16. Clark Hunt: Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO since 2006
How did he get rich?: Clark took over in 2006 after the passing of his father Lamar, another one of the AFL’s founding members. He’s the grandson of H.L. Hunt, who turned Texas oil into his personal money mountain.
Why to like him: Anyone whose father gave us the title “Super Bowl” is a friend of mine.
Why not to like him: Go ahead and let the jealousy of the golden spoon upbringing fill your soul again here.
17. Mark Davis: Oakland Raiders principal owner since 2011
How did he get rich?: The legendary Al Davis gradually climbed from Raiders coach, to general manager, to owner. Then Mark and his mother Carol inherited the team in 2011 after Al’s passing.
Why to like him: Unlike his father, Mark leaves his hands well away from the football side of his football team. That’s wise, because although he was an NFL pioneer too, Al often didn’t play well with others.
Why not to like him: The man has the rare orange mushroom cut. We’re getting a little superficial here, yes. But I just can’t look at anything else.
18. Dean Spanos: San Diego Chargers president and CEO since 1994, family has owned team since 1984
How did he get rich?: The Spanos family collected their cash through real estate, and plopping a whole late of apartment complexes around the United States.
Why to like him: Just before Dean Spanos took over the Chargers had finished a stretch with a mighty stench, missing the playoffs in nine straight seasons. Then they got to the Super Bowl during his first year.
Why not to like him: The eight years of losing that followed the 1995 season. Oh, and Ryan Leaf. That was not wise.
19. The estate of Bud Adams (his daughters Susie and Amy, and son Kenneth IV): Family has owned the Tennessee Titans since 1960
How did he get rich?: Oil. So much oil.
Why to like them: Adams is a football pioneer, and played a core role in establishing the AFL, which merged with the NFL in 1966.
Why not to like them: We’re slowly coming up on the one-year anniversary of Adams’ death, and there’s no speaking ill of the dead allowed around here. I don’t really know a reason why you would anyway, unless you weren’t fond of his, er, standard greeting technique.
20. Virginia Halas McCaskey: Chicago Bears owner since 1983
How did she get rich?: Her father George Halas did damn near everything, hence the nickname “Mr. Everything”. He basically took a starch company’s rec-league team and turned them into the Bears.
Why to like her: She ousted her son from football operations, and he was evil enough to fire Mike Ditka.
Why not to like her: Again, if resenting lucky life circumstances is your thing, then you have another target for that angst here. But good luck with that: most of the NFL is a family business, and will stay that way.
21. Martha Ford: Detroit Lions owner for five months
How did she get rich?: The Lions’ ownership was passed along to Martha Ford after the passing of Williams Clay Ford Sr., who died of pneumonia just before his 89th birthday. The Ford family is a pretty big deal in the auto industry.
Why to like her: Because hating on a nice elderly lady is mean.
Why not to like her: No really, don’t hate on a nice elderly lady.
22. Robert McNair: Houston Texans owner since 1999
How did he get rich?: Owned a power plant company and cashed in by selling it to Enron, a company that went on to a pleasant, thriving future.
Why to like him: McNair and Texans general manager Rick Smith made the right decision this past May by passing on Johnny Manziel, addressing the more glaring need by selecting Jadeveon Clowney.
Why not to like him: The other time he was part of a decision at the top of the draft, and it ended with David Carr.
23. Bill Bidwill: Arizona Cardinals owner since 1972
How did he get rich?: More of that sweet family cash. Bill inherited the team from his father Charles, who was a wealthy Chicago lawyer.
Why to like him: He signed off of on a stadium with a pretty high swag-factor, complete with a rollout field.
Why not to like him: Under Bill Bidwell the Cardinals have played postseason football only six times. That’s six times over 42 years.
24. Jim Irsay: Indianapolis Colts owner since 1997
How did he get rich?: Assumed ownership after his father’s passing, who made his many dollars through a heating and air-conditioning business.
