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Latest Trends in Sports Investment and M&A (1) : Points to Note for Due Diligence on Investments In and M&As Involving Sports Teams

Sports investments have been attracting increased attention in recent years, given the increase in the profitability of sports businesses that engage in digital transformation (“DX”). In particular, as a result of rising fees for the rights to broadcast games, the corporate value of highly popular sports teams has increased substantially. For example, multiple major-league professional teams in the United States have seen their corporate values double during the last five years. As a result, investments in and mergers and acquisitions (“M&As”) involving sports teams are on the rise, and many investment funds and institutional investors have become involved. Most of the large-scale deals are made in Europe and the United States, with particularly significant examples including the United States National...To read the full article, please see the PDF file

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Authors

稲垣 弘則

He understands and solves his client’s essential needs and challenges by leveraging his extensive domestic and international connections in the sports and entertainment field as well as his experience gained during secondment to the business side of a domestic sports management company.
He has assisted numerous companies in the area of Sports Digital Transformation (data business, sports betting, fantasy sports, NFT, sports tokens) and is experienced in cases involving a wide range of legal issues at the intersection of sports and technology. He is also the
Representative Director of the Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion, an industry organization that aims to industrialize sports using digital transformation, etc., and is well versed in the latest trends and issues in the industry both domestically and internationally.
He was also selected as a finalist for Young Lawyer of the Year (Law Firm) in the ALB Japan Law Awards 2024, sponsored by Asian Legal Business (ALB) and Thomson Reuters.

坪野 未来

Miki Tsubono is an attorney in the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group. In the corporate practice area, he provides daily legal consultations, support on individual cases and business decisions, and company internal training, to business and legal departments of companies. He understands the importance of being easy to talk to, being deeply familiar with his clients’ businesses and organizations, and providing prompt responses. He advises companies in relation to drafts and negotiations of commercial contracts, contract and PL disputes, and Japanese company law and corporate governance matters, including business decisions and shareholders meetings. Further, he has experience in supporting Japanese companies in contract negotiations between foreign companies and with researching foreign laws, as well as representing foreign companies in inbound transactions. In the M&A practice area, he provides advice to companies, public-private funds, and PE funds on domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, including business mergers, alliances, going private, acquisitions, investments, divestures, joint ventures, and reorganizations. He has experience handling M&A matters in industries such as manufacturing, construction, financial services, healthcare, and entertainment. Recently, he has begun advising clients on renewable energy investments.