While the Denver Broncos work to build a championship-caliber offense, their owners have turned their attention to another sporting venture. Greg and Carrie Penner have made a minority investment in Spanish soccer through the Penner Sports Group. However, the Broncos fans are enraged about it, questioning where the priorities lie for the Penners.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Broncos Owners Greg and Carrie Penner, through their Penner Sports Group entity, have made a minority investment in Valencia CF, a Spanish soccer club that competes in LaLiga, the team announced,” NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on X. “Penner Sports Group also became the largest minority owner of the Colorado Rockies earlier this year.”
Greg and Carrie Penner lead the Broncos’ ownership group. The Walton-Penner family group bought the team from the Pat Bowlen Trust in August 2022 for a then-record $4.65 billion. Carrie’s father, Walmart heir Rob Walton, is also an owner, while Lewis Hamilton, Mellody Hobson and Condoleezza Rice serve as limited partners. The Penner Sports Group is the family entity of Greg and Carrie Penner and the vehicle for their investments beyond football.
In April, the Penners moved into baseball. It bought roughly 40% of the Colorado Rockies, becoming the club’s largest minority partner. The Rockies said the money would let them retire all outstanding debt and improve the Coors Field experience.
Earlier in August, the Penners said in a joint statement that their focus remains firmly on the Broncos.
“Whether it’s this facility [or] a new stadium, we’re trying to raise the expectations and our expectation is we want to win championships,” Greg said. “We’re going to do everything it takes and provide the resources that are necessary to do it.”
Valencia now adds a European soccer club to a portfolio that already spans football and baseball. The move expands the ownership group’s reach across multiple sports, but the reaction of the Broncos Nation has been angry.
Fans who watched the offense sputter through six games saw news of a soccer investment as the owners looking elsewhere when the team needed help at home, and many said so bluntly.
An angry fan wrote: “Broncos fans asked for an offensive weapon and got a Spanish soccer club.”
The Broncos were a top team last season, but the offense has fallen off sharply. Even though quarterback Bo Nix is back and Denver is 4-2 heading into Week 7, the offense is a long way from where it was. Denver ranked 30th in total offense through five games, after finishing 10th last year. After six games, it was 24th in EPA per play, 29th in success rate and 31st in yards per play.
Week 6’s 17-14 overtime win over Seattle showed the problem. The Broncos managed just 168 total yards and 2.9 yards per play. Denver’s defense hit Sam Darnold 17 times, the same number of completions Nix had.
Another fan’s anger turned to the quarterback’s future: “This better not affect Bo Nix’s $500 million extension.”
The figure is the fan’s own rather than a reported number, since analysts have discussed an average of more than $50 million per year. The worry reflects how big the decision is, with the extension window opening in January.
However, it isn’t confirmed whether Valencia’s stake affects Broncos spending. The Penners have said their focus remains on the Broncos, the Valencia stake runs through a separate entity, and NFL player spending is limited by the salary cap.
A third fan answered with biting sarcasm: “This better not affect Bo Nix’s $500 million extension.”
The jab points to an offense ranked near the bottom of the league in several categories, with the owners expanding elsewhere.
A fourth fan accused the owners of chasing trophies instead of doing the work: “Sounds like they’re just trying to fill that trophy case without putting in the actual work on the field. When’s their next ‘big’ splash?”
Denver last won a Super Bowl after the 2015 season, and its most recent deep run ended in the AFC title game without Nix. By big splash, the fan echoed the quiet offseason. The Broncos’ record offers a counterpoint: they earned the AFC’s top seed last season and won a playoff game for the first time in a decade.
Some fans took the anger beyond the Broncos: “American ownership will continue to ruin European soccer.”
That comment taps a wider debate about U.S. investors buying into European clubs, and the Penners are American. Schefter described the Valencia stake as a minority investment, so there is no indication the Penners are taking control of the club.
Even though the Penners have called the Broncos their priority, the anger from fans shows they want proof on the field, not in a statement. Denver faces Arizona in Week 7, and the offense will be under the microscope again. Valencia may be an exciting addition to the portfolio, yet the Broncos’ fortunes will still be decided on the field, and the Nix decision will test the owners’ commitment to football first.