In August, the NFL approved new ownership rules that allow private equity firms to buy passive minority stakes in franchises. The decision came after franchises appreciated nearly 40x over the past 30 years and reached $5.93 billion on average, according to Sportico’s calculations.
But NFL team values still have a long runway, according to one team owner. “These funds can get liquid in six years,” Jonathan Kraft, New England Patriots president, said at Sportico’s Invest in Sports Event at Nasdaq. “You probably won’t get 3-4x your money, but my guess is you’re going to get returns that beat the stock market over that period and without taking that much more risk.