Tag: Stan Kroenke

Rapids fans slam Kroenke ownership as ‘utter embarrassment’

The club’s biggest fan group charged that the Rapids are “nothing more than an afterthought of ownership”

With their club sitting dead last in MLS, fans of the Colorado Rapids have trained their ire towards owner Stan Kroenke.

Kroenke is the founder of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), which in addition to the Rapids, also owns Arsenal FC, the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.

Barely over a week after the Rapids fired head coach Robin Fraser, the club’s biggest independent supporters group, Centennial 38, released a scathing statement on X (formerly Twitter) in which they accused KSE of failing to invest in the club and its facilities, saying their stadium Dick’s Sporting Goods Park has fallen into disrepair, and that the Rapids are “nothing more than an afterthought of ownership.”

“The common denominator of the Rapids’ many problems is Kroenke Sports & Entertainment,” read the statement. “Winning seasons are infrequent, and the few good years are followed by multiple consecutive years of poor results. The organization’s record off the field also speaks for itself: talking down to fans and providing no meaningful connection to the club outside of token press releases; persistent issues with security and stadium staff; raising season ticket prices while the stadium experience and team underperform; general mistreatment of press and bloggers covering the team, among many, many others.”

It continues: “These are the results of an ownership group that has failed to properly invest in this club. KSE seems perfectly comfortable investing in their other endeavors yet proportionally less so with our Rapids. Stan and Josh can count on their four hands the number of games they’ve been to. [Team president] Padraig Smith claims they are ‘categorically’ involved, even though there is scant evidence of this over the 19 years they have owned this club.

“Our club is given minimal resources, and the resources it does have been used ineffectively as evidenced by the results on the field.”

The statement did not go as far as to call on KSE to sell the team, but instead concluded that “this indifference from ownership must stop.”

“The Colorado Rapids, and the fanbase, are nothing more than an afterthought of ownership. KSE seems more concerned with other ventures, and taking advantage of a loyal fanbase, over producing a Rapids product that could be considered even average compared to other teams in Colorado and across MLS. The way the club has been handled is an utter embarrassment and a total abandonment of its fiduciary duty to the badge and the paying fans,” the statement said.

Rapids fans are hardly the only supporters to have expressed their discontent with KSE recently, with Arsenal fans protesting their club’s owners two years ago amid the failed European Super League project.

In response to Centennial 38, Stan Kroenke’s son Josh released a statement of his own detailing the club’s desire to improve on and off the field, which included planned improvements to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, as well as plans for several open forums with supporters.

“We respect our supporters and are grateful for the passion they demonstrate for the club, while also acknowledging and understanding their frustrations,” Kroenke’s statement said. “We are committed to the Rapids’ long-term success within the core principles of the club and to being a club that our fans and all Coloradans can be proud of.”

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Jamal Murray’s postgame appreciation tour with different Nuggets was so wholesome

These were all such beautiful moments.

It’s been a long road to the top of the NBA for Jamal Murray.

The point guard might be one of the biggest stars on the newly-defending champion Denver Nuggets now, but it took time for him to blossom into a difference maker. And when that happened, Murray tore his ACL, losing the better part of two seasons from his career before he became a key cog in Denver’s first-ever NBA championship.

So, naturally, no one should have been surprised to see Murray immediately reveling at the moment during postgame celebrations in Denver on Monday night. He seemed so especially emotional and appreciative while telling different Nuggets leaders — head coach Mike Malone, owner Stan Kroenke, and of course, his pal Nikola Jokic — how much he loves them.

Murray’s “tour” here, so to speak, is a perfect lesson for all of us in what we should do in celebratory occasions. When you reach the pinnacle of your professional life, it’s time to bask and tell the folks who helped you how much you love them.

Stan Kroenke’s teams continue dominant run with 4th championship in 16 months

The Nuggets are the latest team owned by Stan Kroenke to win a championship, his 4th title in 16 months

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There isn’t an owner anywhere in the world of sports who has had nearly as much success as Stan Kroenke in the last two years. In fact, there may not be an owner who’s won as many championships across four sports leagues in such a short period of time – ever.

With the Denver Nuggets winning the NBA Finals on Monday night, beating the Miami Heat in 5 games, they become the latest team owned by Kroenke to win a championship. It’s an incredible stretch that now includes four titles in a span of 16 months.

The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, 2022

The Colorado Mammoth won the NLL Championship four months later on June 18, 2022.

The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup just over a week later on June 26, 2022.

And now the Nuggets have won an NBA title, the franchise’s first ever, clinching their championship on June 12, 2023.

“It’s like having children: You love them all,” Kroenke said after the Nuggets’ win, via the Associated Press. “It’s unbelievably exciting. I’m just so happy for everybody involved, particularly the city, which for 47 years they never had this.”

Kroenke is the chairman and CEO of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the four teams listed above, as well as Arsenal, the Colorado Rapids and others. Needless to say, his company is doing very well right now, with each championship likely increasing the value of those four franchises.

Kroenke doesn’t own an MLB team, so he won’t be able to check that box off, but his teams have had a lot of hardware to display as of late.

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Peyton Manning, Sean Payton and Russell Wilson attended the Nuggets’ title game

The Nuggets are NBA champions! Peyton Manning, Sean Payton and Russell Wilson were in attendance to watch Monday’s title game.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, former quarterback Peyton Manning and current quarterback Russell Wilson were in attendance to watch the Denver Nuggets (4-1) defeat the Miami Heat (1-4) 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night to clinch a title, marking the first championship in franchise history.

