Family offices bet on sports, from pickleball leagues to smart soccer balls
ShareShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via Email
Menu
Key Points
- While artificial intelligence startups dominate deal-making news, investment firms of the ultra-rich are still keen on sports.
- In May, family offices made 51 direct investments, including a $225 million fundraise for the parent company of Major League Pickleball.
Ben Johns comes over to the right side to hit a dink shot against Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquine in the 2026 PPA Carvana Mesa Cup finals match of the Pro Mixed Doubles Division at Arizona Athletic Grounds on February 22, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona.
Bruce Yeung | Getty Images
A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.
Last month, investment firms of the ultra wealthy went all-in on sports and played on multiple fronts.
At the beginning of May, billionaire Tom Dundon’s namesake family office partnered with Apollo’s new sports fund to invest $225 million in Pickleball Inc., the parent company of Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour. Dundon is already an owner of the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
As for the major leagues, Michael Dell, as part of an investor group led by Silver Lake’s Egon Durban, bought a 25% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders football team. Dell is also a minority investor in the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and the Austin Gamblers, a professional bull riding team.
Family offices made 51 direct investments in companies in May, holding steady from April’s deal tally, according to data provided exclusively to CNBC by Fintrx, a private wealth intelligence platform.
Family office deal tracker | May 2026
Family office deal tracker | May 2026
The table lists the family offices with big deals made in May 2026.
| Family office | Principal + source of wealth | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Dundon Capital Partners | Tom DundonDrive Financial Services | Pickleball Inc.Major League Pickleball, PPA Tour |
| Darco Capital | David AdelmanStudent housing, private equity | PlayerDataPerformance tech for soccer balls, wearables |
| DFO Management | Michael DellDell Technologies | Las Vegas RaidersNFL team |
| Werthein Group | Werthein familyDiversified: agribusiness, telecom | TyC SportsArgentinian sports channel |
Table with 3 columns and 4 rows. (column headers with buttons are sortable)
Table:Gabriel Cortes / CNBCSource:Fintrx
A Goldman Sachs survey released last fall found that 25% of family offices have invested in sports or related assets like ticketing or arenas and another quarter are interested in doing so. Asides from love of the game, many investors are drawn to the sector as an inflation hedge.
Student housing mogul David Adelman has used his family office to extend his reach into the sports economy. Adelman is a part-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, English Premier League club Crystal Palace and the New Jersey Devils ice hockey team and an investor in sports merchandise giant Fanatics.
In May, his investment firm Darco Capital co-led a $12 million Series A round for PlayerData along with David Blitzer’s family office Bolt Ventures and venture capital firm Pentland Ventures. The UK startup makes GPS-enabled vests and soccer balls that help athletes track their performance.
Adelman told CNBC that some teams in his portfolio use PlayerData products. Crystal Palace, for instance, uses the vests and smart soccer balls in training its academy players. The technology’s application for athletes at all levels, including youth sports, was part of the startup’s draw, according to Adelman.
“What stood out to me was the ability to take something complex and make it simple, practical, and accessible,” Adelman said.
Get Inside Wealth directly to your inbox
The Inside Wealth newsletter by Robert Frank is your weekly guide to high-net-worth investors and the industries that serve them.
Subscribe here to get access today.
Related
-
Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ has a ‘double taxation’ trap for top earners, tax experts say -
Soaring stocks created 2 million new millionaires around the world last year -
New York passes Mamdani’s pied-a-terre tax. Here’s who pays and how much -
The wealthiest investors are pulling money out of the U.S. in the ‘de-dollarization’ trade
Soaring stocks created 2 million new millionaires around the world last year
Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ has a ‘double taxation’ trap for top earners, tax experts say
Audemars Piguet’s watch prices remain stable after controversial Swatch collab
AccessEnablerProxy 4.7.1-5a99613
reCAPTCHA
Recaptcha requires verification.
protected by reCAPTCHA
Read Original at CNBC →