A diverse group of executives from big-time college athletics and emerging professional sports organizations gathered recently at a 14th-floor event space above Duane Morris LLP's Philadelphia offices with one topic in mind: how private money is changing the landscape for their respective leagues.

"There's a meaningful shift in how capital is being deployed," said Duane Morris senior associate Bryan Shapiro, who moderated one of the two panels at his firm's April event, dubbed Capital and Competition.

Shapiro said he is seeing more of a "portfolio approach" to sports investment.

"It's not just that they want to invest in the team, they want the commercial rights, the media rights, the stadium, and to try to monetize fan engagement," he said. "99% of the fans of a league or a team are not going to be in the stadium, so how do you consolidate who is following the team, what are they buying, and where are their interests piquing?"

AI can go a long way toward helping teams, and prospective investors, see fan preferences and target marketing and investment strategies, Shapiro said. [...]

"That's a pretty creative solution," said AJ Rudowitz of Duane Morris, who predicted similar deals to come.

"I think colleges really have to think like pro sports teams, and they are slow to move, but private equity finds undervalued assets," Rudowitz said. "One of the biggest opportunities on a college campus is real estate. A 100,000-seat stadium is both incredibly valuable and often underutilized."[...]

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