The Broncos next week will feature the most prominent professional sports ownership group since the 2009 Dolphins.
When real estate developer Stephen Ross purchased Miami’s NFL franchise for $1.1 billion, he added as prominent partners Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Fergie (of “Black-Eyed Peas”) and Jimmy Buffet.
Former Walmart CEO Rob Walton, who in six days will become the Broncos’ principal owner, has gathered a collaboration including Walmart chairman Greg Penner, Rob’s son-in-law, and his daughter Carrie Walton Penner; other members of the famed family of the world’s largest discount retail company; Mellody Hobson, chairwoman of Starbucks and wife of “Star Wars’’ creator George Lucas; former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and, now, Lewis Hamilton, the G.O.A.T of Formula One racing and a member of the Order of the British Empire and a Knight Bachelor.
Who’s next — Peyton Manning, “South Park’’ creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, John Elway, OneRepublic, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Mikaela Shiffrin, Goose Gossage and astronaut Dr. Jessica Watkins?
Like the Waltons — who own properties in Aspen, Boulder, Denver and, recently, Cherry Hills, Sir Lewis Hamilton has a Colorado connection. He owns a home in the mountains at Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek and has said publicly he wants to retire in Colorado.
He also lives in Monte Carlo and reportedly has a net worth of $285 million.
The 37-year-old Hamilton, the son of a Black father of Grenadian descent and a white British mother, has won seven world championships with a record 103 victories, 103 pole positions and 188 top-three finishes.
Walton issued a statement through the Broncos’ media relations department during training camp Tuesday welcoming Hamilton to the ownership group. “He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning (race) team and a fierce advocate for global equality, including in his own sport … His resilient spirit and standard of excellence will be an asset to the ownership group and the Broncos organization.’’
Lewis tweeted Tuesday to his 7.6 million followers that he is “excited to join an incredible group of owners and become a part of the @Broncos story!! Honoured to work with a world class team and serve as an example of the value of more diverse leadership across all sports.’’ He included a photo of his dog wearing a Broncos blue jersey and scarf. “Roscoe thinks he’s already made the team,’’ and Hamilton hash-tagged “#LetsRide,’’ quarterback Russell Wilson’s rallying cry.
Wilson and Hamilton are friends. Russell tweeted Tuesday: “Congrats @LewisHamilton. Winning is a Habit! #LetsRide’’. Wilson once took a lap in Hamilton’s race car.
Rob Walton is a racing enthusiast and a rare automobile collector. He owns a dozen Ferraris, six Porsches and a Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe he once wrecked on a California track.
Hamilton, who owns 14 cars, has driven for McLaren and Mercedes. He was the first and still is the only Black Formula One driver and has been the victim of racist reactions and incidents since he began go-cart racing in 1993 and through his Formula One career that started in 2007.
In 2020 Lewis took a knee before every race to honor the “Black Lives Matter’’ movement, and he has been a prominent activist regarding animal rights, the environment and social justice.
Some Broncos fans and Coloradans, as a percentage of Formula One supporters, may be offended by Hamilton’s personal perspective and not be pleased that Rob Walton has invited Hamilton and Black women Hobson and Rice to be partners in the Broncos’ ownership.
The NFL certainly is overwhelmingly positive because of Walton’s ownership diversity, and the Walton group will receive unanimous approval (32-0) when the owners meet in Minneapolis to vote Tuesday. The league claims to seek Black majority ownership and increase the number of Black general managers (five) and head coaches (two and biracial Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who was raised in Colorado).
As an aside, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who put together the star-studded band of shareholders in 2009, was suspended Tuesday until Oct. 17, fined $1.5 million and stripped of a first-round pick in 2023 and a third in ’24 for tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton while both were under contract.
Brian Flores filed suit against the Dolphins, alleging discriminatory firing, and the Giants and the Broncos for their hiring practices.
The Broncos will have new owners Tuesday.
More from The Woody Paige Sports Network:
- Woody Paige: That time I played blackjack with Michael Jordan in Monte Carlo
- John Elway’s 7 best moments as General Manager of the Denver Broncos
- Woody Paige: A tribute to the legendary John Madden
- MLB’s labor woes are a long way from being over
- Woody Paige: Will Russell Wilson become the $60 Million Man in Denver?
- Watching and Learning from the great Nolan Ryan
- Will LIV Golf end up more like the AFL…or more like the USFL?
