One year after the NFL allowed private equity investment, only a few deals were made, but the move has significantly boosted team valuations and brought strategic benefits without disrupting the league’s ownership culture, according to Sportico. Haynes Boone Sports Law Partner Errol Brown spoke with the publication on what this means for the NFL in the years to come.
Read an excerpt below.
“The NFL has shown that private equity can fuel growth without losing sight of what makes the league special,” said Errol Brown, chair of the sports law practice group at Haynes Boone, a Denver-based firm which has represented both teams and private equity funds in sports. “What we’ve seen in year one is that private equity’s involvement has brought fresh resources and strategic expertise to the NFL ecosystem without disrupting the unique culture of ownership that makes the league so strong.” …
“Proposals to expand access to retirement funds underscore the world’s growing appetite for sports as an asset class,” Brown said. “That opportunity is exciting, but it also underscores the importance of constructing thoughtful guardrails to protect both investors and the integrity of the game—which I have no doubt the NFL will continue to do.”
Read the full article from Sportico here.
