Pricey NFL, NBA ownership stakes push investors to smaller leagues
Trinity Rodman #2 of Washington Spirit evades Sarah Schupansky #11 of Gotham FC during the NWSL Championship 2025 final between Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC at PayPal Park on November 22, 2025 in San Jose, California. Lyndsay Radnedge/isi Photos | Isi Photos | Getty Images Last week, the National Womens Soccer League awarded a new expansion franchise — in Columbus, Ohio — to an ownership group led by Haslam Sports Group for a fee of $205 million. This represents a $40 million jump from the $165 million that billionaire Arthur Blank reportedly paid for the leagues Atlanta franchise in November. And that $165 million itself was a jump of $55 million from the reported $110 million fee Denver paid in January of last year. Rewind to 2022, and the expansion fee for a new NWSL club was just $2 million. On the surface, this appears to be a story about the NWSLs growth. Postseason attendance rose 11% this past season, according to the league. Nearly 1.2 million people watched the NWSL finals, up 22% from a year ago, including a whopping 70% jump in the 18-to-34 demographic, the NWSL said. It makes sense that investors would want to get in now given the leagues growth