Picture of a full basket ball stadium lit with purple and pink lights

Acquisitions & Sales of Sports Franchises

ArentFox Schiff advises owners and investors involved in the acquisition and sale of professional sports franchises and properties. Our track record in this area is extensive and we have significant experience on the buy-side and sell-side.

Our Work

  • Tampa Bay Rays: Representation of Stuart Sternberg in the acquisition of the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • Tampa Bay Rays: Representation of the Tampa Bay Rays in connection with the acquisition of USL team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
  • Tampa Bay Rays: Representation of the current Tampa Bay Rays ownership group when it purchased the team in 2004. We handled all of the work related to their primary credit facilities and coordination with MLB.
  • Atlanta Hawks: Representation of the largest minority group of investors in connection with the acquisition of the team. 
  • Washington Professional Sports Franchises: Representation of the owners of Washington Sports & Entertainment Limited Partnership in connection with the sale of all of their interests in the Washington Capitals, the Washington Mystics, the Washington Wizards, Verizon Center, and the Washington-Baltimore Ticketmaster franchise to Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
  • IRG Sports and Entertainment: Representation of IRG Sports and Entertainment in its acquisition of Maryland International Raceway and Cordova International Raceway. 
  • Charlotte Hornets: Representation of the initial owner of the Charlotte Hornets NBA franchise in connection with his acquisition of the franchise, and subsequent sale of a majority interest to Michael Jordan.
  • Lawrence Investments: Representation of Larry Ellison’s personal investment company in its bid to acquire the Golden State Warriors. 
  • Chicago White Sox: Representation of Pale Hose Partners, LLC, in the purchase of a minority interest in the Chicago White Sox.
  • Philip Falcone: Representation of Philip Falcone in the sale of his interest in the Minnesota Wild.
  • Triple-A Baseball Team: Representation of ownership group in acquisition of triple-A baseball team, including equity financing, acquisition financing, and working capital financing.
  • Lawrence Investments: Representation of Larry Ellison’s personal investment company in its acquisition of BNP Paribas Open, the Indian Wells combined men’s and women’s professional tennis tournament.