Deutsche Bank's Chief Investment Office released a sports investing report analyzing the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and English Premier League, revealing that North American sports franchises delivered a 13.1% 20-year compound annual growth rate that outperformed the S&P 500 (10.6%). The report highlighted that average enterprise value-to-revenue multiples reach 11.9x for the NBA, 10.3x for the NFL, 7.7x for the NHL, 6.6x for MLB, and 6.3x for the EPL, supported by long-term media rights contracts like the NFL's $125B deal through 2033 and the NBA's $76B package. As institutional buyers enter team ownership under league-established private equity caps—such as the NFL's 10% limit and the NBA's 20% single-fund threshold—the analysis emphasized how venue-anchored real estate and commercial partnerships will shape future valuation growth: "For long-term investors, sports can offer a distinct combination of scarcity, brand power, resilient revenues, and structural growth. However, successful investing requires rigorous due diligence, specialized expertise and a thorough understanding of league structures. Success will also remain dependent on maintaining supporter trust, preserving sporting integrity, fostering community engagement and balancing commercial development with the values that underpin sporting organisations." Full report. (link)

Major League Baseball owners voted to raise the private-equity ownership limit for franchises from 15% to 20%, matching the cap structure utilized by the NBA, NHL, and MLS, according to Front Office Sports' Ben Horney and Daniel Roberts, who report the change was not publicly announced. Unlike the NFL, MLB places no limit on the number of franchises a single firm can invest in, leading roughly 10 clubs to secure private equity funding, including Apollo Sports Capital's recent $2.6B deal with the Yankees. Apollo Chief Strategy Officer Sam Porter on the Yankees deal: “They thought there could be a need for growth capital, refinancing existing debt, and just doing an overall holistic capital solution to give them various levers to pull financially to help grow the club. What they do with it, they have a lot of latitude and leeway to use that to help grow the club and grow the business, and obviously standard refinancing of existing debt is part of that.” (link)

Major League Baseball has also entered into a partnership with FutureSports, a Chicago-based firm that enables institutional traders to bet on future team performance, according to SBJ’s Chris Smith, who adds: “FutureSports will release team-specific indices that are priced using on-field data points, like wins or runs scored. Index pricing thus fluctuates during games and throughout a season. That price acts as an underlying benchmark for futures contracts that are tradeable through a deal with CME Group, pending regulatory review.” (link)

Inside Higher Ed's Johnanna Alonso reports that colleges and universities are expanding investments in campus tour experiences to drive student enrollment and yield. A survey by Niche found that 92% of enrollment leaders at small institutions view campus visits as their single most important recruitment strategy, prompting schools to introduce personalized perks, new welcome centers, and financial incentives. Tour volume at Albion College grew 23% since 2022, while visits at John Carroll University jumped 46% over the same period. To maximize conversion rates, Albion offers an $8K four-year scholarship ($2K annually) to any admitted student who completes a campus tour, and VP of Enrollment Management Mandy Konkle explains: "We decided to do this because we know that students aren’t going to choose us if they don’t see us, and so it’s important to get as many students to campus as possible. So while $2,000 may not seem like a lot to some families for one year, $8,000 over the course of four years is important." (link)

Barcelona will relocate to the Olympic Stadium for the first half of the 2027-28 season to accommodate roof installation at the redeveloped Spotify Camp Nou, according to ESPN's Sam Marsden. The transition follows a member vote approving an additional €510M ($585M) financing package to cover project delays, elevating total renovation costs to roughly €2B ($2.3B). The club issued a statement explaining the financial mechanics behind the debt: "The operation is structured in two components. The first consists of €300M ($344M) which will enable the completion of Camp Nou, a project whose scope has expanded significantly beyond the original plans through the addition of new facilities, services, and technological solutions. The second component consists of €210M ($241M) to be raised through two Media Notes issuances of €105M ($120M) each. The first was issued in July 2026, while the second is scheduled for October or November 2026. Both issuances have maturities of up to 10 years, carry fixed interest rates, and are secured against future audiovisual revenues generated from La Liga and UEFA competitions." (link)

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s financial debt reached £689M at the end of June 2026—a £52M increase YoY—as net financing costs of £69.6M drove a bottom-line net loss of £43M despite record revenue of £677.6M, according to The Athletic’s Chris Weatherspoon. The club restructured its primary debt line in June by swapping a $425M (£320M) tranche due in 2027 for a $550M (£415M) loan at a 5.36% interest rate (up from 3.79%), adding roughly $13.3M (£10M) in annual interest expenses while enabling the club to lower revolving credit facility drawdowns from £290M to £110M. Cash reserves dropped to a 13-year low of £67.2M—down from pre-pandemic levels of £300M—and free cash flow logged a -£58M deficit, an improvement from -£202M the previous year. The cash outlay included £63.5M spent in June to acquire 25 acres near Old Trafford for a potential new stadium site, even as minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reduced the wage bill by 4% to £302M, dropping the wages-to-revenue ratio to an 18-year low of 44.6%. (link)

