Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Named Most Influential Owner in Sports

When it comes to sports owners, there’s no one more powerful in America than Robert Kraft.

In the Sports Business Journal’s annual list of the 50 most influential sports people in business, the owner of the New England Patriots and Revolution was ranked third, behind ESPN President John Skipper and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who took the top spot.

The next highest ranking for an owner is new LA Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at 13th. Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys is the next highest NFL owner on the list at 15th.

The rankings move Kraft up four spots from the 2013 list and makes him the only owner to be ranked higher than his league’s commissioner.

“This ranking will spark questions, but with Commissioner Roger Goodell clearly damaged over the last year, the role of ownership becomes more vital. No owner has more sway in NFL circles than longtime Goodell-ally Kraft, who was the first to offer public support for the commissioner in the wake of the Ray Rice video and who continues to be a staunch defender,” Executive Editor Abraham Madkou wrote.

The entry goes on to say that Krafts relationships in political, cultural and entertainment circles, in addition to his role in the NFL proves that he’s got clout and he knows how to use it.

An example of that clout include a pair of shoes recently released by Nike that were designed after him.

The Patriots have been quite an investment for Kraft. Since buying the team in 1994 for $175 million, a NFL-record at the time, the team has become one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. A calculation by Forbes in August 2014 has the team valued at $2.6 billion, the second highest for a NFL team