Private Equity Wants to Invest in College Sports. Some Schools Are Wary.

College athletic programs seem to be tapping every source of cash they can find to help recruit and retain top players. They are squeezing alumni for more donations, raising ticket prices and selling stadium naming rights.

But so far the schools are proceeding with caution with at least one funding option: money from private equity firms.

Private equity sees the colleges’ cash crunch as an opportunity to profit from some of the world’s most valuable sports brands. While some schools have done deals, others are wary of forming partnerships with investment firms whose investors demand big returns in a short amount of time.

The private equity firms RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital are investing $12.5 million to help develop commercial ventures such as sponsorships and media deals at the Big 12 Conference, and a credit line of up to $30 million for each of its 16 schools, which include Texas Tech and Iowa State.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/business/private-equity-college-sports.html