Reading List.

Where to read about sports finance

A handful of outlets cover sports M&A and ownership with the rigor the topic deserves. The list below is not exhaustive but reflects what's read regularly during research.

• Sportico
  The most consistent coverage of franchise valuations and ownership transactions. Their valuation methodology is widely cited as a starting point for franchise comps.
• Front Office Sports
  Strong on sports business news flow and emerging story trends. Less analytical depth but excellent for tracking what's happening.
• The Athletic
  Strong reporting on individual deals, particularly when ownership groups are active.
• Bloomberg
  When major sports M&A happens, Bloomberg coverage is often the first to report key financial details.
• Sports Business Journal
  Industry trade publication with strong league-level coverage.
• Reuters / AP
  Standard wires for major transaction news.

Adjacent reading on finance and markets

• Mergers & Inquisitions
  Foundational resource for understanding the analytical frameworks used in IB and PE.
• Pitchbook News
  Coverage of private equity deals broadly, including occasional sports finance pieces.
• Bloomberg Markets
  General financial markets context.
• Reuters Markets
  Macro and deal-level reporting.

Books

A short reading list of books that informed how SportsCapIQ approaches analysis.

• Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs, M&A, and IPOs

  Joshua Rosenbaum and Joshua Pearl
  The standard reference on M&A valuation methodology.
• The Outsiders

  William Thorndike
  Eight CEOs and the capital allocation decisions that defined their careers; useful framing for thinking about ownership decisions.
• Damn Right!

  Janet Lowe
  Biography of Charlie Munger; useful for understanding how compounding and patient capital shape long-duration assets.
• The Big Game

  Mark Leibovich
  On the cultural and political economy of the NFL.

Reports and industry research

• →Sportico Franchise Valuations (annual)
• →Forbes Franchise Valuations (annual)
• →EisnerAmper, Sports Franchise Valuation Considerations
• →League-specific media rights and revenue disclosures (when public)
• →10-K filings for publicly traded sports-adjacent companies (Madison Square Garden Sports, Manchester United, Endeavor, etc.)

People worth following

A short list of journalists, analysts, and finance professionals whose work on sports finance is consistently worth reading. This section is intentionally curated and updated as the field evolves.

List in development — names are added only after sustained following. Send suggestions to raj.keswani@vanderbilt.edu.