The Denver Broncos sold this week for $4.65 billion, a U.S. pro sports record for a franchise and an absurd amount of money no matter how you slice it. It's more than $2 billion greater than any pro sports franchise in the country has ever sold for.
But if Sixers managing partner Josh Harris had his way, the price tag would've been even higher.
Harris was in the mix for the franchise as bids were placed over the past couple weeks, and the billionaire investor was reportedly willing to go up to $5 billion in order to secure the Broncos, according to a report Wednesday from ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio.
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Here's what Florio heard about Harris' intentions:
"Per a source with knowledge of the dynamics, 76ers co-owner Josh Harris made it clear to those involved in the process that his group would pay $5 billion for the team, if they knew that $5 billion would get the deal done. However, Harris was not given that assurance.
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NBA
"So why didn’t Harris go to $5 billion and force Walton-Penner to go higher? Harris, we’re told, intends to pursue another NFL franchise. Thus, there was no reason to drive up the price of the Broncos, when that becomes the precedent for the next transaction."
Oh, to be fabulously wealthy. It looks like you're gonna be outbid for a multi-billion-dollar asset? No biggie, just move on and target the next multi-billion-dollar asset.
(According to Forbes, Harris is tied for the 293rd-richest person in the world with a net worth of roughly $7.57 billion.)
It's certainly interesting, but also totally unsurprising, that Harris is diving full-bore into the NFL franchise chase. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment have made sports franchises a large part of their portfolio, and Harris's name is regularly cropping up in the pursuit of different pro franchises, from Real Salt Lake in the MLS to Chelsea in the Premier League - and, notably, the Mets last year.
HBSE currently counts the Sixers, the New Jersey Devils, Crystal Palace F.C., and eSports team Dignitas among its subsidiaries. I'd imagine that Harris will continue to bandy about that $5 billion figure until a current NFL owner bites. In this skyrocketing world of sports franchises, it doesn't really matter which team you end up with: all that matters is you get in now before it really takes off.