In addition, there were multiple sports bankers and investors, including Adya of Elysian Park Ventures, who said they are selling private equity’s investment in college sports this year. Adya stated that it “feels like college sports has many foundational issues to sort out before private equity becomes a meaningful driver.” That includes further guardrails around […]
In addition, there were multiple sports bankers and investors, including Adya of Elysian Park Ventures, who said they are selling private equity’s investment in college sports this year. Adya stated that it “feels like college sports has many foundational issues to sort out before private equity becomes a meaningful driver.” That includes further guardrails around the transfer portal and overall governance around the collegiate ecosystem, he said.
Women’s sports, creator-driven initiatives, youth sports are ‘buys’ in 2025
The Chernin Group’s Bettinelli said he’s shorting professional sports teams being dependent on regional media rights — “this money is never coming back,” he said — and tier two professional fighting leagues.
Courtside’s Kulkarni views sports betting companies as a ‘hold’, too. At the end of 2024, “an unprecedented number of favorites won games and produced massive losses for sports books,” he said. “Expect more states in the U.S. to legalize sports betting in 2025 as they look for new revenue streams with tax cuts coming from the incoming administration.”
Earlier this year, I asked numerous bankers, investors and advisors which areas of the sports business industry they’re buying, selling and holding in 2025. Here’s a breakdown of what industry experts are keeping a watchful eye on throughout the calendar year.
Vasu Kulkarni, Partner of Courtside Ventures, said he’d ‘buy’ creator-driven emerging sports leagues, which have a built-in audience from day one, “thereby greatly accelerating the growth of the business.” For example, Courtside is an investor in Baller League, an emerging six-on-six soccer league distributed through streaming platforms. In recent years, non-traditional sports and entertainment media entities, such as Jomboy Media, Bleacher Report and Barstool Sports, have found success leveraging their individual talent through novel competitions and sporting formats.
Meanwhile, Brian Kopp, Partner at Ryan Sports Ventures, is bullish on U.S. soccer fandom. From Lionel Messi’s impact on MLS and the NWSL’s increased momentum toward a 16-team league in 2026, Kopp said “we’re finally seeing real market traction and fandom” and “see potential in all aspects of the beautiful game” ahead of the 2026 North American-based World Cup.
