Worst Owners in Sports (past and present)

And if we're talking about sexual harassment, we can include Ken Behring, late of the Seahawks.

Sterling is worse off the court than his on it - multiple sex harassment suits and apparently he doesn't rent to non-Koreans in Koreatown or African-Americans in Beverly Hills.

 

Yeah, cheap ticket prices for one thing.

If you want to pick a bad female owner who inherited the team from her husband, go with Joan Kroc.

And if we're going to mention racist hosebags, how about Tom Yawkey? Didn't hire a black player until 1959, 10 years after he passed on an opportunity to sign Willie Mays.

 

I would think running a franchise into the ground is a pretty big deal, though. Combine that with moving the franchise -- twice -- plus firing people and then refusing to pay them, and continuing to run the team despite being in what appears to be advanced dementia... he's not a good owner. I'll be surprised if they even post a winning record in any of his remaining years on earth.

 

Agree on all counts - and while I doubt the NFL would allow him in as an owner now the way he's sued the hell out of them - I don't think he's done anything that obviously would disqualify him from owning a team, like an indictment or other questionable activities.

 

Al Davis has hung on way too long, but that is his right. I don't think he really belongs in this conversation, though. He is in the Hall of Fame and his organization was defined by excellence for decades.

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=51

 

This one is testing my memory bank. If I remember it right, the last game for the North Stars was at the L.A. Forum.
With about a minute left, there was a timeout. Green was sitting in the back of the press box, which was accessible to the fans.
A guy wearing a North Stars jersey stands up and shouts: "NORM GREEN, I HATE YOUR FUCKING GUTS." And he dumped a whole beer over his head.

 

Harold Ballard should top just about any list.

Also want to throw Peter Pocklington up there as well, despite bringing five cups to Edmonton, he was a crook and sold the greatest player to ever strap on a pair of skates.

 

And another contribution: Georgia Rosenbloom/Frontiere/fill-in-blank.

 

George Shinn's got to make it somewhere on the list for the way he alienated Charlotte before tucking tail and running.

 

Chris Cohen is a Class A Jackass and should be somewhere on the list.

 

Shinn is a creepy dude, back in Charlotte he was well known to prey on females - and even accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting one woman.