Current Ownership and Purchase History
The Arizona Cardinals NFL team is controlled by the Bidwill family, with Michael Bidwill serving as principal owner and chairman of the board. The Bidwills acquired the franchise through a series of transactions dating back to the 1930s, and the family has maintained continuous ownership since then. Michael Bidwill, son of the late Bill Bidwill, took over the principal ownership role after Bill Bidwill passed away in 2019. The current ownership structure is managed through Bidwill LLC, which holds the team's operating rights and NFL franchise membership. The Cardinals remain one of the oldest continuously professional football franchises in the United States, tracing their roots to the 1898 Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago. The Bidwill ownership group has overseen the team's relocation from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960 and then to Arizona in 1988. The franchise is a member of the National Football League's West division within the National Football Conference. The team's operations, including player contracts, stadium management, and revenue sharing, are governed by NFL league rules and the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association. The ownership group also oversees the team's business operations, including sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and stadium revenue streams. The Cardinals' ownership structure is typical of NFL franchises, where a principal owner holds controlling interest while family members and executives manage day-to-day operations.
The NFL franchise was originally purchased by Charles Bidwill Sr. in 1933 for $50,000, a sum that would be equivalent to over $1 million today when adjusted for inflation. The franchise was later passed to his son Bill Bidwill, who owned the team from 1962 until his death in 2019. The current market value of the Cardinals has grown substantially over the decades, reflecting the overall financial growth of the NFL. As of the latest NFL franchise valuations, the Cardinals are valued in the range of $4 billion to $5 billion, placing them among the lower half of NFL teams by market value. The team's revenue streams include national television contracts shared equally among all 32 NFL teams, local broadcasting deals, stadium revenue, and merchandise sales. The NFL's current media rights agreements, including the 11-year deal with ESPN, CBS, Fox, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video, provide substantial guaranteed revenue to all franchise owners. The Cardinals' valuation has been tracked by Forbes and other financial publications, which regularly update NFL franchise rankings based on enterprise value and revenue estimates.
Stadium Deal and Public Funding
The Arizona Cardinals currently play their home games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, a facility that opened in 2006 and was originally named University of Phoenix Stadium. The stadium was built with a combination of public funding from Maricopa County and private investment from the team ownership group. The county approved a sales tax increase in 2000 to finance the construction of the stadium, which cost approximately $455 million at the time of completion. The stadium features a retractable roof, a movable field, and a seating capacity of approximately 63,400 for football games. The naming rights were sold to State Farm Insurance in 2018, with the deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion over 20 years, one of the largest naming rights agreements in professional sports. The stadium also hosts major events including the Super Bowl, college football bowl games, and concerts throughout the year. The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, a public entity, oversees the bond financing for the stadium and collects the county-wide tourism tax that helps service the debt. The stadium's lease agreement with the city of Glendale includes provisions for team contributions to maintenance, upgrades, and operational costs over the life of the lease.
The NFL has increasingly encouraged teams to pursue private stadium financing, and the Cardinals' public funding model has been a reference point in debates about public subsidies for sports venues. The team's