No Surprise Here: Rooney Family Tops 'NFL Ownership Rankings'

Perhaps this isn't the best time to be discussing the relative merits and shortcomings of the 32 ownership groups in the NFL. I'd think it's safe to say that all of us fans -- even those of the immaculately run Pittsburgh Steelers -- are grumpy with NFL owners for their role in the ongoing NFL Lockout. But while we wait for news, let's take a look at the top ownership groups as ranked by various columnists on ESPN.

ESPN.com's Ownership Power Rankings

1. Rooney family, Pittsburgh Steelers

2. Robert Kraft, New England Patriots

3. Packers board, Green Bay Packers

4. John Mara/Steve Tisch, New York Giants

5. Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles

Unsurprisingly, the most highly regarded owners have fielded competitive teams in recent memory. I see four Super Bowl winners during the previous decade, two multiple SB winning organizations, and a team that has remained in the hunt in the NFC seemingly every year now for quite some time.

AFC North Blog editor James Walker had the exact same top five, but differed in the bottom half of his top ten. You can check out the lists in their entirety here. Steve Bisciotti, owner of the Baltimore Ravens, gets some love. Frankly, I've never heard or read much about him, but obviously he's done a nice job building a solid organization. I'd be curious to learn more about him, his other business ventures, and what things he does to endear himself to Ravens fans that might resonate to us in Steeler Nation.