Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ranked second in CNBC’s list of the world’s most valuable sports empires.
Los Angeles Rams chief Stan Kroenke topped the list thanks to a $21.17 billion portfolio that also includes the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and EPL soccer team Arsenal.
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Jones is in the Hall of Fame thanks to his business acumenCredit: Getty
Jones’ assets were valued at $15.53 billion, which included the Cowboys and The Star in Frisco — a 91-acre campus built as the team’s HQ and practice facility.
But the billionaire mogul has a lesser-known asset that connects him to dozens of sports teams across the globe, including Kroenke’s Rams.
In October 2008, the Cowboys teamed up with MLB powerhouse the New York Yankees and investment bank Goldman Sachs to found a hospitality company called Legends.
Formed by three of the most recognizable brands in the world, Legends was valued at $1.35 billion when Sixth Street Partners purchased a controlling stake in 2021.
Jones’ foresight paid off when the Cowboys built AT&T Stadium between 2006 and 2009.
The arena cost $1.15 billion, with the City of Arlington covering $325 million.
Jerry’s daughter Charlotte confirmed that the family credit the hospitality company with paving the way for the iconic stadium, known as The House That Jerry Built.
“We look at Legends as how we paid for AT&T Stadium,” Jones said during a SXSW panel in 2024.
Legends helps build and design venues, as well as providing marketing and sales advice.
Clients include Levi’s Stadium, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, Banc of California Stadium, Nissan Stadium, Angel Stadium, Golden 1 Center, Allegiant Stadium, University of Southern California, Prudential Center, Notre Dame, the Rose Bowl, Oklahoma Sooners, Dallas Mavericks and Manchester City.
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The jewel in Jones’ crown is AT&T StadiumCredit: Getty
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The Bills are making a major upgrade to Highmark StadiumCredit: Getty
A 15-year, $875 million contract has been signed to operate One World Observatory in New York in 2018.
A year later, Jones’ company negotiated the largest naming rights agreement in NFL history — a 20-year, $625 million deal with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and the Los Angeles Chargers to sponsor SoFi Stadium.
Jones hails from Los Angeles as saw a dream realized when The House that Jerry Helped Build hosted the Super Bowl in 2022.
“There is such a romance to me for the Los Angeles Rams to be sitting there,” Jones said on his radio show on the 105.3 The Fan.
“They are about one mile from the little house that my parents lived when I was born. I was born right there. Got a lot of relatives out there. I would like to see that fairy tale. So, I am kind of rooting for them.”
The Rams went on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.
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Jones, who is worth $17.8 billion per Forbes, arguably did a better job with SoFi stadium — by far the most expensive in the NFL with a cost of $5.5 billion — than he did on his own home.
The Cowboys have not made the NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season, when he won the third of three Super Bowls with the franchise.
AT&T has also come under fire from Cowboys players after CeeDee Lamb was blinded by sunlight and dropped a touchdown in 2024.
“I couldn’t see the ball. Couldn’t see the ball, at all. The sun,” Lamb explained.
On clear days, the sun shines through the glass windows creating a severe glare that, in Lamb’s eyes, contributed to a missed touchdown.
“Yes. One thousand percent,” Lamb responded when asked if he would be in favor of adding curtains to shield the field from the sun.
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Jones has built a hospitality empireJerry Jones determined to end 30-year unwanted record after hiring Brian Schottenheimer as Dallas Cowboys head coach
That’s certainly not an opinion shared by Jones, who passionately defended his stadium following a comprehensive loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Well let’s tear the damn stadium down and build another one?” Jones sarcastically responded. “Are you kidding me?”
“By the way, we know where the sun is going to be when we decide to flip the coin or not,” he added. “We do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium.
“Everybody has got the same thing. Every team that comes in here has the same issues.”
The Cowboys aren’t winning on the field but the franchise is the second most valuable in sports with a $10 billion price tag.
The Los Angeles Lakers only recently took the crown off the Cowboys, who had led for nine straight years.
There is a reason Jones is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — business acumen that helped turn the NFL into a global powerhouse and made billions for owners all over the USA.
His next big project? Providing hospitality at the Buffalo Bills‘ New Highmark Stadium, which is set to open for the 2026 season.
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