Nike’s founder, a Walmart heiress, and the owner of the Dallas Cowboys are among the billionaires bankrolling March Madness Sweet 16 schools

• More than ten billionaires It made major donations to colleges that host elite basketball programs in the country. Among them is the founder of Nike, Wall Mart’s heir, and Malik Dallas Copules. Many of the strengths that were transferred by billionaires are preferred to win the first March Madness tour that starts on Thursday.

Given that the sports entertainment industry is worth $ 2 trillion, it is not surprising that America will yearn to throw money into university athletics programs in the country.

There is a health list of more than ten billionaires who finance schools in this year’s March Madness. Some of these individuals with high networks are home names, while others have gathered their wealth away from the limelight.

Some of the most famous names that offer main donations include March Madness Founder Nike Phil Knight, Walmart Hier Nancy Walton Laurie and Dallas Cowboys Juns. This trio alone deserves 62.2 billion dollars.

But there are more than ten executives and prominent executives who have invested a large Pacz in March Madness schools, either because she is her mother or have a geographical or family communication with the team. It drives you to have a strong basketball team. In the 2023 fiscal year, NCAA reported record revenues of $ 1.29 billion-the March Madness March. In addition, the tournament is expected to give hundreds of millions of dollars to participating schools.

luck A sample of the Mandeer billionaire collected for schools participating in the March Madness championship this year. Note, this list is not comprehensive.

Phil Knight

Knight was once a sporting university himself – a runner in the Oregon University Path team in the fifties of the last century while obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. The 87 -year -old Nike founder has shared his 33.5 billion dollars wealth with his mother mother, which has provided many major donations over the years for the school’s academic and sports programs. In general, his total donations to Oregon reached more than one billion dollars.

Knight made two separate donations of $ 500 million to Oregon to academics related to science, and in 2007 he and his wife announced a gift of $ 100 million to find the Uo Athletics Legacy Fund to help support all sports programs at the university.

Oregon will face the University of Liberty on Friday at 10:10 pm EST and prefer to win.

Nancy Walton Lori

Walton Lori is a heir to the family that established Wall Mart, the world’s largest retail store with more than $ 680 billion in 2025 financial revenues. Regardless of the Walton family, its personal value is currently estimated at $ 12.5 billion.

Walton Lori, the younger daughter of the Wall Mart Pod Walton Foundation, donated $ 25 million with her husband Bill Lori in 2001 to obtain a new basketball square at Missouri University. The square was originally named Paige Sports Arena after their daughter.

Mizou Drake University plays at 7:35 pm EST on Thursday and prefers winning.

Jerry Jones

The University of Arkansas has played the Razorbacks football team in the 1960s and continued to become a successful businessman and Malik Dallas Copews for a long time. Its value is currently about $ 10 billion. Jones’s clear value is more than $ 16 billion.

In 2015, Jones donated $ 10.65 million to the Arkansas Sports Program, to which his success was attributed to work.

Jones said in a statement at the time: “I will not be where I am today without the life lessons that I learned as a sports student at Arkansas University,” Jones said in a statement at that time.

Arkansas will play the role of Kansas Jaheux on Thursday at 7:10 pm EST. Kansas is expected to overcome Arkansas.

Larry Ellson

Ellison Cofounded Tech Giant Oracle, currently the fifth harsh man in the world with a net value of $ 172 billion.

According to what was stated, Michigan University in financing a name, photo, a sports package to formulate midfielder Price Andrews of Louisiana State University to Michigan in November 2024.

While Ellison, 80, was not prior to Wolverines, his 33 -year -old wife, Julien, is the youth of Michigan.

Wolverines Uc San Diego plays at 10 pm on Thursday and prefers to win.

Daniel Gilbert

Gilbert established missile companies in mortgage mortgage, which is currently about 30 billion dollars. It deserves an estimated 31.3 billion dollars, making it the most wealthy men in the world today. Gilbert also has Cleveland Cavaliers in the American Professional League.

He donated $ 15 million to Michigan State University in 2016 for use in the school basketball program. Everyone and his wife, Jennifer, joined Michigan, and said at that time that the school “played a big role in our lives.”

Michigan facing the University of Bryant on Friday at 10 pm EST. Michigan State Spartans is expected to win.

This story was originally shown on Fortune.com

2025-03-20 19:53:00