Denver Broncos: Jeff Bezos has the financial might, but would a takeover be smooth sailing?
The Denver Broncos have been without an owner for quite some time. Since the passing of Pat Bowlen shortly after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50, the team has been operating under a placeholder owner. There has been speculation that there is a lack of accountability resulting from the lack of an orthodox owner.
In lieu of this, some names have been floated around. One name that's gaining some traction is Jeff Bezos.
According to Front Office Sports, the team is expected to be valued at $2.5 billion. This whittles down the number of potential buyers, to say the least. Of course, there are a number of people who could put together a group of buyers to effectively share the ownership while having someone as the de facto owner. However, single owners seem to be more desirable for those selling.
For what it's worth, Jeff Bezos seems to be in a spending mood. He recently took a $28 million trip to space this week, of course. Could this just be a stepping stone to a larger purchase like the Denver Broncos? Would players readily accept him as the owner?
Jeff Bezos, owner of the Denver Broncos?
According to Forbes, Bezos is worth $207.1 billion at the time of writing. A $2.5 billion purchase would be like a visit to Starbucks. Bezos earned his fortune from Amazon's rise to become the biggest online retailer in the world. There is no question that he can afford the Denver Broncos. However, would Broncos players take this news well?
Amazon has built a reputation as a company that works its employees to the bone. There are plenty of stories circling around the internet from workers who have worked in sordid conditions, especially in the warehouse.
The work in the warehouses is usually physically demanding with few breaks and high deliverables. Would Denver's players be happy with an owner who owns another company that pushes its employees to the limit every day?
Of course, Bezos would not be running the practices personally. However, his personality will trickle down to the practice fields in Denver as he hires tougher management.
Jeff Bezos does not have a background in football, but he knows that a winning team makes more money than a losing team. That's just business.
If Bezos were to become owner of the Denver Broncos, the team could take on more of a Patriots-like culture in terms of work ethic. Imagine the next generation of Broncos coaches chanting "No days off!" in a Bill Belichick voice a few years from now.
It would be difficult for players to fully accept the change in culture. However, since the team has the final say on where their players play for the remainder of their contract, their choices would be to fall in line or jump ship.