John Mara, Steve Tisch, New York Giants
NEW YORK GIANTS |JOHN K. MARA, STEVE TISCH | PRESIDENT, CEO (MARA); CHAIRMAN, EVP (TISCH) | AGES: 63 (MARA); 69 (TISCH)
Education: Tisch: Tufts University; Mara: Boston College, Fordham University School of Law
How They Acquired the Franchise: John’s grandfather Tim Mara paid $500 to purchase the franchise in 1925, the year five new teams entered the NFL. Decades later, in 1991, Bob Tisch (Steve’s father), paid more than $70 million to purchase 50% of the team. Steve inherited that stake after Bob’s death in November 2005.
Net Worth: Mara: $500 million (per ESPN in 2015); Tisch: $1.2 billion (per Forbes in 2018)
Franchise Valuation: $3.3 billion (per Forbes in 2017)
How They Made Their Money: Tisch spent a career in the movie business, producing notables films such as Risky Business, Forrest Gump and American History X. His father co-founded the Loews Corporation, which started as a hotel venture and now includes subsidiaries in insurance, drilling and gas pipelines.
Mara worked at the firm Shea & Gould, specializing in labor and employment law, before officially joining the Giants in 1988.
In the Owner’s Words: “I think certainly we all hope that our players stand for the anthem this year,” Mara told SiriusXM in May 2018. “I think it’s the right thing to do. … We’ve been supportive of those in the past who have decided to protest, but I think we’ve gotten to a point now where it’s become such a divisive issue that I think it’s important that we come out of here with a policy that everybody can respect and adhere to.”
Political Donations: Tisch has been the much more active political contributor, especially to democrats, donating $10,400 to Cory Booker in 2014; $5,000 to Claire McCaskill and $4,800 to Chuck Schumer in ’12; and $2,300 each to Clinton and Obama in 2008. Tisch also donated $10K to the conservative super PAC, George Allen’s Fund for America’s Comeback, in ’12.
NFL Committees: Mara: Workplace Diversity Committee, Management Council Executive Committee (Chairman), Competition Committee, Health & Safety Advisory Committee, Compensation Committee; Tisch: NFL Network Committee, NFL Foundation Board.