Red Bull recorded its strongest annual growth since the pandemic after increasing sports sponsorship spending by 22% to surpass €1.5B ($1.7B), according to Bloomberg’s Marton Eder. Payments to athletes and sports teams accounted for 48% of Red Bull’s total marketing budget in 2025, driving net income up 12% to €1.9B. US sales served as the primary growth engine despite expanding market competition from Celsius, while the company broadened its sports portfolio by acquiring a Newcastle rugby union club and selling its stake in the Alinghi sailing team. Additionally, owners Mark Mateschitz and the Yoovidhya family collected €1.3B in payouts, representing the company's largest dividend distribution since 2021. (link)

Grant Thornton CEO Malcolm Gomersall defended the firm's private equity ownership model against critics who claim buyout shops compromise audit quality. The UK's sixth-largest accounting firm sold a 60% stake to European buyout group Cinven in 2024, reaching a £1.5B valuation in a deal that received 100% approval from internal UK partners. The transaction reflects a broader industry shift, with more than 1,000 global accountancy practices receiving private equity investment over the past decade, according to Financial Times’ Ellesheva Kissin. Gomersall aims to generate £1B in annual revenues by the end of next year—up from a trailing 12-month total of £800M and a previous year-end mark of £787M—while planning to hire 160 new partners by 2027 and increase graduate recruitment. He dismissed concerns that the financial arrangement would repeat past regulatory failures like the collapse of Patisserie Valerie, arguing the new structure demands higher standards: “At some point [Cinven] will exit and then we will go and have a different ownership. That involves a sale. You cannot sell something which has an awful reputation for quality because nobody will want to buy it.” (link)

CFO Brew’s Alex Zank reports that financial leaders are expanding their focus beyond traditional accounting to prioritize data management, technology integration, and cross-departmental collaboration. Cigna Group CFO Ann Dennison told attendees at the Workiva Amplify conference that the company established a finance data office to connect financial reports with operational data, ensuring executives can confidently trust the outputs generated by new technological tools. Workiva CFO Barbara Larson added that persistent market volatility since 2020 has transformed speed of judgment into a necessary skill, forcing leaders to make decisions before reaching 100% data certainty. Northwest Bank CFO Douglas Schosser adds: "We’ve always wanted [to be] a trusted advisor and more of a consultant to the business, and I think now, because everything is accelerated [and] we’re in this constant state of new information, people are really looking at finance [and asking], ‘How can I weed through all of this noise and static to get to the more important and most critical pieces?’" (link)

AT&T plans to continue reducing its workforce as it implements artificial intelligence tools and replaces legacy copper networks with cloud software, Wired's Paresh Dave reports. The company, which handles 15% of global internet traffic and employed nearly 131,000 people in June, cut 8,000 jobs last year and an additional 2,100 positions in the first half of 2026. Dave notes the phase-out of copper infrastructure across 85% of its footprint lowered total energy consumption by 13.1% through 2025, saving 660K megawatt-hours of electricity. As automated systems continue to streamline internal processes, AT&T CTO Jeremy Legg confirms that “we’re not going to have the same headcount in five years as we do today." Dave adds: “AT&T views the investment as worthwhile because it expects to continue to hire even as it shrinks its overall workforce—just for a different mix of roles. People will be needed to develop and govern AI agents and oversee otherwise entirely automated processes, according to Legg. And even with copper in the rearview, AT&T will need technicians to maintain fiber lines.” (link)

Elite law firms are deploying lifestyle consulting services to incentivize senior partners to retire and clear advancement paths for younger talent, as Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows approximately one-third of U.S. lawyers are 55 or older. With 14% of the industry over 65, delayed departures stifle internal promotions and trigger competitive poaching, highlighted by six attorneys recently leaving Wachtell for Gibson Dunn. To manage the succession process, firms including Latham & Watkins, Morgan Lewis, and Debevoise hire transition consultancies like Zelinka Parsons and Fairfax Associates to help aging equity partners plan second careers in fields like photography or theater. Zelinka Parsons Founder Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons explained why firms like Mayer Brown are increasingly utilizing the service to retain their next generation of leadership: "There is a talent war out there. It’s easier to recruit them away where they can lead a practice. That trend is unmistakable." (link)  

A global diesel shortage exacerbated by ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine is expected to persist into next year as domestic inventories reach historic lows, according to Reuters' Shariq Khan and Siddharth Cavale. The supply crisis pushed United States retail diesel prices above $6 per gallon this month, prompting the US Energy Information Administration to forecast that inventories will drop below 100M barrels and remain near five-year lows through 2027. The shortage has altered the storage market, with available North American leasing capacity climbing to a four-year high of 13M barrels for October as refiners abandon contracts due to a lack of available fuel. The Tank Tiger COO Steven Barsamian: "More storage is available for lease because no one wants to renew their existing contracts. Why would you pay for a storage tank when there is no diesel to store?" (link)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days).

(NEW!) Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations, Department of Athletics (R0009158) (Wake Forest University / Winston-Salem, NC): The Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations, is responsible for a broad range of accounting and business operations functions within the Department of Athletics’ Business Office. More details HERE.

