Established sports teams' revenue streams are maturing. A new white paper reveals the connection between real estate and increasing sports franchise values.
Billions of dollars of capital flow into the global sports ecosystem, yet many revenue streams available to team franchise owners, such as media rights and ticket sales, are subject to revenue sharing and collective bargaining agreements within their respective leagues. To continue to drive team valuations, owners are increasingly considering additional revenue streams related to real estate.
These streams include renovating or constructing stadiums—to improve the fan experience and in-market revenue—and investing in adjacent mixed-use developments. These developments often feature sports anchors (venues, training facilities or team headquarters) complemented by commercial and residential properties that draw in owners, tenants and consumers due to their proximity and connection to the sports facilities.
Sports-anchored, mixed-use districts (SMDs) are a rapidly emerging strategy for numerous sports leagues, teams and executives to empower the continued growth of league and franchise values and enhance financial returns. Representing the intersection of the business and culture of sport and commercial real estate development, SMDs are starting to transform and revitalize many city landscapes.
To provide investors with a comprehensive understanding of how and why leagues and franchises are exploring SMDs, KLUTCH Sports Group and RBC collaborated to produce Team Building: The Rise of Sports-Anchored, Mixed-Use Districts .
The white paper incorporates insights and experience from industry experts in the sports, finance, banking, consulting, real estate and infrastructure sectors; case studies from notable sports franchises; and a proprietary financial model developed by KLUTCH to assess the expected returns from investing in SMDs.
Historically, families focused on community stewardship rather than financial returns from owned sports franchises. In the 1990s and 2000s, experienced business operators like Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys), Jeff Lurie (Philadelphia Eagles), John Henry (Boston Red Sox) and Mark Cuban entered the scene, leveraging their expertise to enhance valuations.
In the mid- to late-2000s, rising ownership demand was driven by increased media rights deals as leagues secured higher fees and local teams struck profitable agreements with regional sports networks. The enduring popularity of live sports content, which consistently draws large audiences and ranks among the most-watched programs, has solidified sports franchises as a compelling alternative asset for sophisticated investors and institutional capital.
However, it wasn’t until 2019 that major North American sports leagues began to allow private equity firms to invest equity capital in sports teams, and only still with minority ownership positions. Done in part to allow for liquidity/monetization events given that the dramatic run-up in team valuations has significantly reduced the pool of available buyers, and in part to facilitate capital investment in teams, stadiums and SMDs, we note that Arctos Partners, Ares, Sixth Street, Blue Owl and other investment firms have now raised multi-billion dollar funds dedicated to the professional sports industry and sports-team owners.
Although media rights are a large reason for increased valuations and ownership demand, other contributing factors include consistent long-term revenue, cost certainties and increased demand due to limited ownership opportunities.
The Ross-Arctos Sports Franchise Index (RASFI) supports the popularity of sports franchises as alternative assets for institutional investors. The index benchmarks the investment performance of North American sports franchises since 1962.
Key findings indicate that sports franchises consistently outperform traditional asset classes like equity, fixed income and commodities. They offer steady returns with low volatility and resilience during economic downturns, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising interest from institutional investors has led to increased opportunities for minority ownership in sports franchises, further driving this trend.
The cost of sports venue development, including new construction and renovations, has significantly escalated over the past two decades, often reaching millions or even billions of dollars. For instance, while major stadiums could have been financed for around $500 million two decades ago, the San Francisco 49ers are set to invest $250 million in upgrading Levi’s Stadium for the 2026 Super Bowl, following a prior $3–4 billion investment in its construction.
Consequently, sports franchise owners are exploring various financing strategies for these projects, such as equity and debt financing. Equity financing involves existing owners or new investors providing funds in exchange for ownership stakes, while debt financing typically comes from banks. However, securing loans for stadiums can be challenging due to traditional valuation methods.
Historically, sports franchises have accessed public financing as quasi-public entities. Scrutiny over public funding has increased since the 2010s due to inadequate returns on investment, making financing more complex.
Despite these challenges, the landscape for venue financing is changing, with private equity firms becoming prominent owners and more willing to finance projects. Additionally, SMDs may attract investment from private credit sources and wealthy individuals seeking better returns in a low-interest-rate environment.
To provide financial context for why SMDs are being funded, KLUTCH used a proprietary model based on data from The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development adjacent to Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The model’s data input was based on publicly available information from Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. and Cobb County, Ga.
The model analyzed various financial metrics, including cash flows, cost of capital and taxes, to evaluate revenue streams from the sports anchor and the SMD. It assessed favourable and unfavourable scenarios to estimate potential outcomes for return on invested capital, equity return on capital and internal rate of return.
The analysis demonstrates that SMDs can yield impressive returns across various financial metrics, making them attractive to potential investors. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) ranges from 9.88 percent to 27.3 percent, influenced by input variations, while operating margins in commercial and residential real estate can reach 85 percent with optimal occupancy. High operating, gross, and net margins, coupled with tax benefits from depreciation, can generate substantial free cash flow, particularly from mixed-use facilities, which often show growth rates that outpace other sports revenue sources.
The findings suggest that SMDs offer robust investment potential and result in higher franchise valuations for current and prospective sports franchise owners based on traditional metrics like price-to-sales or price-to-earnings ratios.
Unlike revenues from many professional leagues, SMD income typically escapes revenue-sharing and collective bargaining agreements, meaning any additional profits benefit individual franchises. Franchise owners must implement effective strategies to maximize revenue from these investments, as the model presented serves primarily as a guide to illustrate potential returns rather than a definitive financial blueprint.
Learn more about the sports-anchored district trend, the potential ROI and the insights gained from case studies and in-depth analysis in Team Building: The Rise of Sports-Anchored, Mixed-Use Districts .
All dollar values stated are USD.
About KLUTCH Sports Group
Founded in 2012 by CEO Rich Paul, KLUTCH Sports Group is a premier agency representing some of the world’s biggest athletes, brands and rightsholders across major professional sports. Sitting at the intersections of sports, entertainment, and culture, KLUTCH is home to a best-in-class global partnerships, brand consulting and valuation and insights group that connects teams, major leagues and properties with global brands In 2019, KLUTCH partnered with the leading global talent and entertainment company UTA, and in 2024, was named one of GQ’s 20 Most Creative Companies in the World.
About the RBC Sports Advisory
Established in 1989, the RBC Sports Advisory brings together top advisors and wealth management specialists who provide integrated financial services and tailored strategies to help athletes, front-office executives, agents, owners, leagues and others in the business of sport set a solid foundation for financial success.
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