In a YMCA in Baton Rouge, just days out from Christmas, Gayle Benson barely stands taller than the children she is helping to create holiday memories. But, be that as it may, she is still a force to be reckoned with.
The 78-year-old is petite in stature – even in her towering red patent leather stilettos – with a serene gaze and gentle demeanor. Yet, Mrs Benson has an undeniable aura. There is something regal about her presence.
It should really come as no surprise. After all, down in Louisiana, with her $7.9billion fortune, she is sporting royalty. She is New Orleans’ figurative first lady.
And earlier this year, she earned another verified title: The Most Powerful Woman in Sports.
Mrs Benson made history when she became the first woman to own both an NBA and NFL franchise, inheriting the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints upon her late husband Tom Benson’s death in 2018.
In doing so, a girl from a humble, Catholic upbringing in the working-class neighborhood of Algiers defied expectations to make her mark on the testosterone-fueled world of professional sports.
Gayle Benson, 78, is the owner of both the New Orleans Saints and the Pelicans
The socialite inherited the teams following the death of her husband Tom Benson in 2018
The NFL has long been a space dominated almost exclusively by men but women are slowly starting to rise through the ruling ranks and Mrs Benson was one of the first.
When she ascended to the exclusive club of NFL owners, she joined an even more limited sorority of just four female owners.
But she’s not intimidated by the colorful characters of the NFL such as Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft or Stan Kroenke. She’s more steel magnolia than shrinking violet.
‘It really doesn’t, because we’re all human beings,’ Mrs Benson tells The Daily Mail when asked if being a woman in the male-dominated world of professional sports presents any challenges.
‘I don’t look at men and women any differently. I feel like we’re all equal,’ she says, speaking from a holiday giveaway event where she partnered with Raising Cane’s to benefit hundreds of local Baton Rouge children before Christmas last week.
‘No one intimidates me but God, so I’m really good,’ she adds with a smile.
Mrs Benson became the late Mr Benson’s sole heir after he disowned his daughter, Renee and her two children, Rita and Ryan LeBlanc, who previously had been in line to inherit control of the two major professional teams.
The estranged heirs sued in a failed effort to regain control of the Benson pro sports and auto dealership empire in Louisiana.
Mrs Benson partnered with Raising Cane’s at a Baton Rouge YMCA to make a personal $50,000 donation for a new locker room during the food chain’s annual Holiday Bike Giveaway
The Louisiana native is pictured with her late husband at the 2021 Hall of Fame game
And when Mrs Benson ultimately took to the helm of the Saints, just three women were principal team owners: Virginia Halas McCaskey of the Chicago Bears; Martha Firestone Ford of the Detroit Lions; and Amy Adams Strunk of the Tennessee Titans. McCaskey sadly passed away earlier this year at the age of 102.
Meanwhile, Kim Pegula was also a co-owner of the Buffalo Bills alongside her husband, Terry.
Now, that number has swelled to 10 teams with partial or full female owners, including the Bills, Cleveland Browns, Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Titans.
This year, the sorority grew with the inclusion of Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, who took control of the Indianapolis Colts following their father Jim Irsay’s death.
Now Irsay-Gordon is CEO, Foyt executive vice president and Jackson chief brand officer but it was Irsay-Gordon who made headlines early on this season when fans went wild for her sideline appearances.
The eldest of the Irsay sisters has frequently been spotted joining the Colts players and coaches on the sidelines, donning a headset and clutching a notepad throughout games.
And Mrs Benson, who stepped into her own ownership in a similar way, has faith in her latest peer to join the sisterhood.
‘I think she’s gonna do great,’ Mrs Benson insisted in full confidence. ‘I really do. I think she’s going to be fabulous, but it’s just going to take time, like it does for everybody that’s doing the role. So I think she’s going to do a great job.’
The NFL’s sorority of owners grew this year with the addition of Carlie Irsay-Gordon (pictured), Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson when they inherited the Indianapolis Colts from the father
While the sisterhood of football may be expanding, Mrs Benson still occupies a unique position with a foot in both the NBA and NFL worlds.
It’s a position that saw her crowned the ‘Most Powerful Woman in Sports’ by Forbes a little over two months ago.
The Saints and the Pelicans carry a combined valuation of $8.35 billion while Mrs Benson herself has an estimated net worth of $7.9 billion.
