Miami Dolphins weigh selling stake to Ares Management, Joe Tsai

The Miami Dolphins are in advanced talks to sell a minority stake in the team to private equity firm Ares Management and billionaire Joe Tsai, CNBC has learned, highlighting the growing trend of owners looking to build their sports portfolios to include multiple teams and operate their own stadiums to maximize revenue.

The deal, which would also include Hard Rock Stadium, the operating rights for the Miami Grand Prix F1 race and about half of the Miami Open, values the assets at $8.1 billion, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

This would mark the first private equity investment for the NFL since the league approved the new finance rules in August.

CNBC has valued the Miami Dolphins as the league’s eighth most valuable team at $7.1 billion, which does not include the stadium.

As part of the negotiations, Ares Management would buy 10% of the team and Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets, is in talks to buy another 3% stake, the person said. Bloomberg earlier reported the talks.

Nothing has been signed and there is no timeline for a potential deal, the person added.

The Miami Dolphins and the NFL declined to comment, and Tsai’s BSE Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Businessman Stephen Ross purchased the Miami Dolphins in 2009 for $1.1 billion.

Ross, also the CEO of Related Companies, is just one of a handful of team owners that also owns and operates the team’s stadium. This allows him to bring in revenue from events held at the stadium such as the Miami Grand Prix and Miami Open tennis tournament.

The Dolphins made $673 million in revenue in 2023.

Earlier this year, Ross reportedly turned down a record $10 billion offer for control of the team, Formula One Miami Grand Prix and Hard Rock Stadium. Ross said he wanted to keep the team within his family.

In late August, NFL owners voted in favor of allowing select private equity firms to invest up to a 10% stake in teams.

The NFL is the last of the major professional sports to allow PE investment, but the league softened its stance as rising valuations have made finding buyers increasingly difficult.

Ares, which manages $450 billion in assets, was one of the four groups that the NFL approved for investment in its teams.

Meanwhile, Tsai has been building a sports empire. The chairperson of the Alibaba Group currently owns the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and operates the Barclays Center. He also owns the San Diego Seals and is co-owner of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, both Premier Lacrosse teams, in addition to the Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer.