Eligibility Requirements for Sports Team Owners by League
- Mike Bishop JD
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
Eligibility Requirements for Sports Team Owners by League
MLB
Eligibility Requirements:
Prospective owners must be of good character and integrity
Cannot have felony convictions or involvement in gambling, drug trafficking, or organized crime
No active control of competing baseball interests
NFL
Eligibility Requirements:
Principal owner must hold at least 30% equity stake
Ownership groups are limited to 25 individuals, all subject to vetting
No corporate ownership allowed (with rare historical exceptions)
Owners must have clean financial, legal, and moral background
NBA
Eligibility Requirements:
Prospective owners must be individuals or family offices (no private equity firms or SPACs as control owners)
No criminal history or reputational risk
Foreign ownership allowed but scrutinized
NHL
Eligibility Requirements:
Individuals or ownership groups with high liquidity and clean legal record
No ties to gambling, organized crime, or conflicts of interest
MLS
Eligibility Requirements:
Franchisees must have local business ties and/or strategic fit for market development
Minimum net worth requirements
Ability to fund expansion fee (often over $300M) and stadium investment
Eligibility Summary Leagues:
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