Why to like him: Irsay seems to have settled down with the random, disjointed, and ranting song lyric tweets, which is a damn shame. He was once pretty dedicated to his crazy.
Why not to like them: Substance abuse is never a good or fun thing for anyone. Worse is being in denial for years, and then rock bottom is an NFL owner getting pulled over and given the mugshot treatment.
25. Stan Kroenke: St. Louis Rams owner since 2010
How did he get rich?: Basically by being a real estate tycoon, but the Wal-Mart stake he inherited that’s worth over $6 billion certainly helped matters.
Why to like him: He doesn’t talk much, and has earned the nickname “silent Sam” because he rarely gives interviews. In an era of sports ownership that includes pictures with strippers and comics sans screeds, there’s great value in silence
Why not to like them: He is also a majority stakeholder in Arsenal, the English Premier League football club. Again, mixing football with futbol is unAmerican, and as London keeps blowing sweet kisses to the NFL, Kroenke’s Rams remain a prime pond-jump candidate due to his connections.
26. Stephen Ross: Miami Dolphins owner since 2008
How did he get rich?: I can’t confirm or deny this, but I’ve been told that in private Ross actually spits money when he talks, an ailment he manages to control in public. A real estate tycoon with massive projects sprawled around New York, his net worth is an estimated $5.6 billion.
Why to like him: The man is a fan of education. Each year, a chunk of his most recently acquired fortune goes to his alma mater, the University of Michigan. He’s donated $313 million, making him the most generous money dumper in school history.
Why not to like him: The amount of time he kept both Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano under his employment is pretty remarkable when you look back on it. For many years, the Dolphins have done jusssst enough to be average.
27. Mike Brown: Cincinnati Bengals owner since 1991
How did he get rich?: Inherited the team from his father, the famed football coach turned owner who founded the Bengals in 1968.
Why to like him: He had the bravery to speak candidly about quarterback contracts recently, and why their sudden ballooning often leads to an incredibly difficult decision.
Why not to like him: A stubborn refusal to name a general manager, overseeing on-field operations himself despite clear incompetence that’s now led to the Bengals still searching for their first playoff win since 1991.
28. Jerry Richardson: Carolina Panthers owner since 1993
How did he get rich?: He’s co-founded of Spartan Foods, and then became the CEO of Flagstar, which ran every Dennys in the nation.
Why to like him: Richardson is the rare owner who could actually play football and was pretty good at it, catching a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 championship game.
Why not to like him: His redefining of what it is to be a crusty curmudgeon, most notably his hate for any body ink whatsoever.
29. Jimmy Haslam: Cleveland Browns owner since 2012
How did he get rich?: The Haslam family founded Pilot Flying J.
Why to like him: Yeah, I got nothing.
Why not to like him: Fraud is pretty gross, especially when it’s worth $92 million in a settlement, the fee Haslam had to pay after his company cheated customers out of rebates and discounts.
30. Dan Snyder: Washington Redskins owner since 1999
How did he get rich?: Though it’s understandable to assume that Snyder turned eating the souls of puppies into a profitable business venture, that’s not the case. Instead his sorcery is responsible for many of the advertisements that attack you in public spaces. Snyder started a wildly successful wallboard advertising company, Snyder Communications LP. At 32 years old, Snyder was the youngest CEO of a New York Stock Exchange listed company
Why to like him: Nope, nothing to see here.
Why not to like him: Let’s start with his stubborn support of team name that’s a racist slur and is considered derogatory by a large group of people. Then there’s his purchase and control of the Washington media so that only the most supportive Snyder brand messages are broadcasted over the airwaves and digitally on the Internet. Or hey, how about that time Snyder gave some of his employees apples as a Christmas bonus. There’s also the five gallons of vanilla ice cream he sent to former defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s office in an attempt to illustrate his play calling is, in fact, vanilla. Dan Snyder is the absolute worst.
