Justin Birnbaum
I cover the business of sports for Forbes and post photos of my dog | Northwestern & UAlbany alum | 📬: jbirnbaum@forbes.com
- Seattle is favored by 4.5 points in #SuperBowlLX, but they’re still a financial underdog to New England. On @Forbes.com’s most recent NFL valuations, the Seahawks are the 14th-most valuable team at $6.7 billion. The Patriots, on the other hand, are fourth at $9 billion.
- A little more context on the #SportingKC sale. @Forbes.com estimates the club generated $81m in total revenue last year. At roughly $700m, that comes out to about 8.6x revenue. So relative to #MLS, where clubs averaged a 9.5x revenue multiple last year, that’s on the cheaper side.
- SCOOP: Sporting KC is being sold for roughly $700 million, multiple league sources tell @forbes.com. An existing minority owner is said to be buying the club, but the Illig family is expected to remain in control—at least for the time being. www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Terence "Bud" Crawford just officially announced his retirement, putting an end to a remarkable career inside the ring. What's next for the 38-year-old? He wants to double down on his real estate investing. My profile of Crawford at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Coco Gauff faced sky-high expectations almost from the moment she picked up a racket, but the world’s highest-paid female athlete has aced every test—and now she’s thinking even bigger. My profile of the tennis phenom and her business ambitions at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Reposted by Justin BirnbaumThe world’s highest-paid female athletes of 2025, from @forbes.com: 🎾 Coco Gauff, $33M 🎾 Aryna Sabalenka, $30M 🎾 Iga Swiatek, $25M The top 20 also features four basketball players, two golfers, two skiers, one track runner and one rugby player. See the full ranking: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Hey BlueSky folks! Just a reminder you should follow @brettknight.bsky.social, who is not just my awesome colleague, but an incredible source all things going on in the sports business industry.
- Reposted by Justin BirnbaumThe highest-paid #F1 drivers, from @forbes.com: 1️⃣ Max Verstappen, $76 million 2️⃣ Lewis Hamilton, $70.5 million 3️⃣ Lando Norris, $57.5 million See the full ranking: www.forbes.com/sites/brettk...
- Reposted by Justin BirnbaumThe most valuable NHL teams, from @forbes.com: 1️⃣ Toronto Maple Leafs, $4.4 billion 2️⃣ New York Rangers, $4 billion 3️⃣ Montreal Canadiens, $3.4 billion See the full list: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Less than a year after the nonprofit organizations overseeing cycling, fencing, rowing, sailing and squash in the U.S. joined forces to attract new partners, they have a proof of concept with wealth management platform Range. Story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Large private equity funds have mostly scorned Europe's smaller teams and leagues, but APEX founder António Caçorino thinks he can generate outsize returns with deals between $15 million and $50 million. A look at APEX's newly launched growth fund at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Inter Miami has won the 2026 MLS Cup. So it seems like a fitting time to look back at the profile I wrote about club owner Jorge Mas last year. Check it out at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Turning a dense urban core into a high-speed racetrack is a massive logistical challenge, but it’s one that Clark County and Liberty Media are betting on for the next decade. Episode Two of The Performance Layer has arrived! Check it out at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/video/d9c729...
- The future of sports is already here thanks to these young all-stars who are winning on and off the field. Humbled to have played a role in another 30 Under 30 list launch. Congrats to all of the honorees across all categories. Check out the full list at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/30-under-30/...
- Wow…17th to 5th. Kimi has a bright future.
- On the brink of insolvency five years ago, McLaren Racing is now dominating on the Formula 1 track—and, under the leadership of CEO Zak Brown, building up its sponsorships to rival Ferrari and Mercedes. My story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Steve Cohen should have offered Yamamoto a billion dollars.
- Pretty ironic that Halloween weekend is the one time there’s no extra inning ghost runner.
- Stephen Curry steals the basketball earnings crown to end LeBron James’ 11-year reign and lead a top ten hauling in a record $902 million this season. Check out the NBA’s highest-paid players, courtesy of @brettknight.bsky.social, at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/brettk...
- Cristiano Ronaldo leads a group of ten footballers collectively earning $945 million this season, but as the sun sets on his legendary career, two young stars are stepping into the spotlight. Check out the world's 10 highest-paid soccer players at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- FC Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is the first 18-year-old to crack the top ten in the 22-year history of @forbes.com’ highest-paid soccer players list. Check out the full ranking: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- On the way to Austin right now for the U.S. Grand Prix, and I got myself all psyched up for an F1: The Movie rewatch on the plane. Only problem is that it's not available on United. C'mon guys!
- The biennial competition between the U.S. and Europe offers no prize money, but that hardly matters for these five players, who collected a combined $358 million over the past 12 months. A look at the highest-paid players at the Ryder Cup at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- The Savannah Bananas, baseball’s zaniest team, are now worth half-a-billion dollars. Take a trip to Banana Land with me at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- By signing Cooper Flagg, Shohei Ohtani, Coco Gauff and other young superstars, the 119-year-old sneaker and apparel brand is on a mission to redefine its place in the sports hierarchy. Had a ton of fun collaborating with the video folks at @forbes.com on this one. youtu.be/UcLZNDRCxiI?...
