SK Lee is a contributing editor at Solomon Grey Capital, covering sports infrastructure, alternative investments, and Asia leisure capital markets.
Research
Mark Walter just closed on the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation, the highest ever paid for a North American sports franchise. Sportico marks the Knicks plus the Rangers at $13.5 billion. MSG Sports trades at $9.6 billion. The 29% gap is now a research thesis, not a footnote.
Research
SK Lee — Sports & consumer desk A few days before the Strait of Hormuz reopened and the oil curve collapsed, Apollo Global Management quietly closed the largest structured check ever written into the business of pickleball. The trade press treated it as a curiosity. The composition of the deal, the
Research
Two stacked supercycles in one 30-day window: US sportsbook handle access at record highs, and Japan's first World Cup as Asia's top-ranked side.
Research
The April 22 short attack on Sportradar priced legal exposure. It has not yet priced the slow erosion of NBA, NFL and FIFA counterparty trust that compresses th
Research
Apollo Sports Capital's $225M lead into Pickleball Inc. at a $750M valuation is not a price print. It is a category-of-capital print — pickleball's underwriting
Research
The Sports Business Journal named the NHL Sports League of the Year for the first time since 2014. The 12-year gap matters more than the award.
Research
PIF spent $6B to permanently reshape professional golf. The league dies. The disruption succeeds. Where the money flows next is the trade.
Research
Sportico values WNBA franchises at an average $427 million, up 59%. The league lost $40 million last year. Players take 9.3% of revenue. The next CBA will decide which number wins.
Guest Essay
A Hong Kong school principal on how a signed pickleball paddle, a tape-marked playground court, and an inclusive game became a quiet lesson in perseverance.
Research
China's 15th Five-Year Plan mandates 15-minute sports access circles in every urban area. Private equity is responding — and pickleball, driven by 40M+ global players, sits at the intersection of state mandate and commercial opportunity.
News
The inaugural LIT TLP tournament in Zhongshan drew 400+ players including world #1 Ryan Lam. What appears to be a sports event is actually the commercial validation of a thesis about China's grassroots sports infrastructure mandate and the private capital opportunity it creates.