‘It was really very humbling,’ she told The Daily Mail. ‘But it’s all about what you do in the community and how you live your life. I mean, that’s the most important thing – how we treat other people.’
‘When God gives you so much, it’s easy,’ she adds of her charitable endeavors.
Mrs Benson’s modesty doesn’t make the moniker any less true.
Yes, she handles herself with grace and poise but she still finds ways to make herself heard. She has earned her spot at the table.
Mrs Benson has been instrumental to the NFL’s global aspirations. The Saints became the first franchise to become truly international, securing marketing rights in France and partnering with the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football (ELF).
She was also key in bringing the Super Bowl back to the Big Easy this year with Commissioner Roger Goodell himself highlighting her role in February when he hailed Mrs Benson as a ‘leader, always advocating for the Saints and her native city.’
Mrs Benson herself has an estimated net worth of $7.9 billion, according to Forbes
Mrs Benson is pictured with Saints tight end Taysom Hill and his son Bennett before a game
The showdown between the victorious Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs added an extra vibrancy to the electric city, attracting a host of famous faces to the festival of football, including President Donald Trump, who attended the big game as a personal guest of Mrs Benson in her owner’s suite.
‘That was so exciting. He is such a nice person,’ she recalls of hosting the Commander-in-Chief at the Superdome.
‘I’ve met him on many other occasions other than the Super Bowl, and he’s just a nice person to be around. And I just enjoy his company. So we had a great time.’
And Mrs Benson intends to ignite her hometown with the NFL’s greatest carnival once again, teasing the return of the Super Bowl to New Orleans in the near future.
In early October 2025, Mrs Benson and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a new lease extension for the Superdome, ensuring the Saints stay through 2035 and allowing the franchise to re-enter the bidding for the 2031 Super Bowl.
And while Mrs Benson remained coy on the subject, she didn’t shut down the possibility of hosting in just over five years’ time.
‘There’s been a lot of discussion, but [Commissioner Goodell] hasn’t made any decisions yet,’ she revealed. ‘So we’re just waiting for this decision. When he tells us, then we’ll know. But [it’s] not entirely ruled out.’
However, whether the Saints will be the ones taking to the field in the Super Bowl – or any other Super Bowl in the near future – is another question.
The Saints have failed to make it to the playoffs since the 2020 season when they suffered a defeat in the divisional round under then-head coach Sean Payton.
The Saints owner is pictured in her box alongside President Donald Trump (center) and his daughter Ivanka (right) during the Super Bowl in February
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recognized Mrs Benson’s efforts to bring the Super Bowl to the Big Easy
This season, they sit rock-bottom of the NFC South, having won just five of their 15 games so far, but Mrs Benson hasn’t entered panic mode just yet.
‘I think hopefully we’re gonna go win the rest of our games, because that’s what we’re hoping for. But I think we’ve had an incredible season – a little bumpy start, but I think we’re gonna be okay with the damage,’ she shared, maintaining a positive outlook.
Her ambitions to bring the greatest sporting event in America back to New Orleans are far from her only endeavors to give back to her community.
Last week, Mrs Benson continued her ‘Month of Giving,’ an initiative to benefit and strengthen communities across Louisiana.
As part of her latest stop on the tour of charity, Mrs Benson partnered with Raising Cane’s for the franchise’s sixth annual Holiday Bike Giveaway, which also included a $50,000 personal donation toward a newly renovated locker room at a YMCA in Baton Rouge.
The week before her trip to Baton Rouge, Benson joined Pelicans interim coach James Borrego for a visit to the Ochsner Children’s Hospital in Jefferson.
Immediately after visiting the YMCA, she zipped across to Shreveport to deliver gifts to veterans at the America North Louisiana Veterans Transitional Living Facility.
Raising Cane has donated 4,500 bikes and helmets to children across the country
And she has ensured that her tradition of giving will continue even after her death thanks to her succession plan.
Mrs Benson, who has no heirs, has orchestrated a scheme that will see her billion-dollar fortune benefit the city of New Orleans in her death, just as she has done in her life.
It calls for Dennis Lauscha, the president of both teams, to oversee the sale of the clubs and use proceeds to set up a multi-billion dollar charitable foundation to benefit the New Orleans area.
Serene, soft-spoken and graceful she may be, but Mrs Benson has managed to leave a lasting mark on one of the United States’ most colorful cities.
