• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
C-SuiteSports

Meet Jody Allen, the billionaire owner of the Seattle Seahawks, who plans to sell the team and donate the proceeds to charity

By
Jake Angelo
Jake Angelo
Former News Fellow
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jake Angelo
Jake Angelo
Former News Fellow
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 9, 2026, 2:19 PM ET
Jody Allen
Jody Allen of the Seattle Seahawks lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl LX football game against the New England Patriots.Kevin Sabitus—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Following a decisive 29-13 win Sunday night over the New England Patriots, the billionaire owner of the Seattle Seahawks, Jody Allen, took to the stage at Levi’s Stadium to triumphantly hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air.

Recommended Video

That appearance on the Super Bowl winner’s stage, though, is likely to be Allen’s last, as the team is reportedly up for sale, according to sources who spoke with ESPN last week. Her status as a billionaire entrusted with spending down a billionaire’s fortune, and now a victorious Super Bowl winner eyeing a near-immediate exit from the field, makes her one of the most unusual figures in American sports. 

The 67-year-old is the chair and trustee of the Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers with ownership over both passing to her after the 2018 death of her brother, Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, after a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The longtime owner of the Pacific Northwest sports franchises was worth roughly $20 billion at the time of his death, and was widely credited with revitalizing the Seahawks and keeping them in his hometown of Seattle. He also left behind no spouse or children.

Despite her appearance Sunday in front of more than 120 million Super Bowl viewers, Allen maintains a low profile, keeping her head down to focus on philanthropic ventures. She has led transformative charitable measures at the helm of her and her brother’s organization, dedicated to funding the arts, education, and the environment.

Jody Allen has not yet confirmed the sale of the Seahawks, which her brother purchased for $197 million in 1997. But Paul Allen’s will stipulated that his assets—including the Seahawks, the NBA’s Trail Blazers, and a 25% stake in the MLS’s Seattle Sounders—be sold to fund his charitable foundations. The Allen estate started to fulfill those wishes last September, entering a formal agreement to sell the Trail Blazers for an estimated $4 billion. 

A spokesperson from Paul Allen’s estate told Fortune the Seahawks are not for sale, but noted that “that will change at some point.”

A commitment to charity

Jody Allen has overseen over $1 billion in charitable efforts since she cofounded Allen Family Philanthropies, formerly the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, with her brother in 1988 at age 29. Last month, the organization dedicated $8 million to national conservation projects, including donations to the Nature Conservancy and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. 

Many of Allen’s donations target national initiatives flowing through the Pacific Northwest, where Allen and her late brother grew up together. Last November, Allen’s philanthropic organization donated nearly $7 million to nonprofits in Seattle dedicated to bolstering emerging artists. That followed a series of charitable gifts to the Pacific Northwest focused on the arts and revitalizing the region’s climate.

Throughout the years, Allen has worn many hats within several arts and science foundations that she and her brother founded. For instance, she serves as founding director of Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, and she’s the cofounder and chair of a Seattle-based bioscience research nonprofit, the Allen Institute.

A focus on winning

While Allen has played a pivotal role in her brother’s philanthropy arm, she has also remained razor-focused on winning as owner of the Seahawks and Trail Blazers. Following the end of the 2023 season, Allen announced an “amicable” decision that longtime head coach Pete Carroll would step down, a move that elevated John Schneider to general manager, who then hired Mike Macdonald to succeed Carroll as head coach. Macdonald has led the team to a total of 27 wins during his two seasons as coach, culminating in Sunday’s Super Bowl win.

“Pete is the winningest coach in Seahawks history, brought the city its first Super Bowl title, and created a tremendous impact over the past 14 years on the field and in the community,” Allen said in a 2024 press release.

In 2022, Allen addressed the potential sale of the Trail Blazers and Seahawks, shaking off rumors and instead, redirecting attention to her commitment to victory.

“Estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down,” Allen said in the press release. “There is no preordained timeline by which the teams must be sold. Until then, my focus—and that of our teams—is on winning.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story characterized Allen Family Philanthropies as a part of Vale Group. The two entities are separate and distinct.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
By Jake AngeloFormer News Fellow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in C-Suite

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in C-Suite

Despite China’s 996 culture, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng says his workers don’t do overtime or even have KPIs: ‘No one manages them’
Successwork-life balance
Despite China’s 996 culture, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng says his workers don’t do overtime or even have KPIs: ‘No one manages them’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleAugust 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Golfer in white hat
Big TechAmazon
Amazon’s Andy Jassy sees a $1 trillion cloud built on businesses like the PGA Tour—which swapped its server trucks for AI broadcasts 
By Amanda GerutAugust 1, 2026
5 hours ago
Y Combinator‑backed AI startup is under fire after its founder offered instant interviews to partygoers who got company tattoos, then apologized
Startups & VentureTech
Y Combinator‑backed AI startup is under fire after its founder offered instant interviews to partygoers who got company tattoos, then apologized
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 31, 2026
17 hours ago
Studio portrait of Leopold Aschenbrenner
Startups & VentureHedge Funds
The power couple of AI is getting married in Carmel, days after groom Leopold Aschenbrenner’s hedge fund nearly blew up
By Eva RoytburgJuly 31, 2026
17 hours ago
Mike Wirth, chief executive officer of Chevron.
EnergyIran
Chevron posts largest quarterly profit ever, and Exxon income surges as Iran war squeezes oil supply
By Jordan BlumJuly 31, 2026
19 hours ago
Mark Cuban’s cofounder once told him: ‘We don’t get as much done because people are afraid of you’
C-SuiteMark Cuban
Mark Cuban’s cofounder once told him: ‘We don’t get as much done because people are afraid of you’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 31, 2026
20 hours ago

Most Popular

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
2 days ago
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
3 days ago
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
Success
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
22 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 31, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 31, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.