Stan Kroenke has been nominated for a Sports Executive of the Year award in the U.S. after Arsenal's majority owner relocating his NFL franchise from St. Louis to Los Angeles.
Kroenke is one of five executives nominated by the Sports Business Journal for the annual award, with the winner set to be announced on May 18.
The 68-year-old, who also owns Denver-based NHL, NBA and MLS franchises, is unpopular with many Arsenal fans who accuse him of prioritising the Premier League club's finances over results on the pitch.
But in his homeland he has been credited with helping bring the NFL back to Los Angeles after relocating his St. Louis Rams there for next season.
Congratulations to the 2016 #SBJSBA nominees for Sports Executive of the Year: https://t.co/Qk3bFwXylf pic.twitter.com/H7aMMHPNxf
- SBJ/SBD (@sbjsbd) March 14, 2016
Kroenke explained his views on why clubs must operate as "real businesses" during a sports analytics conference in Boston on Friday.
"I think the best owners in sports to me are the guys who sort of watch both sides a bit," he said. "Because if you don't have a good business you can't afford to go out and get players, unless you just want to rely on other sources of income.
"Fortunately here in the U.S. for the most part I see some rational thought put into that side so that they become real industries and real businesses. And I think that's a healthy thing."
Other nominees for the award include Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and Joe Lacob, the owner of NBA champions Golden State Warriors.