- High-net-worth sports fans can now invest in an index of companies tied to their favorite league.
- An offering from Morgan Stanley requires a minimum investment of $250,000.
- Other top Wall Street firms have launched sports investing strategies as well.
Sports fans with money to spare can now reap returns from their favorite leagues thanks to a new investment offering from Morgan Stanley.
The Parametric Custom Core Sports League strategy is a portfolio that allows high-net-worth fans to invest a minimum of $250,000 in an index of companies tied to major sports leagues.
The companies comprise a select group of large-cap US stocks with the biggest sponsorship, media, or ad partnerships with each major sports league.
The offering involves 13 of the biggest sports leagues, from the NFL and NBA to the US Open and Formula 1. It also includes Men’s and Women’s Division I College Basketball.
The bank’s wealth management arm announced the new portfolio on Thursday, citing a big opportunity to capitalize on fans seeking more engagement and investment with their favorite sports.
“We see the demand from our clients that are asking about ways to invest in sports,” Sandra Richards, managing director and head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Sports and Entertainment Division, told CNBC. “And it’s going to continue.”
Richards said the idea came from a client who requested the bank make a portfolio with exposure to certain sports.
“We saw that there was a bigger opportunity to do something here,” Richards told CNBC.
The bank said it will use data from Nielsen Sports to monitor the companies’ exposure to leagues, and that the portfolio will have similar risks as the S&P 500.
Sports as an investment have become a hot and growing asset class.
High-profile billionaires like Marc Lasry and Steve Cohen could pump as much as $3 billion into the PGA Tour, a report said earlier this year. The owners of storied franchises like the Yankees, meanwhile, have seen their wealth balloon as the team’s valuation has soared amid increased competition over broadcast rights and revenue from sports betting.
Research also suggests that investing in sports teams is a good move, since they’re relatively recession-proof and often perform well during market downturns and even better in bull markets.
Other big Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, Citi, and JPMorgan have also launched offerings to help wealthy clients tap into sports investing. Last year, Goldman Sachs unveiled a new unit of dealmakers to pitch investments in teams and stadiums to wealthy clients.
