Shad Khan became one of the richest people in the world on the strength of his auto parts company, Flex-N-Gate Corp.
However, despite a lack of success on the field, Khan’s sports holdings are valuable enough to rank as one of the largest in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
Khan’s ownership interests in the Jacksonville Jaguars, English soccer team Fulham FC and All Elite Wrestling are valued at $4.8 billion, making it the 12th-largest global sports empire, Forbes said in a story posted online Jan. 21.
The magazine estimates Khan’s personal fortune at $8.1 billion.
Khan bought the Jaguars from Wayne Weaver for a reported $760 million 10 years ago.
The Jaguars rank 26th out of the 32 NFL teams in value, according to Forbes’ latest rankings in August. But the NFL is such a big moneymaking machine that the franchise has grown in estimated value to $2.8 billion, a huge return for Khan over the past decade.
Khan bought Fulham for more than $200 million in 2013.
Fulham did not make Forbes’ 2021 list of 20 most valuable soccer teams, which all were estimated above $400 million. But the magazine pointed out the acquisition of Fulham included “several acres of incredibly valuable real estate.”
Fulham’s stadium sits along the Thames River in London and the team is working on a redevelopment project that Forbes said will “undoubtedly” increase the value of Khan’s sports empire when it opens later this year.
The magazine did not mention Khan’s plans for development along the St. Johns River near TIAA Bank Field, but the stadium is city-owned and Khan did not acquire any real estate when he bought the team, so it is not part of his sports empire.
Khan is the lead investor of professional wrestling organization All Elite Wrestling, which he launched along with his son, Tony, in 2019.
The world’s largest sports empire is Liberty Media, with properties including the Atlanta Braves and other entities valued at a total $17.2 billion, Forbes said.