Sports legends like Venus and Serena Williams, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Lewis Hamilton are among the power players making history as part of the largest number of Black minority team owners in NFL history.
The 2024-2025 NFL season kicked off on Sept. 5, and it’s a special year for the National Football League as it introduces its most extensive lineup of Black team owners. Influential Black leaders across sports, business, and entertainment are staking ownership within the NFL, and Diverse Representation is keeping track.
A visual list highlights the 13 Black figureheads with NFL ownership, including Hamilton, Ariel Investments President and co-CEO Mellody Hobson, and former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, all of whom hold minority ownership in the Denver Broncos. Johnson joins President and CEO of EquiTrust Life Insurance Corporation, Eric Holoman, as the only Black minority owners of the Washington Commanders.
Tennis champion sisters Venus and Serena Williams are the sole Black minority owners of the Miami Dolphins. The Atlanta Falcons holds the record with the most Black minority owners, with filmmaker Will Packer, NFL alum Warrick Dunn, Olympic gold medalist Domonique Dawes, former Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer, and venture capitalist Rashuan Williams.
The Williams sisters have boasted NFL ownership in the Miami Dolphins since 2009, with Venus thanking principal owner Stephen Ross for allowing the acquisition.
“I am honored to be a partner in the Miami Dolphins franchise and thankful to owner Stephen Ross for allowing Serena and I to be part of Miami Dolphins history,” Venus told People then.
“I am so excited to be part of such a renowned organization. Having spent so much of my childhood in the area, being involved with a staple of Miami culture is a huge honor,” Serena added. “We look forward to many championships and much success together with the Miami Dolphins.”
Magic Johnson was elated when he became an owner of the Washington Commanders in July 2023. The NBA Hall of Famer shared a heartfelt Instagram post featuring photos at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
“What a great day! To be an NFL owner of the Washington Commanders, this is one of the greatest days of my life,” he wrote. “The way the fans received us, the way the employees are fired up, and the amazing Redskins alumni…WOW. The players are ready to go out and perform on Sunday!”
With a record number of Black minority owners in the NFL, Jay-Z’s partnership with the league, and Kendrick Lamar following Usher, Rihanna, and Dr. Dre as Super Bowl headliners, the NFL appears to be making strides toward diversity and inclusion of the Black community. It comes despite criticism the league receives from conservative NFL fans who disagree with the league’s inclusion
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