Age: 41
Title: Owner, Chelsea Football Club
PRO: The heavily indebted club quickly benefited from his 2003 takeover, which brought generous investment in new players and off-the-pitch talent like manager Jose Mourinho, who helped net five major CHK trophies for Chelsea. And new Chelsea signing, manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, led his national team, Brazil, to a World Cup victory in 2002.
CON: Mourinho's 2007 departure is believed to have been precipitated by Abramovich's meddling in team management. His successor, Avram Grant, lasted less than a year. Scolari might not want to unpack.
Best and Worst Sports Executives 2008
There is a whole other game that goes on behind the scenes in any sport. TIME has chosen some of the notable and not so notable sports executives and asks you to vote on who plays the game best