From Fifteen Percent to Twenty Percent: MLB Expands Private Equity Ownership of Franchises

September 29, 2026

Over the past several years, the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS and NWSL have each amended their respective ownership frameworks to accommodate private equity investment to varying degrees, as recently highlighted in our January 2026 briefing on the NBA's move to further loosen private equity ownership rules, and our June 2026 analysis on the growing opportunity for private capital in Major League Baseball. With US sports franchises routinely commanding multi-billion-dollar valuations, private equity sponsors have become important participants in this exclusive asset class.

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