Two franchises have brought in fresh minority investors after league owners signed off on stake sales involving the and the during their fall meeting in New York this week. The moves marked another step in the league’s gradual opening of team ownership to large private equity funds.
announced on October 20 that owners had approved Arctos, an investment firm now owned by KKR, as a limited partner. The approved transaction covers a 7.5 percent stake and takes effect immediately. The club added that Arctos has also agreed to buy another 2.5 percent later, a step that will require a separate vote of league owners.
According to Sports Business Journal, the deal reportedly values the Falcons at close to $11 billion and was first announced in August. The transaction is expected to close later this month. Falcons owner Arthur Blank has said money from the sale will support his family’s philanthropic work.
The Falcons become Arctos’ fourth NFL team. The firm already holds stakes in the , Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns. According to the Falcons, Arctos is the only firm cleared to own stakes in teams across the NFL, , MLB, NHL and MLS.
In Miami, owners approved the sale of about 2 percent of the Dolphins to Chilean-born financier Jean Eric Salata. The deal covers 2.1 percent of the team and its related businesses, including Hard Rock Stadium, the and the club’s interest in the Miami Open tennis event.
The deal is reportedly priced slightly above a $12.5 billion valuation, which is a new high for a minority stake in an NFL team. Salata, 60, chairs the Swedish investment firm EQT AB. In 2022, EQT bought Baring Private Equity Asia, the firm he founded in Hong Kong. Forbes puts his net worth at $8.4 billion.
Notably, the Dolphins owner Stephen Ross bought back the small stake held by singer Marc Anthony.
owners first allowed private equity funds into team ownership in August 2024, voting 31-1 at a special meeting in Minnesota. Under those rules, approved funds can together own up to 10 percent of a team, each stake must be at least 3 percent, and one fund can invest in up to six clubs. The funds get no voting rights and must hold each investment for at least six years.
Arctos was one of the first firms approved under that policy, along with Ares Management, Sixth Street and a group that includes and Carlyle.
The meeting also brought other money decisions. Owners approved a new investment partnership between 32 Equity, the league’s in-house investment arm, and growth investor General Atlantic.
Owners also kept as the league’s main ticket resale partner under a new model.
