Whether you’re a huge fan of the NFL or you follow the path of your favorite MLB team with bated breath every time they step on the field, most sporting fans will agree that the takeover by a new owner is a major shakeup for any sporting team.
Regular sporting takeovers are nothing new to American sports and they happen far more often than you might think. As recently as June this year, Michael Jordan sold the Charlotte Hornets for a whopping $3 billion, and they’re not the only team to change owners in 2023.
Both the Phoenix Suns and Ottawa Senators have also been purchased by new owners in the last six months, with the Phoenix Suns purchased for $4 billion by Mat Ishbia, and the Senators by Michael Andlauer for $1 billion.
The fans of these teams are hoping for a change of fortune in their team’s performance with these new captains behind the wheel, but introducing a new owner is also a massive gamble. They could easily lead the team to astonishing new victories or leave fans broken with crushing defeats.
This got us thinking, what are some of the worst sporting takeovers to have occurred in the last century that saw various teams drop in the rankings?
We analyzed all teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB based on their:
On-field performance (win % difference, 3 years before vs 3 years after)
Championship victories (major championships won per year, since takeover)
Team value (value % change per year, since takeover)
Each of these metrics was weighted and evaluated, giving the teams a total score out of 100. The full breakdown of our 100-point rating process can be found below.
We can now reveal the worst sporting takeovers, ranking which of the current owners have had the biggest effect on the team. The higher the score, the worse the takeover was for the team.
So, with this in mind, which teams make the top five?
1. Carolina Panthers (2018) – 100/100
Taking the unenviable top spot on our list are the Carolina Panthers, with a score of 100 out of 100. The Panthers were bought back in 2018 by David Tepper for $2.3 billion.
In the five-year period since, their new owner has actually managed to increase their value by 56.5%, for a new total value of $3.6 billion. However, while this looks impressive when compared to other purchases made at the same time, it’s crushed out of the park by the likes of the New York Islanders’ purchase in 2016 (110%) and the Atlanta Hawks in 2015 (171%).
This substantial increase in value sadly also does not translate into success on the field. Since they were last bought, the Panthers have failed to make the playoffs, with their last appearance being in 2017, before Tepper’s takeover.
Needless to say, this means they’ve won no championships since then, and they’ve also seen a huge 36% decrease in their overall win percentage compared to three years before their last change in ownership – the biggest factor for placing number one on the list!
In other words, Tepper’s takeover has not been ideal for the Panthers so far.
2. Indianapolis Colts (1972) – 95.4/100
Coming in second on our list, we have the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL, with a score of 95.4 out of 100. Last purchased over five decades ago in 1972 by Jim Irsay, things have not exactly been sunshine and roses for the Colts.
But, at least at first glance, it would appear that Irsay’s takeover has been nothing but a boon for this team. Irsay paid just $14 million for his new team, an absolute steal when compared to buyout prices in recent years, and since them, their value has increased to over $3.8 billion. That’s a total percentage increase of 27,042.9%!
However, this colossal spike in value is somewhat misleading when it comes to the performance of the Colts. For example, when comparing average win percentages three years before and three years after, the Colts have experienced a drop of 31%, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. It should be noted that the Colts have won one Super Bowl since Irsay took over, defeating Chicago in 2006.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (2011) – 94.8/100
Third, we have the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were bought in 2011 by Pakistani-American billionaire, Shahid Khan. An experienced investor who also owns UK soccer team Fulham F.C., Khan’s ownership has sadly not had an ideal impact on the Jaguars’ performance.
Since taking over, the Jaguar’s overall value may have grown from $770 million to $3.475 billion, a total value increase of 351.3%, but their win percentage has drop from an already substantial low of 42% to a quite frankly dire 19% – that’s a total drop of 23%.
Unsurprisingly, despite this huge uptick in value, the Jaguars have also not won a single championship under Khan.
4. Detroit Lions (1964) – 94.2/100
In the fourth spot comes the Detroit Lions, another NFL team that has started slowly since their last buyout all the way back in 1964. Purchased by Sheila Ford Hamp for a meagre $4.5 million at the time, the Lions have since seen their value rise to a high of $3.05 billion! That’s a total value increase of 67,677.8%!
In fact, the Lions win rate percentage has dropped a full 21% since Hamp took over, and no championship victories have been achieved over her 59 years of leadership.