Earlier this month, Payton praised Nuggets players for their unselfish play, and he praised team ownership for their accomplishments across sports in recent seasons.

“When I’ve watched them — we all get caught up and you get excited — but the star players are unselfish, and I feel like it’s a team that enjoys each other,” Payton said on June 1. “I’m going to guess that they probably do things together off the court and I don’t know that that’s the case with every team.”

Payton also praised Nuggets ownership. Ann Walton Kroenke, the cousin of Broncos majority owner Rob Walton, owns the Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. Ann’s husband, Stan Kroenke, owns the Los Angeles Rams and Colorado Rapids.

“When you think of this for a second — in two years, the Kroenkes have won a Super Bowl, have won a Stanley Cup and they’re in a position to win an NBA championship,” Payton said. “I think that’s something that — it’s good to be a Kroenke for the last two years. That’s pretty impressive to have that type of success.”

Payton will hope that success runs in the family as the Walton-Penner ownership group aims to turn the Broncos around quickly after a seven-year playoff drought.

Stan Kroenke expected to pay $571M to St. Louis for relocation settlement

NFL owners are expected to approve a plan that sticks Stan Kroenke with a $571M bill for the Rams’ relocation from St. Louis to LA

Stan Kroenke is going to have quite the tab to pay for the Rams’ relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, NFL owners are expected to approve a plan that sticks Kroenke with the remainder of the bill owed to St. Louis for the relocation settlement. That bill will be for $571 million, which is a substantial portion of the entire $790 million settlement for the city of St. Louis.

NFL teams have already paid $219 million of the $790 million, which leaves Kroenke with the rest of the money owed. Kroenke wanted all 32 teams to pay the full $790 million, but that never came to pass. Other owners wanted Kroenke to pay the entire bill, too.

The city of St. Louis originally sought more than $1 billion in damages in the lawsuit, claiming the Rams’ departure cost the city millions of dollars. The Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016 after the plan was approved by the league in January of that year.

“The hard part about where I’m at right …

“The hard part about where I’m at right now is we’ve done a great job. Tim and Coach Malone and Mr. K and Josh, all of our best players getting us to this point, and now you’re inside the 10-yard line and the job becomes really, really hard,” Booth said. “But on the other side, what’s really easy is I know what Coach Malone likes. I have a feeling or a vision for the kind of guys, Nikola, Jamal or Michael would like to play with, and it just happens to be in line with my philosophy anyway.”

Avalanche give Stan Kroenke his 3rd championship since February

Add the Stanley Cup to the list of trophies won by Stan Kroenke’s teams in the last four-plus months

We’re only halfway through 2022, but Stan Kroenke is already among the biggest winners of the year so far. Most fans know he’s the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, but his company, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, also owns several other sports franchises.

In the last four and a half months, Kroenke’s teams have won three championships. The Rams won the Super Bowl in February, the Colorado Mammoth won the National Lacrosse League Cup, and on Sunday night, the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.

That’s three titles for Kroenke’s teams since February, an incredible stretch for the billionaire businessman.

In addition to those three teams, Kroenke also owns Arsenal FC, the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Rapids, among others. The Nuggets can’t add to Kroenke’s collection in 2022, but the Rapids have a shot – despite sitting 10th in the MLS’ Western Conference standings 16 games into the season.

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Stan Kroenke’s latest property purchase adds to speculation of Rams headquarters

Rams owner Stan Kroenke bought another property in Woodland Hills, adding to speculation about a possible team headquarters location

Rams owner Stan Kroenke is accumulating land and property in Woodland Hills, which comes in concert with speculation about the team potentially building a new headquarters and training facility. After purchasing the vacant Woodland Hills Promenade for $150 million recently, Kroenke has now bought the 13-story Anthem Blue Cross building and its land near the Promenade, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

This latest purchase ran Kroenke $175 million, bringing the total cost of the land to $325 million. It spans 65 acres, which is more than enough land to build the team’s headquarters. The Los Angeles Times reported in February that the Rams could build their practice facility in Woodland Hills, and that was before the purchase of the Promenade was even made.

According to the Daily News, “the plan allows the land’s owner to build a mixed-use complex with 1,432 apartment units, a 28-story office tower, two hotels — and a 10,000-seat entertainment and sports center.”

It’s possible the Rams will build something that resembles the Cowboys’ headquarters, “The Star,” in Frisco. There, they have a practice facility, hotel, shopping center and dining options, making it more than just the team’s main building.

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Report: NFL has taken $7.5M from each team to pay for Rams’ relocation settlement

To help pay for the $790 million settlement with St. Louis, the NFL has taken $7.5 million from each team

The Rams and NFL reached a settlement with the city of St. Louis last November, ending the four-year lawsuit over the team’s relocation to Los Angeles. The settlement was for $790 million, and Rams owner Stan Kroenke agreed to pay the legal costs that came with this move from St. Louis.

Since then, Kroenke has attempted to get out of covering those legal expenses, which angered other NFL owners during the league meetings last October. To help pay for the settlement – which, according to The Athletic, Kroenke argues is different than the legal fees he promised to pay – the NFL has taken $7.5 million from each team.

Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic reports that was deducted from each team’s revenue-sharing payments, a sum that comes to $232.5 million. Understandably, team executives were surprised by this costly development, with no clarity of whether the money will be paid back to them if Kroenke covers the entire amount himself.

The team executives described surprise at the move and complained that the action had caused budgeting issues because of the sudden charge and not knowing whether the money would be returned if Kroenke is ordered by the NFL to pay the whole sum.

As beneficial as the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles has been for the Rams, it’s also been a costly one for Kroenke and the other NFL owners.