As the age of a woke culture reaches its potential climax, it has hit the sporting world in ways not previously thought of. Former names like the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians have morphed into the Washington Football Team/ Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians. One new target has been in the sights however: owners.

In mid-September, Paypal, the official sponsor of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, threatened to pull away from their partnership if owner Robert Sarver didn’t step away from the team. This came after he was suspended for one year and fined $10 million after making crude remarks to female employees, and would sometimes use racial slurs in the workplace. This was well known, however it took the National Basketball Association arguably way too long to take action, with some allegations as far back as the early 2010s, however nothing came from it.

Shortly after, Sarver started the initial steps to sell the Suns. When he bought and found himself as the primary owner of the team in 2004, he paid around $400 million. The problem now is he could end up netting around $2.6 BILLION for the team, according to a report from The Athletic. 

The problem is simple. The 1% won’t end up having to deal with the consequences anyone else would have because of their financial situation. In the grand scheme of things, Sarver will have committed several irredeemable offenses and will have netted over six times the amount he paid for his team. 

The sad thing is, Sarver isn’t the only, and not even the worst, owner in the major sports teams.

Daniel Marc Snyder. A net worth of $4.5 billion, with the majority of that coming from one entity, the Washington Commanders. In 1999, the team went up for sale after the previous owner could not keep it afloat, and with his wealth, Snyder made a move that would shake the National Football League’s image for years to come.

Now, Washington was actually a very good investment at the time. The team had three Super Bowls, with their most recent in 1992, and future star corner Champ Bailey. However, things slowly started to deteriorate, and it all can be symbolized with one era, the Bruce Allen era.

Allen wanted to get the team back to its winning ways in the 90’s, and traded with the STL. Rams in the 2012 Draft to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. If Allen is to Snyder, then Griffin is the then Redskins. While Griffin showed promise his first few years, ACL tears and other injuries piled up, and he would eventually lose his role as the starter. Part of the reason was his over usage during his early years, leading to his injuries. He also made this very well known, as he planned to write a tell all book, but it later was scrapped.

The main reason I bring this up is because of a now infamous quote from Allen. In 2017, years after RG3 had come and gone, the team fired head coach Jay Gruden, brother of John Gruden who has made headlines for other reasons that you can look into here, he was asked about the team culture and had this to say:

“The culture is actually damn good.”

It was not “actually damn good.” On the contrary you could argue it was “damn terrible.” Through the NFL’s investigation, they found countless amounts of sexual and racial misconduct, one of which involved cheerleaders in a not so ideal light. 

The sad thing is, this has been going on for YEARS. And now, with the news the Snyders are now gearing up to sell the team for an estimated $7 billion, once again a far cry from the $800 million he bought it for in 1999, Snyder and co. are set to gain immense profit, with no repercussions.

And to loop back around to RG3. FedEx Field, home of the Commanders, has videos from last year of fans having the guard railing collapsing from under them and falling on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, and players like Chase Young, Alex Smith and Joe Thiesman (all interesting look ups for those more superstitious), all tearing their ACLs just like RG3.

So, Saver and Snyder can say their cultures are “damn good”, when in reality, they have set up a toxic work environment  for not only the teams they own, but the leagues they are a part of.