National Football League

Detroit owner Ford dubbed worst in NFL

Published Nov. 3, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Detroit Lions boss William Clay Ford Sr. has been named as the NFL's worst owner by Forbes.

The unwelcome label was the result of the Lions being the only NFL team to lose money in 2010, according to Forbes.

As the average NFL franchise generated an 8 percent growth in team value over the past five years, Ford's team has witnessed a three percent drop.

Combined in Forbes' formula for ranking the 32 NFL owners was each team's record over the past five seasons. The measure did not bode well for a Detroit team that, despite an on-field resurgence in 2011, won just 18 games from 2006 through 2010, including an 0-16 run in 2008.

Meanwhile, the New York Giants ownership tandem of John Mara and Steve Tisch have seen a 33 percent in growth in the past five years, earning them a shared crown atop Forbes' owner rankings.

New York's brand new stadium alone generated a 21 percent boost in revenue in 2010, according to the report.

Rounding out the top five were the New England Patriots under Robert Kraft, Jim Irsay's Indianapolis Colts, the more than 100,000 shareholders of the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones.