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Two years ago thousands of Arsenal supporters gathered outside the Emirates Stadium on a Friday night, demanding that owner Stan Kroenke be removed from his position after the club was announced as a founding member of the Super League.
The scene couldn’t be much different on Thursday, as Kroenke and his Denver Nuggets celebrated the franchise’s first NBA Championship with a parade that had thousands of adulating in attendance.
While Arsenal fans have often had a distaste for Kroenke during his 12 years at the club, the 75-year-old has overseen undeniably good results for his teams Stateside.
The Nuggets’ triumph over the Heat in five games means that an astounding four of Kroenke’s franchises have won titles in just the last two years – a stark contrast from the 19-year wait Arsenal fans have endured to reclaim the Premier League crown.
Aside from Denver, the real estate magnate’s teams achieved a Treble last year with the LA Rams, Colorado Avalanche and National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth all winning titles.
Arsenal fans protested heavily against Stan Kroenke after the European Super League debacle
But on Thursday he celebrated a fourth title in two years during the Denver Nuggets’ parade
Kroenke also lifted an NHL Stanley Cup with his Colorado Avalanche last June
And while Arsenal fans have often complained about the lack of investment from the businessman’s Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, he’s certainly ponied up in the case of his other teams, with his net worth clocking in at $12.9billion, according to Forbes.
Kroenke and his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke – also a billionaire and a Walmart heiress – reportedly invested $1.6billion of their own money for the Rams’ state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium, which was opened in 2020. Kroenke owns roughly 60 million square feet of real estate – much of it shopping malls near Walmarts.
And his other teams have spent big as well.
The Nuggets paid $17.3million in the NBA’s luxury tax this season, while the Avalanche had the most expensive Stanley-Cup winning roster in the last decade ($86million in base salary), according to Pickswise.
Meanwhile, as of May 2021, Arsenal had received just $19.2million in direct investment from Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, with the club largely subsisting off of its cash flows.
Of course, not all of the money poured into the Rams, Nuggets or Avalanche comes straight from Kroenke’s pockets either but it’s easy to see why Arsenal fans could see those figures and feel aggrieved.
Kroenke and his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke (second left) – a billionaire and a Walmart heiress
Kroenke has been majority shareholder of Arsenal since 2011 and gained 100% control in 2018
His decision to put Arsenal in the Super League struck a nerve with fans who wanted him out
But fans seem to have taken more to his son Josh, who is actively involved with the club
‘I don’t think he gives 2 s***s about how the club is doing,’ one fan wrote on Reddit last year of Kroenke. ‘I think he just bought the club to add to his asset and nothing else.’
‘He runs Arsenal like a corner shop – as long as it’s making enough money to tick over then no change needed as far as he’s concerned,’ another said on Twitter in 2022. ‘Nothing will change until we have a new owner.’
While the club’s performance has significantly improved and vitriol towards Kroenke has seemingly subsided since the 2021 protests, it’s safe to say he’s more well-liked – or less disliked – in American corners.
The Missouri native, really, isn’t even present enough at Arsenal to be beloved by fans, spending or Super League decisions aside.
With the Rams, Nuggets, Avalanche, Mammoth, MLS’ Colorado Rapids and two e-sports teams all under the KSE umbrella, it’s Kroenke’s son, Josh, who takes a more front-facing role at Arsenal. And the 43-year-old seems to be slowly shifting perceptions of his family’s name at the club.
‘Ever since his apology after the Super League thing, I kinda have been growing on Josh Kroenke,’ one Reddit user said in the aforementioned thread.
‘Recently, Josh has been representing his dad and taking his place, which we’ve accepted,’ another said in the 2022 conversation. ‘Josh is running things well and by ‘running well’ I mean giving the reigns to competent people with a vison, like Edu and Arteta.
Kroenke is probably not beloved in the United States by fans but isn’t reviled either
Odell Beckham Jr. helped Kroenke’s Rams win a Super Bowl in 2022 vs. the Bengals
‘I’d say I’m pretty happy with Kroenke right now, which is something I’d never thought I’d say just a year ago.’
In fairness to Kroenke, he’s only had full control of the club since 2018. He became a shareholder in 2007 and the club’s majority shareholder in 2011, but didn’t buy out Alisher Usmanov for another seven years.
‘The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust is wholly against this takeover,’ one fans’ group said at the time, according to Reuters. ‘Arsenal remains too important to be owned by any one person.’
Five years later, nothing has changed in terms of Arsenal’s stewardship. Things have improved on the field, though, under Mikel Arteta and perhaps a continuation of that form could prove to further fan the heat surrounding Kroenke’s position.
Arsenal mounted a legitimate title challenge last season and will now believe they can land one spot higher after finishing in second place behind the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba.
Would title celebrations and a parade around North London really be met with ‘Kroenke Out’ signs?
We could soon find out.
