Arsenal's Premier League title win, their first in 22 years, marks another triumph for American billionaire Stan Kroenke, whose international sports stable continues to accumulate championships. Through his Denver-based Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the 78-year-old real estate mogul owns professional football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse franchises, each of which has won at least one title under his ownership.
Kroenke's Rise in Sports Ownership
Kroenke first became a minority owner of Arsenal in 2007, gradually increasing his stake before buying out rival co-owner Alisher Usmanov in 2018, a deal that valued the club at approximately $2.3 billion. The victory prompted independent sports business writer Joe Pompliano to declare on X that Kroenke is "on a generational run right now" as a sports investor.
Fan Protests and Controversy
However, the path to Arsenal's championship was fraught with fan anger. In 2019, supporters protested outside the Emirates Stadium, accusing Kroenke of treating Arsenal as an "investment vehicle." In 2021, over 1,000 fans gathered for a "Kroenke out" demonstration following his role in the failed European Super League proposal.
Kroenke's Vast Wealth and Holdings
Forbes ranks Kroenke as the world's 114th richest person, with a personal fortune of $22.2 billion, nearly triple his 2021 net worth of $8.2 billion. Last year, he became America's largest landowner after purchasing 937,000 acres of ranchland in New Mexico, bringing his total portfolio to an estimated 2.7 million acres. His Kroenke Vineyards produces wines from two estates in California's Santa Barbara region. His wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, is also a billionaire with a net worth of $15 billion, as the daughter of Walmart co-founder James "Bud" Walton.
Other Championship Teams
On Wednesday night, another of Kroenke's teams, the Colorado Avalanche, which won the Stanley Cup in 2001 and 2022, faced the Las Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the NHL Central Division conference finals. Kroenke acquired the Avalanche in 2000 as part of a $450 million package deal for the Denver Nuggets and the Pepsi Center, now Ball Arena. The Nuggets won the NBA championship three years later. His Colorado Rapids soccer team won the 2010 MLS Cup, and the Colorado Mammoth won the National Lacrosse League championship in 2006 and 2022.
The Rams Relocation and St. Louis Backlash
Kroenke, known as "Silent Stan" for his low profile, is widely reviled in St. Louis for relocating the Los Angeles Rams football team in 1995. He became a 40 percent co-owner of the Rams with Georgia Frontiere, who inherited control after her husband's death. The St. Louis Rams won the 2000 Super Bowl, and Kroenke bought Frontiere's majority share for $750 million after her death in 2008. However, he moved the Rams back to Los Angeles in 2016 following a dispute with St. Louis officials over stadium upgrades. Fans expressed their fury through online headlines and even a double middle-finger salute from St. Louis native Andy Cohen on his talk show.
Continued Animosity
In 2021, a YouTube channel posted a video titled "Stan Kroenke is a Liar," and fans of the United Football League's St. Louis Battlehawks often wear T-shirts and signs referencing their hatred for Kroenke. During a 2016 interview, Kroenke defended the move, saying it was a rational decision rather than an emotional one. He later built the $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2022.
