, Jerry Buss would find his way into that best owners list. Not now.

 

As for worst, I can't believe nobody mentioned Al Davis. The guy held up two cities for cash, and he'll be doing the same thing AGAIN to Oakland in a few years. The guy is responsible for getting the NFL out of Los Angeles and I hope he dies a horrible death.

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Steinbrenner? Didn't dude get suspended/banned from the league and the day to day operations of the Yankees in the 80s?

 

He was suspended from 1990 to 1993 for paying someone to try to find dirt on Dave Winfield. I sure as hell wouldn't want to work for the guy, but a fan couldn't ask for a better owner. He spends money on the team, fields a winner, hires competent front office people and shows respect for the team's history. What more could you want?

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Until recently, Jerry Buss would find his way into that best owners list. Not now.

 

As for worst, I can't believe nobody mentioned Al Davis. The guy held up two cities for cash, and he'll be doing the same thing AGAIN to Oakland in a few years. The guy is responsible for getting the NFL out of Los Angeles and I hope he dies a horrible death.

 

 

I was on the fence with Al Davis. He's done some horrible things, but he's always shown a commitment to putting a winner on the field. I think there have been enough positives that he is disqualified from the worst list. In my opinion, the worst list is made for the guys who won't spend money on the team, are confrontational with local fans and show little regard for putting a winner on the field.

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Guest Gym Class Fallout
Not a person, but Tribune Co. has been pretty terrible as owner of the Cubs.

No they haven't. They haven't been good, but we're talking about the worst of the worst here, and they're not that bad. Consider committing to Wrigley Field rather than moving, (at one time) a full nationally televised schedule which has further established the Cubs as one of baseball's most popular teams, and at times, the desire to spend money on payroll. The guys running the team have been idiots, but the Tribune itself has done a fair job with the Cubs.

 

The same woman who won a Super Bowl and made another appearance with the Greatest Show on Turf? (Her name is Georgia Frontiere btw)

I don't think Frontiere is one of the worst, but having your team win a championship doesn't absolve you from being a shitty team owner. I mean, we're all agreed on Loria here, aren't we? Speaking of the LA Rams, if you do any reading on the whole Carroll Rosenbloom drowning thing, it's some really sketchy stuff.

 

Al Davis is one of the best owners in sports. Hate not. I love that guy.

 

As far as the best, I'm really impressed with what Mark Attanasio has done with the Brewers already. He's going about it the right way. However, I find his voice creepy. Also, to preemptively dispel the myth, Bud Selig was a good owner. It was after he became commissioner that the Brewers went to shit. He was a crazy tyrannical win-at-all-costs type when he was just the owner of the Brewers.

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So we've easily identified the worst owners in sports. Who are the best? I'll nominate the following:

 

George Steinbrenner

John Henry

Jerry Jones

Paul Allen

Robert Kraft

Eugene Melnyk

Mike Ilitch

Arte Moreno

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Steinbrenner? Didn't dude get suspended/banned from the league and the day to day operations of the Yankees in the 80s?

 

He was suspended from 1990 to 1993 for paying someone to try to find dirt on Dave Winfield. I sure as hell wouldn't want to work for the guy, but a fan couldn't ask for a better owner. He spends money on the team, fields a winner, hires competent front office people and shows respect for the team's history. What more could you want?

 

To most Yankee haters, and even Yankee fans (don't forget he pretty much ruined the Yanks from 82 to his suspension because he pretty much had free reign and didn't really have a soild baseball guy telling him no) he probably should be listed among the worse.

 

-Being the reason for "The Evil Empire"

-Being a liar, cheater, and all around egotistical piece of turd

-Don't forget he was suspended in the 70s for using funds to illegaly fund Nixon's campaign or something like that

-Essentially he is the Vince McMahon...check that, Mr. McMahon (he's more like the character version of Vince than the real Vince) of MLB

 

Believe me, there will be many people who will be overjoyed and poping champange bottles when he finally passes.

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So we've easily identified the worst owners in sports. Who are the best? I'll nominate the following:

 

George Steinbrenner

John Henry

Jerry Jones

Paul Allen

Robert Kraft

 

Do you mean Paul Allen - Trailblazers owner or Paul Allen - Seahawks owner?

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Until recently, Jerry Buss would find his way into that best owners list. Not now.

 

As for worst, I can't believe nobody mentioned Al Davis. The guy held up two cities for cash, and he'll be doing the same thing AGAIN to Oakland in a few years. The guy is responsible for getting the NFL out of Los Angeles and I hope he dies a horrible death.

 

Al Davis history with the Raiders automatically disquailfies him from the worst owner ever. Aside from 3 Super Bowl wins, numerous division titles and numerous playoff apperances. At one time the Raiders were the winningest team is pro football. Al Davis also hired the first Latino and African American head coaches in NFL history (Art Shell and Tom Flores). I mean the man is pretty is the face of the Raider francise. Now I know the Raiders are ass now but overall Al Davis was at one the point one the best owners in football. But Im a diehard Raider fan so what do I know!

 

As for the topic. I don't its fair that people like Jerry Buss, Frank McCourt or Jerry Reinsdorf are considered bad owners. All have had sucess with their respective teams. Buss and Reinsdorf and suffered through bad seasons, but does that make them bad? Is Bob Kraft a bad owner because the Pats had some tough times in the past? Maybe unpopular at times, but not bad by any means. To me a bad owner is a person that doesnt invest in the team and has no interest in winning to me these are the worst of the worst:

 

MLB:

Jeffery Loria-Marlins

Peter Angelos-Orioles

Bud Selig when he owned the Brewers

 

NFL-

The Brown Family- Still one of the worst but made some strides this decade.

Ralph Wilson

Bill Bidwell

 

NBA

The investors who own the Atlanta Hawks- Atlanta Spirt

Donald K. Sterling

Seattle Sonics ownership- Professional Basketball Club

 

NHL-

Bill Witrz

Phillip Ansultz

James Dolan

 

The Best:

 

NFL

Bob Kraft

Dan Rooney

Jerry Jones- meandering and nosey, but put together a winning team in the 90s and is building one now.

 

NBA-

Mark Cuban

Jerry Buss until 2004

 

MLB-

John Henry

George Steinbrenner

Arte Moreno

 

NHL-

Since the lockout I couldnt really say.

 

 

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