When Bill Gates Nearly Bought the Seattle Seahawks

Published on October 13th, 2025 9:21 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


It could have been the ultimate local story. The richest man in Washington buying the state's struggling NFL team. But in the late 1990s, Bill Gates quietly looked into buying the Seattle Seahawks - and just as quietly walked away.

At the time, the Seahawks were a mess. Ken Behring, a California developer who owned the team, had flirted with moving it to Los Angeles. The Kingdome lease was outdated, attendance was falling, and local fans were furious. Microsoft was booming. Gates was the face of the region's rise - and local politicians saw him as the savior who could keep the team in Seattle.

So Gates took a look. He met with advisors, reviewed the team's books, and discussed the idea with NFL contacts. The franchise could be had for roughly $200 million - serious money in 1997, but a rounding error for the Microsoft founder. The problem wasn't the price. It was the structure.

Gates wanted no part of the hands-on ownership grind. He wasn't interested in dealing with player contracts, collective bargaining, or a boardroom full of unpredictable NFL owners. His style was methodical, data-driven, and controlled. The league's culture was old-school, political, and built on relationships.

Enter Paul Allen. Another Microsoft billionaire, but with a very different personality. Allen loved sports, owned the Trail Blazers, and had already shown interest in keeping Northwest franchises local. When the Seahawks became available, Allen moved fast. He bought the team in 1997 for $194 million and immediately pushed for a new stadium. Gates, meanwhile, returned to building Microsoft into the most powerful company on earth.

The irony? Without Gates, Allen might never have gotten the call. Local leaders reportedly approached Gates first, and when he said no, they asked if he'd suggest someone else. He pointed them toward Allen. In a roundabout way, Bill Gates may have saved the Seahawks - just not with his own money.

Under Allen, the Seahawks stayed in Seattle, built Lumen Field, and eventually won Super Bowl XLVIII. Gates stayed a fan, watching from a distance. The NFL got what it wanted: a stable owner who fit its club. Gates got what he wanted too - zero distractions.

Had Gates gone through with it, the NFL's business world might look different today. A Gates-owned franchise could have changed how teams handle technology, analytics, and digital fan engagement. Instead, the story became another "what if" in sports business history - a quiet moment when the richest man in the world decided that owning an NFL team just wasn't worth his time.