Superstars vs. Billionaire Owners
Superstars vs. Billionaires: The Truth About How Owners Profit While Athletes Earn a Fraction of Their Worth
By Candace Goodman, Investigative Reporter – The Good Blog
The Great Sports Business Heist
It’s the oldest trick in the book: workers generate the wealth, owners collect it.
In professional sports, no one moves the needle like a superstar athlete. They don’t just win games—they build dynasties, sell out arenas, drive up TV ratings, and turn franchises into global brands. Yet, despite bringing in billions for their teams, these players will never see a paycheck that reflects their true worth. Meanwhile, team owners—most of whom never change across generations—continue to reap the financial rewards long after the athlete retires.
Take Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, or Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. These athletes made their franchises what they are today, yet their financial compensation pales in comparison to the value they created.
How is this possible? Simple. Salary caps, league bylaws, and ownership structures ensure that no matter how much a superstar brings in, they’ll never be allowed to make what they’re worth. This article exposes how billionaire owners have stacked the deck against the very players that made them rich.
Superstars Build Dynasties, Owners Keep the Profits
Case Studies: How One Player Can Skyrocket a Team’s Value
Let’s break down just how much money these players have made their teams—and what they got in return.
Michael Jordan & The Chicago Bulls
- Bulls Franchise Worth in 1984 (Before Jordan): $16 million
- Bulls Franchise Worth in 1998 (After Jordan): $300 million
- Bulls Franchise Worth in 2024: $4 billion
- Michael Jordan’s Career Earnings (NBA Salary): $93 million
Owner Jerry Reinsdorf still owns the Bulls and continues to profit from Jordan’s legacy—even though the team hasn’t won a championship since 1998.
LeBron James & The Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cavs Franchise Worth in 2003 (Before LeBron): $258 million
- Cavs Franchise Worth in 2018 (After LeBron's Championships): $1.3 billion
- Cavs Franchise Worth in 2024: $3.1 billion
- LeBron’s Career Earnings (NBA Salary): $531 million
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert bought the team for $375 million in 2005. By the time LeBron left in 2018, the Cavs were worth over a billion dollars—and Gilbert is still cashing in today.
Tom Brady & The New England Patriots
- Patriots Franchise Worth in 2000 (Before Brady): $464 million
- Patriots Franchise Worth in 2020 (After Brady’s Dynasty): $4.1 billion
- Patriots Franchise Worth in 2024: $7 billion
- Tom Brady’s Career Earnings (NFL Salary): $332 million
Owner Robert Kraft bought the Patriots for $172 million in 1994. Today, the team is worth $7 billion, even though they haven’t won a Super Bowl since Brady left in 2020.
Steph Curry & The Golden State Warriors
- Warriors Franchise Worth in 2009 (Before Curry): $450 million
- Warriors Franchise Worth in 2024 (After Curry’s Dynasty): $7.7 billion
- Steph Curry’s Career Earnings (NBA Salary): $470 million
Joe Lacob bought the Warriors for $450 million in 2010. Thanks to Curry’s success, they are now worth nearly $8 billion—but Curry will never see a fraction of that wealth.
Patrick Mahomes & The Kansas City Chiefs
- Chiefs Franchise Worth in 2017 (Before Mahomes): $1.9 billion
- Chiefs Franchise Worth in 2024: $4.3 billion
- Patrick Mahomes’ Career Earnings (NFL Salary to Date): $275 million (with a 10-year, $450 million contract)
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt’s family has owned the team since 1963. Regardless of how long Mahomes plays, the Hunt family will be making money off his impact for generations.
How Owners Ensure Players Will Never Get Their Fair Share
1. Salary Caps and Bylaws Protect Owners, Not Players
Every major sports league has a salary cap—a rule that limits how much a team can pay its players. The justification? “Competitive balance.” But let’s be real: these caps don’t apply to owners.
- NBA Salary Cap (2024): $136 million per team
- NFL Salary Cap (2024): $255 million per team
- MLB? No salary cap, but luxury tax penalties prevent unlimited spending
So while owners see franchise values double and triple, players have a hard ceiling on what they can earn.
Dr. Patrick Rishe, Director of Sports Business at Washington University, explains:
"If the leagues truly valued fairness, salary caps would apply to ownership profits as well. But they don’t. Players are the ones stuck in a controlled system while owners are free to make as much money as possible."
2. Owners Rarely Sell—They Profit Forever
Here’s the real scam: Sports franchises almost never change ownership.
- The Bulls are still owned by Jerry Reinsdorf.
- The Patriots are still owned by Robert Kraft.
- The Chiefs are still owned by the Hunt family.
- The Lakers? Buss family.
- The Yankees? Steinbrenner family.
Chris Smith, Forbes sports business analyst, says:
"These franchises are generational wealth-building machines. Once an owner gets a team, they rarely let go—because it prints money forever."
Meanwhile, the players who built these teams’ value? They get paid for their playing years and that’s it. No long-term revenue sharing, no ownership stakes—just a paycheck that ends when their body gives out.
Could the System Ever Change?
If athletes were truly paid their worth, we’d see:
1️⃣No salary caps—players should be able to negotiate based on **their actual market value.
2️⃣ Profit-sharing with players—if a team’s value triples due to one player, that player should receive equity.
3️⃣ Athlete-owned teams—LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Derek Jeter have gotten into ownership after retirement—but why not while they’re playing?
Professor Glen Platt, Miami University, says:
"The power imbalance is clear. Players are used to build billion-dollar empires, but once they’re done playing, they’re left with nothing but their salaries. That’s the ultimate exploitation."
The Game Was Rigged From the Start
Superstar athletes create the wealth. Billionaire owners collect it—for life.
The system isn’t broken—it was designed this way. By keeping players locked into salaries while franchise values skyrocket, owners ensure that the real money never leaves their hands.
And unless something changes, that’s exactly how it will stay.
For now, the scoreboard reads:
Owners: $10+ Billion
Players: A Paycheck That Ends When They Retire
And that’s a game athletes were never allowed to win.