Today, billionaire Stan Kroenke was nominated by the Sports Business Journal/Daily for the Sports Executive of the year award.
Congratulations to the 2016 #SBJSBA nominees for Sports Executive of the Year: https://t.co/Qk3bFwXylf pic.twitter.com/H7aMMHPNxf
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) March 14, 2016
According to Forbes, Kroenke’s net worth is $7.9 billion which is enough to make him the third-richest team owner in the NFL, behind only Stephen Ross of the Miami Dolphins and Paul Allen of the Seattle Seahawks.
Kroenke made a big splash earlier this year when his bid to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles was approved by the NFL. Upon completion, the new stadium would become world’s most expensive stadium, a $2.7 billion, 80,000-seat roofed venue in Inglewood. The new stadium is often referred to as a football campus, and that’s probably because Kroenke’s plan includes 298 acres of multi-use facilities in addition to the venue itself.
Though the criteria for the Sports Executive of the Year award aren’t listed online, one can only assume the nomination was mostly a result of, what some might call, the visionary move to LA.
In addition to owning the now Los Angeles Rams, Kroenke also owns the English soccer club Arsenal, the Denver Nuggets (NBA), the Colorado Avalanche (NHL) and the Colorado Rapids (MLS).
The Colorado Rapids just completed an offseason full of high-profile acquisitions, including superstar U.S. international team goalie Tim Howard. The team just won their home opener against the LA Galaxy 1-0.
The Denver Nuggets are in a rebuilding phase this season, but signs of improvement can be seen. They’ve won their last four games and are laboring mightily to make a run at the playoffs.
The Colorado Avalanche also improved over the last year where they went 39-31-12. This season, with 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Avalanche are 35-31-4 overall and still in the running for a playoff berth.
The English Premiere League team, Arsenal, currently sits in third place, which is where they finished last season.
So far it seems that nearly all teams owned by Kroenke have improved this season, either in personnel, facilities or record. The new LA Rams facility is set to be completed by 2019 and the season isn’t over for many of Kroenke’s teams.
The winner of the Sports Executive of the Year award will be announced at the Sports Business Awards ceremony on Wednesday May 18, 2016, at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.