Worst Owners in Sports (past and present)

[DanOregon]

The Limbaugh thread made me think of some of the ethically-challenged and morally bankrupt people that actually did get their mitts on a franchise. Figure the owners who just run crappy franchises is pretty evident.

Here's five off the top of my head.

Bruce McNall - financed buying the LA Kings by smuggling coins.
Eddie DeBartolo - the guy was a great owner for the team on the field - but just not the most upstanding citizen, according to at least one waitress.
George Steinbrenner - convicted of illegal contributions to Nixon
Leonard Tose - Yeah, no problem with an NFL owner piling up $20 million in gambling debts
Rick Hendrick - Convicted of mail fraud for bribing Honda to give him more cars than other dealers.

 

[Trey Beamon]

While I think the Pirates are heading in the right direction, I'd have to put Bob Nutting up there.

But Kevin McClatchy, even though he helped keep the team in Pittsburgh, is more responsible for the team's string of losing.

 

[sportsguydave]

Marge Schott. Complaining about the delay when an umpire dies on Opening Day. Also for being a racist hosebag.

Tom Werner with the late 80s-early 90s Padres. Total douchebag who wrecked the franchise for years.

Art Modell ... Self-explanatory.

 

[Sleeper]

Bob Irsay. How do you move the Baltimore Colts?

 

[sportsguydave]

Bob Irsay. How do you move the Baltimore Colts?

You back up the moving vans in the middle of the night, of course ...

 

[DirtyDeeds]

Hugh Culverhouse. Need I say more?

 

[hondo]

George Preston Marshall .... worst racist owner ever.

And let's come out and say it: the DeBartolos had mob ties. Also, Carmen Policy.

And proving that stupidity can be a crime against humanity: Dan ****ing Snyder. I wouldn't **** on him if he was on fire.

 

[Sleeper]

Great article on the scumbag Irsay:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065650/1/index.htm

A drunk who denied his own Jewish heritage, alienated nearly everyone he worked with, ran a storied franchise into the ground and then proceeded to relocate the team in the middle of the night.

 

[Starman]

Ted Stepien

Andrew Freedman

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Andrew_Freedman

 

[playthrough]

Marge Schott. Complaining about the delay when an umpire dies on Opening Day. Also for being a racist hosebag.

Tom Werner with the late 80s-early 90s Padres. Total douchebag who wrecked the franchise for years.

Art Modell ... Self-explanatory.

Not defending Marge Schott's racist views, her heartless comments on ump-death opening day (I was in the leftfield cheap seats, unforgettable day), the legendary cheapness. But the Reds won a championship on her watch -- or maybe despite her watch, but it's still one more title than most vilified owners -- and she never penny-pinched the fans (media was another story). Outside baseball, she was a very generous woman. In Cincinnati she was and still is held mostly in high regard, though the punchlines will always be there.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Am I really the first to bring up Al Davis?

 

[Sleeper]

George Preston Marshall .... worst racist owner ever.

And proving that stupidity can be a crime against humanity: Dan ****ing Snyder. I wouldn't **** on him if he was on fire.

Great call on Marshall. It took federal action to integrate the Redskins.

And Snyder is the biggest scumbucket in the league right now.

 

[Trey Beamon]

Donald Sterling says "what about me?"

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4187729

 

[Machine Head]

Norm Green, Minnesota North Stars.

Norman Green, the North Stars owner, issued the ultimatum and was the first to make good on it, in 1993. Unable to coerce a new deal out of the Twin Cities (and with his local mall business failing and facing a sexual harassment suit in the Minnesota courts), he packed up his team and headed to Dallas.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/the-morning-skate-how-did-the-coyotes-mess-happen/

 

[BYH]

1.) Fred Wilpon

 

[93Devil]

Has to be in the conversation...

 

[Steak Snabler]

Geez, this is a long way into the thread without mentioning Bill Bidwell. Yeah, I know the Cardinals made the Super Bowl last year, but to go 36 years without hosting a playoff game is insane (they actually went 61 years, but Bill wasn't the principal owner until 1972).

EDIT: Damn!

 

[cwilson3]

Randy Lerner and Larry Dolan are probably up there.

 

[DanOregon]

I was thinking beyond wins and losses when I started the thread. I think you could make a case for Al Davis as being one of the best owners in terms of challenging the status quo, hiring minorities, women, supporting players. Sure he's run the franchise into the ground and been a bit of an a-hole, but he's stayed out of court (when it wasn't his choosing).

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Line up all the Niners greats from the 80s and they would lie down in traffic for Eddie D. They won five five rings under the guy and you want to call him one of the worst owners ever in sports? Are you ****ing serious?