American ownership of Premier League clubs rises as soccer attracts investors

American investors have spent the past several years quietly accumulating stakes in top-flight English soccer, and the pace has accelerated. What was once a niche move for a handful of deep-pocketed sports fans has become a recognizable investment thesis: Premier League clubs are global media businesses with devoted audiences, locked-in broadcast revenues, and brand recognition that travels well outside England. Why the Premier League specifically The Premier League is the most-watched soccer league on the planet. Its broadcasting deals span dozens of countries, and the commercial infrastructure around its clubs, from shirt sponsorships to stadium naming rights to global pre-season tours, generates revenue that does not depend on whether the team finishes fourth or fourteenth. American ownership groups have been paying close attention. Multiple U.S.-based investor groups increased their involvement in Premier League clubs in 2021 and 2022, and that trend has continued. Soccer as an emerging asset class The framing of soccer as an asset class has gained genuine traction in U.S. financial circles over the past five years. It is not just that a few wealthy Americans happen to like the...