How to Buy an NFL Team, With Help From Private Equity

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: It’s extremely unlikely that you will ever own an NFL team, which are among the most highly valued assets in sports. Unless you plan to inherit a franchise or happen to be a multibillionaire, your likelihood of becoming a majority owner makes even the odds of winning the lottery look generous.

Yet there’s now a side door that can gain entry to luxury boxes previously reserved for owners: private equity.

Even a decade ago, buying an NFL team used to be a lot cheaper than it is today. In 2014, the Buffalo ...