Number of Sports Teams For Sale Grows As Prices Soar

Anyone currently looking to own a professional sports team has plenty of options available.

At least 10 pro teams are exploring sales, including MLB’s Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels, the Premier League’s Liverpool FC, and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

Several other teams are on the market following scandals involving their current owners.

• The NWSL’s Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars are for sale after an NWSL investigation linked Thorns’ owner Merritt Paulson and Red Stars’ owner Arnim Whisler to misconduct.
• Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder hired Bank of America last month to explore “potential transactions.” Snyder and the Commanders are under investigation for sexual harassment and financial misconduct.
• Robert Sarver, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury owner, is selling the teams following an NBA-commissioned report detailing his repeated acts of misogyny and racism.

Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, is exploring a sale after repeated demands to do so from fans in protest of their handling of the team.

Soaring Sales

Teams are expected to receive substantial returns on their sales as their value continues to increase. Forbes found in its September report that the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams are worth 30% more than they were a year prior.

Already this year, the Denver Broncos set a record for an NFL team sale price after Chelsea FC set its own sale record.