In a surprising crossover of sports loyalties, the entire Colorado Avalanche roster turned up at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night, decked out in Los Angeles Rams jerseys emblazoned with their own hockey numbers. The occasion? A hard-fought NFL matchup between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, which ended in a 26-23 overtime defeat for the home team. It was a show of solidarity that highlighted the intricate web of ownership tying these franchises together, all under billionaire Stan Kroenke.
Kroenke, the Missouri-born mogul who scooped up the Avalanche back in 2000, has built an empire that spans multiple leagues. Indeed, his Kroenke Sports & Entertainment oversees not just the NHL's Avalanche and the NBA's Denver Nuggets, but also the Rams, who he relocated from St. Louis to Inglewood in 2016 amid considerable controversy. SoFi Stadium itself, that gleaming $5 billion behemoth opened in 2020, stands as Kroenke's boldest venture yet—a venue that's hosted Super Bowl LVI and is slated for the 2028 Olympics. Yet here were the Avalanche players, fresh off their own Stanley Cup triumphs in 2001 and 2022, cheering from a luxury suite as the Rams fell short.
However, the gesture didn't sit well with everyone. Social media erupted with backlash from Denver fans, particularly those loyal to the Broncos, another Kroenke-owned team but one that's struggled lately. Tweets poured in questioning why the Avs weren't boosting local NFL spirit instead of jetting 1,000 miles west. "Feels like divided allegiances," one user vented, capturing the unease over Kroenke's sprawling portfolio, which also includes the Colorado Rapids and England's Arsenal FC. For Kroenke, though, it's all part of a strategy that's minted him the most valuable sports empire in 2025, per recent valuations topping billions.
The real question lingers: does this kind of cross-promotion strengthen fan bonds or just underscore the corporate machine behind the games? As the season progresses, it invites a closer look at how ownership shapes the sports we love.