- Reposted by Justin Birnbaum6/ @justbirny.bsky.social looked into the wealthiest sports team owners on the list. They range from Broadcom cofounder (and Anaheim Ducks owner) Henry Samueli to the Los Angeles Clippers' Steve Ballmer, the richest sports owner in the world at $153 billion. www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Travis Hunter should use a time-turner.
- Patrick Mahomes can add a crown to his collection of Super Bowl rings, as the leader of ten football stars hauling in an estimated $571 million combined this year. Here are the NFL’s highest-paid players this season, from of @brettknight.bsky.social at @Forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/brettk...
- Jim Irsay’s daughters have inherited an NFL team that has been in their family for 53 years and is now worth $5.9 billion—making them among the richest female owners in sports. Meet the new billionaire owners of the Indianapolis Colts at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Andy Reid is going to be invited to Taylor Swift’s wedding. Let’s all sit back and process that for a moment.
- Frances Tiafoe is betting on Pro Padel with an investment in the league's NY team, The Atlantics. The round values the franchise at more than $10 million as the racket sport takes on pickleball in the U.S. with a faster-paced game and a growing fan base in Europe. www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Lucrative endorsements and a stake in shoe brand On have made tennis legend Roger Federer just the seventh athlete in the three-comma club—and a food tech investment may serve up another payday. My story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Dumb jock? Think again. This four-time Super Bowl champion has turned his larger-than-life personality into a winning brand that earns him an estimated $10 million a year—and he’s only getting bigger. Take a look inside Rob Gronkowski's beautiful mind at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Alex Rodriguez's startup Jump is on a mission to become the Shopify for sports teams, and it just raised $23 million in Series A funding to do so. The company is now valued at more than $100 million as it builds a one-stop shop for fans. My story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Dana White reveals why he wanted David Ellison's muscle behind his MMA giant, why pay-per-view events no longer work, and what a potential UFC fight at the White House would look like on CBS. Matt Craig has the story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/mattcr...
- After signing a new $1.5 billion deal with Paramount, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are part of Hollywood’s most elite club. Here's how South Park's creators became billionaires, courtesy of Matt Craig at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/mattcr...
- Querétaro is the first of four clubs expected to change hands ahead of a private equity investment that would transform Liga MX—and could narrow the valuation gap with MLS. @brettknight.bsky.social has the scoop at @Forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/brettk...
- SCOOP: U.S. Soccer star Catarina Macario is joining Nike on a 10-year, $10 million sponsor deal. (She was previously with Adidas.) More details on the new partnership, which cements Macario as one of the highest-paid players in her sport, at @Forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg went No. 1 and can earn nearly $14 million next season—not including endorsements. It could be the beginning of a billion-dollar career for the 18-year-old. A look at the contracts for the first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- By signing Cooper Flagg, Shohei Ohtani, Coco Gauff and other young superstars, New Balance is on a mission to redefine its place in the sports hierarchy. My story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Soccer’s top earner isn’t suiting up for the FIFA Club World Cup, but five other stars kicking off the tournament this month made a combined $381 million over the past year, led by Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi. My story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Oklahoma City may be the 47th largest TV market in the U.S., yet it's the home to an NBA franchise, the Women's College World Series, a slew of minor league clubs and, in 2028, to Olympic events. A look at the city's growing sports economy at @forbes.com: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UYK...
- LIV Golf’s spending spree has seemingly come to an end, but the PGA Tour is chipping in record purses, helping the sport’s 10 top earners score $612 million over the past year. Check out the full list of the world's highest-paid golfers at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Show me a single New Yorker willing to pay $60 a drink, and I will show you a liar.
- INBOX: LIV Golf has hired Chris Heck, former president of Aston Villa FC and the Philadelphia 76ers, as it's president of business operations. Another big change as the Scott O'Neil era gets underway.
- The first stadium ever constructed primarily for a women’s club has turbocharged the Kansas City Current’s business—and set a new standard for the National Women’s Soccer League. Story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Meet the wealthiest women changing the game—11 billionaires who control major pro franchises and are collectively worth $85 billion, led by the Mavericks’ Miriam Adelson. Story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- After selling her health care company, Michele Kang is out to prove her three women's soccer teams can compete with the men’s game as a real business—and she’s willing to spend whatever it takes. Story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- Amid the NIL gold rush, college sports programs seeking an edge with top talent are reuniting with star alumni—and sending them out on the recruiting trail. Here's a look inside the new side hustle of Trae Young, Stephen Curry and Terance Mann. Story at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
- To all my Pacers fan friends on BlueSky: I want all the smoke. Please fill my mentions with any possible thought that comes to your brain. That way, I can kill some flight time replying to them when I’m on the way to OKC to see the JB and the boys play the Thunder. Knicks in six. Believe that.
- Bing bong, folks.
- Legendary run 😂
- Nico Harrison should trade the pick.
- President Trump’s erratic policies are raising concerns the economy might be headed for a downturn, but history suggests that sports franchise values will continue to climb regardless. A look inside the trend, from me and @hanktucker1.bsky.social, at @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/justin...
