By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
The San Francisco Giants have sold a 10% stake to Sixth Street Partners, becoming one of the latest major league franchises to tap into private equity investment.
Sixth Street, which also holds stakes in Bay FC (NWSL), the San Antonio Spurs (NBA), Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona, is expanding its footprint in U.S. sports.
MLB was the first major U.S. league to allow private equity ownership, paving the way for more than half of its teams to have now struck deals. Funds can own up to 15% of a club, with no limit on the number of teams they invest in.
The investment will fund Oracle Park renovations and support the 28-acre Mission Rock development, a $1.5B mixed-use real estate project near the stadium, built in partnership with Tishman Speyer.
Why It Matters:
The Giants’ expansion into real estate and year-round revenue streams aligns with a broader trend where teams are have become multi-faceted business assets beyond just single-sport properties.
While some critics have questioned whether the Giants' off-field focus could detract from on-field success, this investment ensures that Mission Rock can move forward without diverting funds from player spending or baseball operations.
Giants president Larry Baer said it best: “What do you do for the other 265 days of the year?” Increasingly, the answer is real estate, hospitality, and building city-shaping experiences.
That context makes the Boston Celtics’ record-breaking $7.3B sale to private equity investor Bill Chisholm even more remarkable. The Celtics don’t own their own arena, yet they’ve surpassed the NFL’s Commanders as the most expensive sports team sale ever. Sixth Street is also involved in this deal.
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