The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review

Introduction Since 2019, private equity (PE) investment in sports franchises, media rights, and stadium infrastructure has grown significantly due to league bylaw changes. These assets attract PE firms with their strong returns and diversification benefits, especially in economic uncertainty. PE p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Piotr Charzewski, Agnieszka Starzyk, Aleksandra Religa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń 2025-02-01
Series:Quality in Sport
Subjects:
Online Access:https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/57874
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832545118844878848
author Piotr Charzewski
Agnieszka Starzyk
Aleksandra Religa
author_facet Piotr Charzewski
Agnieszka Starzyk
Aleksandra Religa
author_sort Piotr Charzewski
collection DOAJ
description Introduction Since 2019, private equity (PE) investment in sports franchises, media rights, and stadium infrastructure has grown significantly due to league bylaw changes. These assets attract PE firms with their strong returns and diversification benefits, especially in economic uncertainty. PE provides long-term value through franchise ownership, media rights monetization, and infrastructure investments. However, challenges include limited governance control and illiquid assets, complicating exit strategies. Despite this, PE remains a growing and appealing sector for investment. Materials and Methods A literature review was conducted using sources like the IMF eLibrary and PubMed, focusing on studies from 2019–2024. Keywords included “private equity,” “sport,” and “investment.” Criteria included analyses of sports financing trends and investment impacts on global markets. Results PE in sports grows yearly due to strong financial returns and diversification benefits. Challenges include governance limits and illiquidity, but PE provides liquidity and operational expertise to underfunded franchises, maximizing revenues and valuations. This aligns sports investments with macroeconomic strategies, boosting their market appeal. Conclusions Private equity's rise in sports marks a shift in financing since 2019, offering liquidity, expertise, and valuation growth. While governance challenges exist, PE investments address underfunding and position themselves as vital players in the financial evolution of professional sports.
format Article
id doaj-art-ae66107ccadf485c8da2de3ca9e22097
institution Kabale University
issn 2450-3118
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
record_format Article
series Quality in Sport
spelling doaj-art-ae66107ccadf485c8da2de3ca9e220972025-02-03T08:23:57ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńQuality in Sport2450-31182025-02-013810.12775/QS.2025.38.57874The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A ReviewPiotr Charzewski0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5170-3899Agnieszka Starzyk1https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8696-4187Aleksandra Religa2https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9340-1221Kozminski UniversityMedical University of WarsawMedical University of WarsawIntroduction Since 2019, private equity (PE) investment in sports franchises, media rights, and stadium infrastructure has grown significantly due to league bylaw changes. These assets attract PE firms with their strong returns and diversification benefits, especially in economic uncertainty. PE provides long-term value through franchise ownership, media rights monetization, and infrastructure investments. However, challenges include limited governance control and illiquid assets, complicating exit strategies. Despite this, PE remains a growing and appealing sector for investment. Materials and Methods A literature review was conducted using sources like the IMF eLibrary and PubMed, focusing on studies from 2019–2024. Keywords included “private equity,” “sport,” and “investment.” Criteria included analyses of sports financing trends and investment impacts on global markets. Results PE in sports grows yearly due to strong financial returns and diversification benefits. Challenges include governance limits and illiquidity, but PE provides liquidity and operational expertise to underfunded franchises, maximizing revenues and valuations. This aligns sports investments with macroeconomic strategies, boosting their market appeal. Conclusions Private equity's rise in sports marks a shift in financing since 2019, offering liquidity, expertise, and valuation growth. While governance challenges exist, PE investments address underfunding and position themselves as vital players in the financial evolution of professional sports. https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/57874private equitysportsinvestmentgrowthinjuriesnutrition
spellingShingle Piotr Charzewski
Agnieszka Starzyk
Aleksandra Religa
The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review
Quality in Sport
private equity
sports
investment
growth
injuries
nutrition
title The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review
title_full The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review
title_fullStr The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review
title_full_unstemmed The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review
title_short The Rising Role of Private Equity in Professional Sports. A Review
title_sort rising role of private equity in professional sports a review
topic private equity
sports
investment
growth
injuries
nutrition
url https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/57874
work_keys_str_mv AT piotrcharzewski therisingroleofprivateequityinprofessionalsportsareview
AT agnieszkastarzyk therisingroleofprivateequityinprofessionalsportsareview
AT aleksandrareliga therisingroleofprivateequityinprofessionalsportsareview
AT piotrcharzewski risingroleofprivateequityinprofessionalsportsareview
AT agnieszkastarzyk risingroleofprivateequityinprofessionalsportsareview
AT aleksandrareliga risingroleofprivateequityinprofessionalsportsareview