Stan Kroenke who has built a $20 billion sports empire is now the largest private landowner in the United States.
Huddleup said that according to The Land Report, which tracks private landholdings, Kroenke’s recent purchase of 937,000 acres of ranchland in New Mexico brought his total holdings to 2.7 million acres.
For context, 2.7 million acres of land is twice the size of Delaware, more land than Yellowstone National Park or Los Angeles County, and roughly the combined size of Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and San Antonio.
Kroenke became the largest private landowner in the United States by applying a long-term, low-visibility acquisition strategy rooted in real estate fundamentals.
His rise started with commercial real estate, particularly shopping centers anchored by Walmart.
Through his marriage to a Walmart heiress and his own development work, Kroenke learned how land surrounding essential businesses quietly appreciates over decades. He carried that logic into rural America.
Instead of buying land for quick resale, he targeted vast tracts of ranchland in states like Texas, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, often purchasing historic ranches that were underutilized or held by families ready to exit.
These deals were typically private, patient, and all-cash, allowing him to accumulate scale without driving up prices or attracting attention.
Kroenke viewed land as a store of value, hedge against inflation, and asset with optional future uses ranging from agriculture to energy, conservation, or development. Much like his sports empire, control mattered more than publicity.
By steadily acquiring acreage over decades and rarely selling, Kroenke amassed more than two million acres.
After making billions in real estate, Kroenke has spent decades buying sports teams across leagues, states, and even continents.
Kroenke’s holding company, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, now holds majority ownership stakes in the Los Angeles Rams (NFL), Arsenal FC (EPL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), and Colorado Mammoth (NLL).
In 2025, CNBC valued Kroenke Sports and Entertainment’s collection of assets at $21.17 billion, making it the world’s most valuable sports empire.
He targeted franchises in leagues with limited supply and exploding media rights, then paired them with stadiums and surrounding developments he owned or controlled.
SoFi Stadium is the clearest example. The Los Angeles Rams weren’t just a football team but the anchor tenant for a multi-billion dollar mixed use complex, turning games into catalysts for year round revenue.
The SoFi Stadium is a 70,240-seat sport and entertainment indoor-outdoor stadium in Inglewood, California (US), a suburb of Los Angeles. It serves as the home ground of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.
After gradually scooping up roughly 100 acres of Warner Center (neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, US) real estate over the past few years the National Football League (NFL) team, Kroenke is now lifting the veil on plans for a sprawling mixed-use project which would be centered on the Ram’s new headquarters campus.
The Rams Village at Warner Center, which could reportedly cost $10 billion to complete includes the sites of the dead Promenade shopping mall at 6100 Topanga Canyon Boulevard and the neighboring Anthem Blue Cross site to the East at 6100 Owensmouth Avenue.
Despite owning public-facing assets with millions of fans worldwide, Kroenke never gives interviews or holds press conferences.
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