Billionaire Accountability Hits Major Sports Franchises
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Recent sanctions against the Los Angeles Clippers and Manchester City signal a rare shift in repercussions for the ultra-wealthy in professional sports.
Recent investigations into high-profile sports franchises suggest a shift toward accountability for the billionaire class, according to reporting from The Guardian.
On September 2, the NBA announced that the Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer—the ninth richest person globally—circumvented the league's salary cap by paying star forward Kawhi Leonard $28 million off the books through a fake sponsor job. Following a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by journalist Pablo Torre, the NBA fined the Clippers $30 million and docked the team five first-round picks. Ballmer received a one-year suspension from team involvement. While the Clippers initially rejected the findings as a "predetermined narrative," the team eventually accepted the penalties.
Similarly, Manchester City was found guilty of over 100 charges involving the obstruction of investigations from 2019 to 2023 and the cheating of Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. The Guardian reports that the club's Abu Dhabi ownership faces a tarnished legacy, noting that the project's goal as a soft power PR play for the UAE has likely backfired. Manchester City continues to maintain its innocence.
These cases stand in contrast to other high-wealth sports figures who have avoided significant consequences. The Guardian cites New York Knicks owner James Dolan, who faces a discrimination lawsuit involving allegations of illegal spying on fans, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose charges regarding a Florida massage parlor were dropped by prosecutors.