Apollo Sports Capital is interested in taking a stake in an NFL franchise as the league continues to open team ownership to institutional investors, according to a report by Bloomberg citing comments from CEO Al Tylis.
“We’re interested in any great sports property anywhere in the world, which clearly includes the NFL,” Tylis said at Bloomberg Power Players New York on Thursday.
The NFL launched its private equity ownership framework in 2024, allowing a select group of approved investment firms to acquire stakes of up to 10% in teams, with each investor permitted to hold interests in as many as six franchises. Apollo Sports Capital has not been among the firms approved by the league under the programme.
However, the sports-focused investment platform has rapidly expanded its portfolio since being established by Apollo Global Management about a year ago. Tylis said ASC has invested or committed approximately $13bn across sports-related transactions.
The platform’s investments include a $2.6bn stake in the New York Yankees, a transaction announced last month, as well as holdings in Spanish football club Atlético de Madrid and Welsh side Wrexham AFC.
Tylis said the Yankees deal highlighted one of the distinctive characteristics of sports investing. Following completion of the transaction, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner congratulated him and told him, “welcome to the family.”
That reaction, Tylis said, underlined how sports assets can create a relationship with investors that differs from more conventional investment sectors such as real estate, where transactions tend to be more commercially focused.
“It’s a connection in a way that I think is just different than your typical businesses,” Tylis said. “This means something different.”
