2.13.6.2Vertical

Professional Sports Teams & Leagues

Major professional sports franchise and league operators.

Market snapshot

These figures describe Spectator Sports & Events (2.13.6), the segment that Professional Sports Teams & Leagues sits within. They are not figures for Professional Sports Teams & Leagues on its own.

Market size
~$56B
Growth
~4.0%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
Companies
~4,821 firms
Firms by employee count

86.9% of firms have fewer than 20 employees: 4,188 micro-businesses, below most mandates.

The investable universe633 firms with 20+ employees
20–99
38561%
100–499
14122%
500+
10717%

A scarce-asset class (there are only so many franchises) where revenue is dominated by media rights and franchise value routinely outruns operating profit. The recent opening of the major leagues to institutional and private-equity minority stakes created a new class of investors underwriting the asset's appreciation rather than its P&L.

NAICS 711211, 711212, 711219. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census.

Business model & economics

Revenue model

Media rights, sponsorship, ticketing, and concessions

Key economics

Revenue per firm
$11,669,628
Revenue per employee
$456,565
Employees per firm
26.4
Recurring revenue
Moderate

media-rights contracts recur

EBITDA margin
Varies; franchise value often exceeds operating profit
Capex intensity
High

Characteristics

  • Balanced cost base: payroll is 50% of revenue, leaving room to scale margin without cutting staff
  • Moderate strategic-buyer pool: 107 firms exceed 500 employees, so a scaled asset has buyers, but not many
  • Media rights are the dominant revenue driver at the top.
  • Franchise values have risen dramatically.
  • Leagues opening to PE and institutional minority ownership.

NAICS 711211, 711212, 711219. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census.

Geographic concentration

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaColoradoGeorgiaKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaNew JerseyNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansasCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaHawaiiIowaMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew HampshireNew YorkOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontLouisianaRhode IslandFloridaIndianaNorth CarolinaKentucky

Spectator-sports firms concentrate where racing and franchises anchor the map. Kentucky (horse racing), Florida, North Carolina, and Indiana (motorsports) are states built around tracks, teams, and event venues.

KentuckyFloridaNorth CarolinaIndiana

U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses (firms by state), NAICS 711211/711212/711219. Concentration shown by location quotient.

M&A deal context

Deal activityModerate

Who’s acquiring

  • Team ownership groups
  • PE & institutional minority investors
  • Sports & media strategics

What’s driving deals

  • PE and institutional capital entering franchise ownership.
  • Rising media-rights values.
  • Scarcity and structural demand for sports content.

Find Professional Sports Teams & Leagues acquisition targets

Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Professional Sports Teams & Leagues (2.13.6.2) and build a targeted deal pipeline.

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