How Rupert Murdoch Changed Sports Media Forever
The Nashville Predators will reportedly be worth roughly $775 million on the completion of the team’s sale to former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam by the end of 2025.
In June, Haslam agreed to purchase the NHL franchise from Predators Holdings, a consortium of 17 owners that purchased the team for $175 million in 2007.
- Forbes valued the Predators at $600 million in 2021 — a 38% increase from the year prior.
- Haslam — who has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion — will acquire majority ownership by purchasing shares held by Predators Holdings’ current principal, healthcare entrepreneur Herbert Fritch, and others.
- His brother, Jimmy Haslam, is the owner of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
Haslam’s Predators purchase will be the second-largest sale for an NHL franchise. It comes after Fenway Sports Group’s deal to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins from billionaire Ron Burkle and former Penguins center Mario Lemieux for $900 million in 2021.
FSG also owns MLB’s Boston Red Sox and the Premier League’s Liverpool FC.
On The Rise
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league could see its salary cap rise by $4 million for the 2023-24 season, depending on revenue and the ability to pay off roughly $1 billion in debt.
The NHL generated around $5.4 billion in hockey-related revenue last season. This season the cap saw a $1 million year-over-year increase and the first uptick in three years.