Assistant Business Manager (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): To provide support assigned Sport Programs and Departments within Intercollegiate Athletics, in the areas of budget management, travel, procure to pay, and related business functions. More details HERE.

Data Analyst I (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): The Data Analyst I gathers, audits, analyzes, and reports low- to moderate-complexity data under general supervision. More details HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, WA): Washington Athletics has an outstanding opportunity for a Deputy Athletic Director to join their team. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Assistant Director for Business Services (University of Connecticut / Storrs Mansfield, CT): The University of Connecticut is seeking applications for the full-time position of Assistant Director for Business Services More details HERE.

Assistant or Associate Athletic Director, Business Operations/SWA (Sacred Heart University / Fairfield, CT): Provides operational leadership for Athletics' business functions. Oversees financial management, budgeting, purchasing, contracts, revenue and expense tracking to ensure fiscal responsibility More details HERE.

Associate VP & Chief Commercial Officer/Chief Revenue Officer (Ohio State University / Columbus, OH): Responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive revenue growth strategy for the Department of Athletics and Buckeye Enterprises at The Ohio State University. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Columbus? Click HERE.

Director, Business Office (Spartan Ventures / East Lansing, MI): This role, in conjunction with the Spartan Ventures CFO, will manage all financial activity related to the organization and contribute directly to the success of Michigan State University Athletics. More details HERE.

Manager, Financial Planning and Analytics (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): This position will serve as a point-of-contact for financial planning and internal control functions within the Department of Athletics. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics Budget and Finance (Syracuse University / Syracuse, NY): The Director of Athletics Budget and Finance oversees the comprehensive stewardship, fiscal integrity, and business operations of the athletic department More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations (FINANCIAL ANL SUPV 1) Job 88459. (University of California – Davis / Davis, CA): This position is responsible for overseeing all Business Office operations, including account management and oversight of an approximately $50M budget as well as all purchasing and travel activities. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director (California State University – Fullerton / Fullerton, CA): Assist the AD with overall organization and management of the Athletic Department, operational and strategic planning, sport supervision, policies and procedures, assist with budgetary decisions. More details HERE.

Assistant Director or Director of Business Procurement & Operations (University of Arkansas / Fayetteville, AR): The role supports the financial and operational functions of the Athletic Business Office. More details HERE.

Chief Revenue / Chief Marketing Officer (Atlantic 10 Conference / Washington, DC): Provide strategic leadership by identifying and developing new commercial opportunities, generating revenue, strengthening the A10 brand, growing audiences and building corporate partnerships. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Washington, DC? Click HERE.

Vice President - Human Resources (Atlantic Coast Conference / Charlotte, NC): Serve as the senior HR professional leading and overseeing the human resources function, including HR practices, policies, procedures, systems, and all employee-related matters. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Charlotte? Click HERE.

Athletics Business Manager (Augusta University / Augusta, GA): The Athletics Business Manager (Business Manager 1) position manages all matters of financial reporting, budgeting, contracts, and collection of funds for the Athletic Department. (DII) More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Business & Finance (University of California – Los Angeles – UCLA / Los Angeles, CA): Manage key financial operations, including departmental revenue, accounts receivable, financial reporting, budgeting, Foundation funds and procurement, in a dynamic collegiate athletics environment. More details HERE.

Associate/Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business and Administrative Operations (Ohio University / Athens, OH): Serves as a member of the Athletics Executive Team and responsible for providing strategic oversight, implementation, and management of the Athletics financial functions, procedures, and policies. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Athens? Click HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Revenue Officer (Murray State University / Murray, KY): Serves as a senior leader responsible for advancing revenue generation, philanthropic development, commercial strategy, customer engagement, and business innovation for Murray State Athletics. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Murray? Click HERE.

Director of Business Operations/Assistant AD-Business Operations (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee / Milwaukee, WI): Position performs all financial duties within the athletic department. Supports the Deputy AD in budget management and advises staff on policies. Has the potential for an Assistant AD title. More details HERE.

Director of Business Operations (Louisiana Tech University / Ruston, LA): Louisiana Tech Athletics is seeking a highly qualified and motivated individual to serve in Business Operations. More details HERE.

Operations Analyst for Roster Management (University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN): Support athletic roster strategy through data management, modeling, reporting, dashboards, and analytics focused on player valuation, revenue sharing, scholarships, performance, and financial planning. More details HERE.

Executive Assistant to the Director of Athletics (University of California – Los Angeles – UCLA / Los Angeles, CA): Serve as a key partner to the Director of Athletics, managing strategic priorities, executive communications, and high-level projects that support the leadership and operations of the department. More details HERE.

Executive Associate Athletics Director, Business & Finance (University of Nevada – Las Vegas / Las Vegas, NV): The University of Nevada, Las Vegas invites applications for Executive Associate Athletics Director, Business & Finance. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Las Vegas? Click HERE.

Associate or Senior Associate Athletic Director for Finance and Business Operations (Oregon State University / Corvallis, OR): The Director of Finance & Business Operations provides strategic leadership for all financial and business operations within the Department of Athletics. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Corvallis? Click HERE.