Most destructive team owners

[wicked]

The Dan Snyder reference in the NFL coaching thread brought this to mind.

There have been tons of shirtty owners, but I don't recall one owner destroying the credibility and cache of a franchise like Snyder has over the past 25 years. They can't even sell out the damn games, and so much for the lengthy season ticket waiting list.

Jim Dolan has come close with the Knicks, but for some reason he doesn't meddle as much with the Rangers.

I guess you could throw Frank McCourt onto this list.

I don't know how destructive guys like Don Sterling and Ted Stepien were. They weren't buying storied successful franchises that were the envy of many in pro sports.

 

[Huggy]

In the NHL: Harold Ballard with the Maple Leafs

 

[Sea Bass]

In the NHL: Harold Ballard with the Maple Leafs

 

[Neutral Corner]

I don't know that I can think of anyone who has destroyed a franchise as effectively as Snyder. There have been bad owners, cheap owners, stupid owners, racist owners, guys like Modell who were cordially hated, but most of us can remember when Washington was a solid, well run, respected and consistently good team.

It hasn't been that for a couple of decades.

 

[Starman]

Ted Stepien in the NBA
McNall in the NHL
All-time MLB HOF selection: Andrew Freedman of the NY Giants around 1900. Finley is in the running as well.

 

[MileHigh]

Donald Sterling.

 

[Twirling Time]

I wish I could say Jerry Jones, but in fairness he did win 3 Super Bowls as an owner, and his family is making m0ney hand over fist after conning the city of Arlington into building the Death Star. It's just a matter of when Stephen takes the keys from him.

 

[DanOregon]

Even as an A's fan, I did find it hard to stomach the breakup of the 70s dynasty, but he didn't have the cash to compete once free agency began. It was that simple. And it needs to mentioned that he did get that group of players together in the first place - and even when they sucked in the late 70s (a minor blip, when you compare it to the Pirates in the last 30 years), he kept ticket prices affordable and found some nuggets like Rickey Henderson.

Yes, he yanked the team out of KC - but he's not even the worst owner the Oakland A's have had anymore.

Chris Cohan of the Warriors was terrible.

But Dolan, Sterling and Snyder are on the Rushmore (first ballot), Wirz in Chicago deserves a mention.

On the broader point - there are owners who meddle who are terrible, there are those who seem disinterested - and the third category is owners who meddle just enough to make sure the front office never is quite sure if they should pull the trigger on something and the franchise languishes.

 

[Batman]

I wish I could say Jerry Jones, but in fairness he did win 3 Super Bowls as an owner, and his family is making m0ney hand over fist after conning the city of Arlington into building the Death Star. It's just a matter of when Stephen takes the keys from him.

For all the shirt that Jerry gets about his meddling, they've drafted pretty well in recent years. They have a ton of starters that they've gotten in the draft and they don't generally suck. They just don't win Super Bowls.

 

[Twirling Time]

If the Cowboys had gotten to just one or two NFC Championship games since 1995, that might keep the critics at bay. But nope, they haven't gotten to even one. They're thanking their lucky stars for the Commanders and Lions, which haven't been since they played each other in 1991.

The Cowboys did win a road playoff game for the first time in 30 years, which is a positive.

 

[BTExpress]

I say Irsay.

 

[HanSenSE]

Jeff Loria should have a seat at the table.