Stephen Michael Ross (born May 10, 1940) is an American real estate developer, philanthropist, and sports team owner.

[2][5] According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, his higher education gifts rank behind only those of fellow American billionaire New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

[5] In 2020, Ross announced an additional $100 million donation to kickstart fundraising for the construction of the University of Michigan Detroit Center for Innovation.

[15] These later degrees were financed by a loan from his uncle, the businessman Max Fisher,[13] whom Ross has called "the most important role model and inspiration for me in life.

In 1968, he moved to New York City and accepted a position as an assistant vice president in the real estate subsidiary of Laird Inc., then worked in the corporate finance department of Bear Stearns.

[20] Headquartered in New York City, Related now has offices and real estate developments in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, D.C., South Florida, Abu Dhabi, and London.

"[22] Related is the largest owner of luxury residential rental properties with over 40,000 units in its portfolio[23] and has developed mixed-use projects such as Deutsche Bank Center in New York, CityPlace in West Palm Beach, The Grand in Los Angeles (designed by Frank Gehry)[20] and the 28-acre Hudson Yards project[24] on Manhattan's west side.

Ross constructed an atrium inside Hudson Yards specifically to entice Coach into moving into the development.

In 2013, Roger Goodell made a pitch to the Florida legislature on Ross’ behalf in order to obtain multimillion-dollar public funding from the state to help renovate Hard Rock Stadium, the Dolphins' home field.

[31] On March 27, 2017, Ross cast the only "no" vote in the NFL owners' 31–1 "yes" decision on the Oakland Raiders request for approval to move to Las Vegas starting in the 2020 season.

Ross also stated prior to his Dolphins playing the Chargers in their first home game since the move to Los Angeles that he did not believe that Chargers owner Dean Spanos made his best effort to stay in San Diego, making him a popular figure with the upset San Diego fan base.

[34] As of February 2, 2022, the NFL publicly denied all allegations against Ross and all others listed in the lawsuit, releasing in an official statement: "We will defend against these claims, which are without merit."

On August 2, 2022, it was announced that following a six-month independent investigation by Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers, the NFL would strip the Dolphins of their 2023 first-round draft pick and a 2024 third-round draft pick for violating the league's anti-tampering policy on three occasions from 2019 to 2022 by engaging in impermissible conversations with quarterback Tom Brady and then-New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, both of whom were under contract with other teams.

[37] RSE Ventures is a private investment firm that focuses on sports and entertainment, media and marketing, food and lifestyle, and technology.

RSE Ventures was co-founded in 2012 by Ross and Matt Higgins, former executive vice president of the New York Jets.

[38][39] RSE builds, owns and operates a variety of companies, including the Drone Racing League, Thuzio, VaynerMedia, and Relevent.

[45] In 2015, Ross founded RISE, a coalition which fights racism and promotes social justice within the sports industry.

The program features a network of over 350 experts working in cities around the globe to create accessible, equitable, and resilient urban areas.

As a member of the board of trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Ross was involved in the planning of a major renovation of the Frank Lloyd Wright iconic building and other new museums.

[49] Ross serves on the Board for the Cornell Tech Campus,[50] a $2B redevelopment of Roosevelt Island including the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, a partnership between Cornell University and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology that when completed will house several thousand postgraduate students, hundreds of faculty, and a high-tech business incubator.