5. New York Rangers (1997) – 93.0/100
Finally, in fifth place, we have the New York Rangers of the NHL. Scoring a total of 93.0, the Rangers were last purchased in 1997 by Madison Square Garden Inc. for a cost of $195 million. Since then, the company have boosted the Ranger’s value to $2.2 billion, a healthy increase of 1.028%.
But as you may have guessed, this increase in value has not quite contributed to victory on the ice. The Rangers have seen no championship wins during their new ownership, despite making it into four prior to Madison Garden’s takeover.
And when looking at their average win percentages for the three years on either side of the purchase, this has dropped from a healthy 54% to just 35%, making for a total decrease of 19%.
Rating Process for The Worst Sporting Takeovers in the US
Using key factors, we identified the worst sporting takeovers in the US through creating an index consisting of three weighted metrics, which sum up to a score of 100:
1. Major championships won (per year, since takeover)
Weighted score = 40
For each team, we recorded every championship victory achieved since their most recent takeover. However, as some owners have been in charge longer than others, it was important to make this metric fairer.
To do this, we divided each team’s number of championship victories by the years in which the current owners have been in charge – to figure out which team averaged the least wins per year.
For example:
- The New England Patriots were last purchased in 1994 and have since won six championships, therefore averaging 0.2 championships per year, since the takeover.
- The Carolina Panthers were last purchased in 2018 and have not won any championships since the takeover.
2. Win % difference (3 years before vs 3 years after)
Weighted score = 30
To find the instant impact the new owners had when they took over the team, we compared the average winning percentage three years before the takeover to three years after it.
For example:
The Carolina Panthers were last purchased in 2018.
- During the three seasons before the purchase (2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18), the Carolina Panthers win percentage was 66.7%.
- During the three seasons after the purchase (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21), the Carolina Panthers win percentage was 30.6%.
- Therefore, the Panthers’ win percentage dropped by 36.1% after their most recent takeover.
3. Value % change (per year, since takeover)
Weighted score = 30
For each takeover, we recorded the percentage value change since purchasing the team.
However, as some owners have been in charge longer than others, it was important to make this metric fairer. To do this, we divided each team’s change in value by the years in which the current owners have been in charge – to figure out which team averaged the lowest average increased in value since being taken over.
For example:
- The Carolina Panthers were purchased in 2018 for $2.3B and currently have a value of $3.6B; a change of 56.5%.
- Therefore, on average, the Panthers value has increased by 11.3% per year since the takeover.
The Greatest Sporting Takeovers
While this report has dived mainly into the negative side of major league team takeovers in the last century, that’s not to say they’ve all turned out bad. In fact, many have turned out to be exactly what the teams needed to turn their fortunes around:
| Rank | Team | Latest Purchase Date | Takeover Index Score (x/100)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chicago Bears | 1920 | 38.7 |
| 2nd | Green Bay Packers | 1921 | 42.71 |
| 3rd | Golden State Warriors | 2010 | 46.6 |
| 4th | Boston Red Sox | 2002 | 58.8 |
| 5th | Miami Heat | 1988 | 58.9 |
As our data shows, by far the best takeover of the last century goes to the Chicago Bears. Purchased back in 1920 by Virginia Halas McCaskey for a cool $100, the Bears are now worth over $5.8 billion. That’s a staggering team value increase of 5,799,999,900% since the takeover!
But it’s not just the Bears who’ve seen such a massive increase in value. The Green Bay Packers, last purchased in 1921, have also seen their total team value increase by 4,249,999,900%!
With that incredible increase in value over the last 100 years, you’d expect the win rate of both these teams to be exceptionally high, and this is certainly the case for the Bears. Within three years of their last purchase, the team’s win percentage hit 77%, the highest on our list.
These were just the top five teams on our list of those experiencing ownership takeover troubles. However, with teams like the Panthers only changing owners in the last few years, it’s understandable they’ve not had enough time to lead the team to success.
Going off the five most successful takeovers from the last 100 years, three occurred during the 20th century, leading to arguments that taking over a team successfully requires a lot of time, investment, and effort. So, while statistically these teams have experienced the worst takeovers as of 2023, in 10 years’ time this ranking could be drastically different.
If you want to know the odds of new owners leading their teams to victory, as well as the potential for your favorite team winning their next few games, head over to The Sports Geek for everything betting and sports related.
