AI will supercharge sports team valuations, says Arctos Partners’ Charles - CNBC

Mark Walter’s stunning sale of the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion valuation to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger only a year after buying the team continues to reverberate throughout the industry. The quick-flip deal seems to have far more to do with Walter’s legal challenges than anything specific to the sports industry; two of his insurance firms are under federal investigation for misreporting loans to affiliated businesses, which may have underrepresented risk to policyholders. But Walter also reportedly secured the record team valuation in just days, without the aid of bankers or an auction process. While that success may largely point to the premium value of the Lakers, it’s also clearly not a one-off. Within weeks of the Lakers deal, Arctos reportedly agreed to buy 10% of the Atlanta Falcons at a $10.6 billion valuation, while Dragoneer Investment Group founder Marc Stad is acquiring control ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx in a deal that values the teams at $4.5 billion. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez agreed to buy those teams in 2021 at a $1.5 billion valuation.