The Denver Broncos revealed in June 2022 that they had reached a purchase agreement with Rob Walton, his daughter Carrie Walton-Penner, and his son-in-law. Rob Walton is the son of Sam Walton, Walmart's founder.
Although the price was not instantly made public, Denver eventually learned that Walton had offered $4.65 billion for the club. The $4.65 billion sale price set a record for an American sports club.
With a net worth estimated by Forbes to be approximately $60 billion, Walton, who reigned as Walmart's president from 1992 to 2015, is by far the richest NFL owner.
Some reports claim that the Walton-Penner team was one of four that made it through to the final phase of the club's bidding in early June. With three Super Bowl victories during Pat Bowlen's tenure and seven of the club's eight Super Bowl berths, the Broncos have been among the NFL's most dominant teams in the Super Bowl era.
Here are the top five sports franchise sales in the United States following the takeover:
- $4.6 billion, Denver Broncos, bought by the Walton-Penner group in 2022
- $4 billion, Phoenix Suns, bought by Mat Ishbia in 2022
- $2.4 billion, New York Mets, bought by Steve Cohen in 2020
- $2.35 billion, Brooklyn Nets, bought by Alibaba’s Joe Tsai in 2019
- $2.275 billion, Carolina Panthers, bought by David Tepper in 2018
Will the sale of the Washington Commanders top that of the Denver Broncos?
According to an insider who spoke to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday, the Josh Harris-led Mitchell Rales Group, which now also incorporates Magic Johnson, formally made a fully-funded offer for the Washington Commanders that matches Dan Snyder's $6 billion asking price.
The Commanders have also received a $6 billion bid from Canadian millionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, as Schefter and ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported.
Denver's $4.65 billion sale broke the previous highest sale for a team. If one of the two offers for the Commanders is accepted, the deal will exceed that of Rob Walton for the Broncos.
Harris, who acquired Rales, also owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils. Magic Johnson has previous ownership experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB.
According to Bloomberg, Rales has a net worth of $6.72 billion, and Harris has a total value of $7.37 billion.
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