Atlanta Braves: Liberty Media preparing to sell the team?
By Tyler Wilson
Given the circumstances of Liberty Media’s acquisition of the Atlanta Braves, it’s expected that this will be a short-term partnership…
With skyrocketing team values, the recent events surrounding the Braves’ front office, and the recent sale of the Marlins, could these Atlanta Braves rumors be true, with Liberty Media be getting ready to pull the trigger on a deal?
Business is currently booming for sports owners. This is specifically true regarding the ownership of MLB teams. Since just 2014, the Atlanta Braves‘ value (according to Forbes’ estimations) has more than DOUBLED from an estimated $730 million to a whopping $1.5 billion. While this is still considered middle-of-the-pack among MLB teams, it shows how rapidly team valuations are rising.
Since 1998, the average MLB team value has increased at a rate of about 11.5% each year, while the stock market has gone up just 3.5% annually during the same span. Heck, from 2016-to-2017 alone, the average MLB team value increased 19%. There may never be a better time for an MLB team owner to sell, and there’s no doubt that Liberty Media knows this.
I’m going to lay out just why I think Liberty Media may be prepared and motivated to sell the Braves. Digging into MLB finances and other market implications can be difficult to understand, so I’ll do my best to keep this all as simple as possible while still maintaining the depth necessary for it all to make sense.