June 3, 2026

Read in Browser

Front Office Sports - Asset Class


The last time the Knicks were in the NBA Finals, in 1999, Dave Checketts was the team’s president. Nearly three decades later, New York is back in the championship and Checketts is still working in sports. He recently sat down with
Front Office Sports to talk about the Knicks, his billion-dollar sports fund, how the University of Utah “sold off their future,” and why an MLS team was his “worst investment.”

Dave Checketts on …

May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks forward Josh Hart (3) drives the ball while defended by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the second quarter during game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Knicks:

“There’s a scarcity in sports that drives value. There’s only one New York Knicks, and they happen to play in the middle of Manhattan. And so almost regardless of their record, they’re going to retain a lot of value, and the Garden, now for many years, has been selling out.”

College athletes getting paid:

“It’s going to change everything. Players are going to get paid. Legally, but that means, in my view, if you love what colleges stand for, if you think education is important for these kids—I happen to really think it’s important—then, if we’re going down that path, let’s get collective bargaining as part of this. Let’s have the athletes sign up to get paid rather than have bidding between schools. Let’s have them sign up to get paid and have them agree to go to class.”

The University of Utah’s deal with private-equity firm Otro Capital:

“It’s one thing to do what the University of Utah has done—kind of sell off their sports program because they want a better stadium and they want a basketball building, and they want it right now,” he said. “So they kind of sold off their future. That’s different than the kind of investments we are talking about where college sports, if it’s possible, to make a big change.” Read the story. 

Founding the Real Salt Lake MLS club:

“I don’t like losing money. I’ve done enough of that. And MLS, by the way, was the worst investment I made.” Read the story. 

Sports betting and prediction markets:

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing, this coziness that we’ve established. … I’m kind of old school when it comes to that. … [Prediction markets are] just one more bedfellow, just cozying it up.” Read the story.

Portfolio Players

Dave Checketts Sits Down With FOS

Dave Checketts

Front Office Sports

Watch the full interview with Dave Checketts, who talks about why scarcity remains the most important driver of franchise value, pointing to leagues like the NFL and NBA as models for sustainable growth.

Catch Up on Portfolio Players

  • Mark Cuban, former majority owner of the Mavericks, on the changing economics of sports ownership and the rise of NIL. Watch here.
  • Assia Grazioli-Venier, cofounder of Muse Capital and Muse Sport, on why capital is flooding into women’s soccer. Watch here.
  • Former NFL All-Pro Brandon Marshall discusses how he’s building one of the most influential athlete-led media platforms. Watch here.
Events Video Games Shop
Written by Ben Horney
Edited by Lisa Scherzer, Catherine Chen

If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.

Update your preferences / Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2026 Front Office Sports. All rights reserved.
460 Park Avenue South, 7th Floor, New York NY, 10016

Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletters

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.