The writing is on the wall in terms of the Denver Broncos next owner.
While there are seven children of Pat Bowlen hoping and vying for that coveted role — leading one of the most successful franchises in all of sports — there are really two major contenders.
Yes, the Bowlen children’s “Super Bowl” is down to the savvy veteran, Beth Bowlen Wallace, against the youngster in her prime, Brittany Bowlen.
And, while family members like Pat’s brother Bill Bowlen want Bowlen Wallace to become the next owner, the Broncos trust has been rumored to be in the Brittany Bowlen camp for months. With their announcement that the 29-year old will return to the team within the next year, it’s clear Brittany is on the fast track to becoming the next Broncos owner.
However, it should be Beth Bowlen Wallace — the 47-year old who’s operated her own, successful business — and seemingly meets the rest of the ownership criteria as well.
Let’s take a quick look at how the two stack up on the guidelines, which aren’t a “check the box” situation, but are a road map to being qualified.
Education with an advanced degree
Bowlen Wallace has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and a law degree from the University of Denver, which she completed in 2016. Brittany has a Bachelor’s from Notre Dame and a Master’s of Business Administration from Duke University. It should be noted Brittany left the team on her own accord to attain that Master’s degree.
Five years of employment with the NFL or the Broncos
Bowlen Wallace worked with the Broncos for three years before being let go in 2015. Brittany Bowlen will now begin working with the team for her second stint, as reported yesterday. She previously worked with the Broncos in 2015 and worked at the NFL offices before going to Duke for her Masters. So, while neither have completed this portion, Bowlen Wallace was seemingly let go as she came closer to hitting that five-year mark, while Brittany is working on her second stint with the team.
Financial and business acumen
Bowlen Wallace not only enjoyed running her own business — Social Butterfly, a wedding planning business in Hawaii in the 2000s — but she has helped run her husband’s business, Reign Energy Partners (now Joseph Energy). Brittany’s Master’s degree was focused on business and she worked in the NFL offices; but is her experience doing so enough? Working at McKinsey financial, a top-5 company in the field of business consulting, certainly helps.
Experience in leadership
Again, in running her own business, Bowlen Wallace was in charge of many employees, especially during massive events. We’re not sure exactly where Brittany stacks up in this part of the checklist.
Character, honesty and integrity
This last one is clearly subjective, and it makes it seem like the trust is supposed to look into the future and determine what the next owner would do with the team. From how they would treat the employees — Pat Bowlen was a loved by his employees, treating them very well including getting everyone a Super Bowl ring when the team won — to possibly if they would sell the franchise or not.
No matter where Broncos fans land on this dispute between siblings, it seems likely most fans would rather see the franchise continue to stay with the Bowlens rather than be sold away to someone else.
Last spring, when Bowlen Wallace came out and made it public that she would like to be the owner, she spoke well to the media, handled herself with class and seemed ready for the role. Brittany Bowlen has done decently when in the spotlight, but Bowlen Wallace’s age and experience give her that “ownership quality” about her.
This isn’t necessarily an indictment on Brittany Bowen; she seems to be decently qualified to run the Broncos. But, her 18-year older half-sister seems to be more well-qualified at this point in time. If the Pat Bowlen Trust is to have Brittany fulfill that five-year requirement, it could be 2020 or 2021 (including her experience at McKinsey Financial) before she will be able to take over the team. Bowlen Wallace would hit five years in 2021 if she were re-hired by the team, which doesn’t seem likely at all at this point.
Fans are already tired of their not being strong enough leadership with the Broncos. When John Elway dragged his feet before firing Vance Joseph, it made some wonder how long Elway will be the de facto owner of the team, running things as he’d like without being checked.
Elway’s bounced back this offseason. He smartly hired Vic Fangio, he’s made some strong moves in free agency, and if he can follow all that up with another sensational draft, the Broncos will be back in the playoffs sooner rather than later. But, Elway should be feeling the pressure from above — like he would if Bowlen was still the owner — and the team needs a new owner as soon as possible.
One thing seems certain: The next Broncos owner will be a woman. Broncos fans should welcome that, and so should the NFL, even in the machismo-dominated world of football.
But the trust — Joe Ellis, and attorneys Rich Slivka and Mary Kelly — must make the smart decision and put the right woman in charge. That should be the older, more experienced Beth Bowlen Wallace.