Picture being the heir to an NFL team. Now picture being the heir to two of them, on both sides of your family. Add in the fact that you’re also a famous, award-winning actress — and so is your sister.
That’s not a movie plot. That’s simply Rooney and Kate Mara’s everyday reality.
Two Sisters, Two Hollywood Careers
Rooney Mara and Kate Mara didn’t need football to make a name for themselves. Both sisters built serious acting careers entirely on their own talent, far away from any stadium.
Rooney Mara picked up Academy Award nominations for her performances in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Carol, cementing her status as one of Hollywood’s most respected dramatic actresses. Kate Mara, the elder of the two, has built an equally impressive résumé, with standout roles in House of Cards, 127 Hours, and Fantastic Four.
On screen, they’re two of the most talked-about actresses of their generation. Off screen, they carry one of the most remarkable family stories in American sports.
The Real Family Business Started With Football
Long before either sister picked up a script, the Mara and Rooney names were already legendary — just not in Hollywood. For close to a century, these two families have shaped professional football at its highest level.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Rooney Mara and Kate Mara’s father, Timothy Christopher Mara, comes from the family that founded the New York Giants in 1925.
- Their mother, Kathleen Rooney, comes from the family that founded the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933.
In other words, the sisters aren’t just distantly connected to NFL royalty — they descend directly from the men who built two of the league’s most storied franchises from scratch, nearly a full century ago.
The Giants: Founded By Their Father’s Family
Tim Mara, the sisters’ great-great-grandfather, bought the New York Giants for just $500 in 1925. It’s one of the most famous origin stories in NFL history, and the Mara family has held onto its ownership stake ever since. That makes the Giants one of the very few franchises that has never left its founding family.
The Steelers: Founded By Their Mother’s Family
On the other side, Art Rooney Sr. — the sisters’ great-grandfather — founded the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933, reportedly with winnings from a lucky day at the racetrack (a story that’s become part of NFL folklore). Like the Maras in New York, the Rooney family has kept ownership of the Steelers in the family for nearly a hundred years.
Both franchises are rare examples of generational ownership in modern professional sports, where teams are increasingly bought and sold by outside investors and private equity groups.
Just How Much Are These Teams Worth?
This isn’t a story about two old football teams that happen to carry a famous last name. According to Forbes’ most recent NFL franchise valuations, both teams rank among the most valuable sports properties on the planet.
| Team | Founded By | Estimated Value |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | Mara family (father’s side) | $12 billion |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Rooney family (mother’s side) | $8.7 billion |
| Combined Value | $20.7 billion |
For context, that combined figure puts the two family franchises well above the market value of many well-known public companies. Owning even a modest stake in either team represents generational wealth on a scale most people can barely imagine.
Why NFL Franchises Keep Getting More Valuable
The eye-watering numbers attached to the Giants and Steelers aren’t unusual — they reflect a broader trend across the entire league. NFL franchise values have exploded over the past decade, driven by a few key factors:
- Massive national media rights deals. The NFL’s broadcast agreements with networks and streaming platforms are worth well over $100 billion through the early 2030s, and that revenue is shared equally among all 32 teams.
- New rules allowing outside investors. The league recently loosened restrictions on private equity and institutional ownership stakes, driving up competition — and price tags — for any available shares.
- Limited supply. There are only 32 NFL franchises, and almost none of them ever go up for sale. When one does change hands, it tends to set a new record price.
- Growing global audiences. International games and streaming deals have expanded the NFL’s fan base well beyond the United States, adding new revenue streams every year.
Even teams near the bottom of Forbes’ valuation list are now worth multiple billions of dollars — a figure that would have topped the entire league just a decade ago.
What Makes The Mara Family Story So Rare
Family-owned NFL franchises are becoming harder and harder to find. Many teams have been sold to billionaire outsiders, tech founders, or investment groups over the past twenty years. The Giants and Steelers stand out as two of the last true multi-generational family operations left in the league.
A few things make the Mara-Rooney story especially unusual:
- Two founding families, one set of sisters. It’s extremely rare for a single person — let alone two siblings — to be a direct descendant of two separate NFL founding families.
- Nearly 100 years of continuous ownership. Both the Giants and Steelers have stayed with their founding families since the 1920s and 1930s, through the Great Depression, multiple recessions, and the NFL’s transformation into a global media giant.
- Old-school football roots paired with Hollywood glamour. Rooney and Kate Mara represent a rare blend of old-money sports lineage and modern celebrity culture, something you won’t find in almost any other family in America.
Do The Mara Sisters Run The Teams?
Despite their family ties, neither Rooney Mara nor Kate Mara holds a public role in the day-to-day operations of the Giants or the Steelers. Team leadership has stayed with other branches of the family — for example, John Mara and Steve Tisch oversee the Giants, while Art Rooney II leads the Steelers. Rooney and Kate have instead built entirely independent careers in film and television, choosing Hollywood over the family business.
Still, as descendants of both founding families, the sisters remain part of one of the most extraordinary ownership legacies in American sports history — whether or not they’re involved in a single front-office decision.
Final Thoughts
Rooney and Kate Mara prove that a famous last name doesn’t have to define your career — but it’s still an extraordinary piece of family history. Between the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, their family tree carries a combined value of roughly $20.7 billion, built by two sets of great-grandfathers who helped shape the NFL as we know it today.
It’s a rare mix: two Hollywood stars, two century-old football dynasties, and one very unforgettable family legacy.
Brought to you by EarlyMagazine UK — your home for celebrity news, lifestyle, and the stories behind the world’s wealthiest families.
