Is This The Year of Paul Allen?

You Probably Never Seen This Man's Face Before

Meet Paul Allen. According to Forbes, Paul Allen is the 26th wealthiest person in America with an estimated net worth of $15.8 BILLION. As people on television and radio always say, that's BILLION with a "b." Allen's fortune was earned through his founding of Microsoft. I know what your thinking; "I thought Bill Gates founded Microsoft?" He did. Allen was the far less famous co-founder. There always seems to be a far less famous co-founder(see Wozniak and Apple Inc.,etc.)

"Take a seat Paul. I'll take all the spotlight."

So with such a vast fortune, what does one do with it? Venture capitalism? Check. Start other companies? Check. Buy professional sports teams? Definitely.  Allen also owns two professional sports teams, the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL),  and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).  He is also part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC, which joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2009.  Allen bought the Portland Trailblazers for $70 million in 1988.  Allen's acquisition of the Seattle Seahawks came a few years later in 1997.  Allen bought the Seattle Seahawks for about $200 million, plus $130 million toward a new, $430 million stadium to replace the Kingdome.  Chump change to a billionaire.  Forbes now has the Seattle Seahawks valued at $1.08 Billion and the Portland Trailblazers at $356 Million.(Even the most expensive NBA teams do not compare to the cost of the cheapest NFL teams)

With the Seattle Seahawks winning the Superbowl this year, Allen only needs for the Portland Trailblazers to win the NBA finals this year to complete his dominance of America's most popular sports. With Aldridge and Lillard playing at a high level, I wouldn't bet against them.(The best inside-outside duo since Shaq and Kobe?)  The Portland Trailblazers are currently leading in their series 3 games to 1.  Anything Allen owns seems to win.

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