Commercial real estate has a long track record—when managed well—of being a stable investment option that generates income, asset value appreciation and boasts inherent tax advantages. It’s also an industry that thrives on competition, with brokers and investors engaging in cutthroat bids to close nearly every investment sale or lease.
For those reasons, for decades we have seen heavy crossover between professional sports and the real estate sector. Successful athletes that earned millions from contracts and endorsement deals have often steered some of that capital to commercial real estate development and investment. Others have been drawn to the call of the commercial real estate playing field itself. They have retired grass-stained uniforms in favor of fresh-pressed suits and gotten into the brokerage game.
The relationship goes the other way as well. Some of the most successful real estate investors of all time have used their real estate winnings to buy sports franchises.
The following gallery documents the long history of the crossover between the commercial real estate and sports worlds. (If you think of any we’ve missed, don’t hesitate to let us know.)