Bloomberg Power Players New York: Business of Sports Insights

WNBA Growth and Player Empowerment

• 🏀 The WNBA is experiencing significant growth in popularity, with record-breaking viewership and attendance.
• 🤝 The WNBPA is focused on establishing a salary system tied to the league's business success to ensure players are paid their value.
• 💄 Partnerships like the one with L'Oreal highlight a focus on beauty and self-care, resonating with players and fans.
• 🌟 Sylvia Fowles emphasizes a desire for collaborations that support youth and community initiatives.

Reshaping College Sports Landscape

• 🏈 Ohio State's Ross Bjork highlights the constant need for leadership to adapt in the modern era of college sports, emphasizing a mantra of "the job's never finished."
• 💸 UCLA's Martin Jarmond reports that the university paid out $4.8 million in revenue sharing to student-athletes in August alone, signaling a new era of compensation.
• 🤝 Nina King notes that revenue-sharing agreements are structured differently across institutions and sports, with a focus on protecting the university while acting in the best interest of student-athletes.
• 📈 The total amount distributed for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals between June and August reached $80 million, with approximately a hundred deals per day.
• 🏅 There is concern about the future funding of Olympic sports post-LA28, with a need to study and adapt international funding models.

NFL Investment and Valuation Trends

• 🏈 The NFL is considered a bulletproof business with a durable model, checking all boxes for investors due to its scarcity value and increasing media rights.
• 💰 Private equity firms like Ares Management are entering the NFL, with the Miami Dolphins being their first investment, attracted by the league's strong fundamentals.
• 📈 NFL team valuations have risen significantly, with the median value now around $7.1 billion, driven by institutional capital and media rights growth.
• 🌎 Sports franchises have compounded at 10-15% annually over the last 15 years, with further inflection points expected from media rights deals.
• 🏟️ The Miami Dolphins' diverse assets, including the stadium, Formula 1, and tennis events, make it a unique and attractive investment.

Evolving Sports Investment Landscape

• 💡 Aries Management pivoted to global sports investment at the beginning of COVID-19, acting as a creative liquidity provider during the pandemic.
• 📈 The scarcity of sports assets combined with increasing demand and the health of business models like the NFL's are driving up valuations.
• 📺 The NFL's cultural relevance is unparalleled, with its games dominating television viewership, even outperforming major playoff games from other leagues.
• 🎓 College sports, stadium assets, NIL support, and media rights are all becoming increasingly investable with innovative financial products.