A number of groups are reportedly in discussions to buy the Denver Broncos, drawing interest from their former quarterback, Peyton Manning.

Manning has reportedly spoken to some of them and the two-time Super Bowl champion could also be interested in a management position.

Despite the franchise not being officially on the market, the same CBS Sports report suggests that a purchase could be completed by the spring. The team reached a $3.75 billion valuation this year.

The Broncos have been in control of the trust since former owner Pat Bowlen died in 2019. A sale was stalled due to a lawsuit in July when his daughters, Amie Bowlen Klemmer and Beth Bowlen Wallace, claimed trustees influenced their father. It was dismissed.

Ownership Appeal

David Tepper paid a record $2.3 billion for the Carolina Panthers in 2018, but a number of factors could allow the Broncos to fetch an even higher number.

• The NFL signed a collective bargaining agreement in 2020, adding two teams to the league’s playoff field and expanding the regular season.
• The league signed media rights deals in March totaling $113 billion over 11 years.
• The salary cap was lower during  the pandemic, but it’s rising again in 2022.
• The league and its teams estimated an additional $270 million in revenue this year from their sports betting and gambling deals.

If Denver does bring in around $3 billion, there is speculation that other teams’ ownership groups could be interested in selling.

Despite major financial ailments, FC Barcelona will spend big on a new stadium.

Members voted to renovate the 64-year-old Camp Nou with up to $1.69 billion in funding, the club announced Sunday.

• 87.8% of Barcelona’s 48,623 members voted in favor of the project, called “Espai Barça.”
• The renovations will be funded by Goldman Sachs over a 25-year plan with a five-year grace period.

The plan will not only revamp the largest stadium in Europe, which already holds 105,000 fans, but also an indoor facility.

Financial Distress

The club claims the refurbishments will generate $225.7 million a year through hospitality, VIP boxes, catering, sponsorship and naming rights, and ticketing, as well as meetings and events. 

But the profits can’t come soon enough. In March, Barcelona was technically bankrupt, according to a Deloitte report. The team then borrowed $605 million from Goldman Sachs and was eyeing a sale of a stake in its production company, Barça Studios.

In October, the club’s debt totaled $1.57 billion — almost the same amount it just authorized for Espai Barça.

MLS is eyeing a media rights deal worth $300 million annually, according to CNBC — more than three times what it currently receives.

The league’s current eight-year broadcasting deals with Fox, Disney’s ESPN, and Univision expire at the end of the season and only bring in $90 million each year.

The league is expanding and growing in popularity — the past several weeks have only confirmed it.

• This year’s MLS Cup was the fifth-most-watched audience for the event on a Disney-owned network since 2009 at an average 1.14 million viewers.
• The Thanksgiving Day playoff was the most-watched MLS game on Fox Sports, bringing in 1.8 million viewers for Fox platforms. It also had the highest MLS audience since 2004.
• MLS reportedly plans to announce a 30th team in the next 10 months, with two other teams beginning play in the 2023 season.

The league will look to sell rights in a bundle. Amazon, Apple, WarnerMedia, and ViacomCBS have already expressed interest.

Other Factors In New Deal

A possible concern when landing rights is market share. The NFL signed media rights deals worth $113 billion earlier this year, and Lee Burke of LHB Sports thinks such large deals in other sports could affect what’s left for MLS.

CNBC reports the deals could be closer to $200 million annually due to U.S. Soccer ending its long-term agreement with Soccer United Marketing this year.