49ers Reportedly 'Exploring' Sale of Portion of the Team

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Timm Hamm | Last updated Feb 19, 2025 5:06 PM ET

The sale of sports franchises continually continues to bring more and more wealth to the owners, so much so that now, even selling a portion - no matter how small- can add millions of dollars to the portfolio of an owner.

That influx of cash can be very appealing to a family in need of it.

The Sports Business Journal, citing a report from Bloomberg, says that the 49ers have begun an exploratory investigation into potentially selling a 10 percent portion of the team.

The asking price would be based on the valuation of the franchise at more than $9 billion, making that 1/10th ownership portion worth more than $900 million.

The report says it's not certain who the team would sell to, or if it's one of the approved private equity funds or a group of individuals.

The report says internal discussions are happening, but there's no certainty that a sale is imminent.

For the DeBartolo family, that $9 billion represents a staggering return on the initial investment. In 1977, Edward DeBartolo Sr. bought the 49ers for just $13 million in a deal struck with the wives of team founders Tony and Victor Morabito.

The DeBartolo family still owns the team with Edward Sr.'s grandson, Jed York, serving as CEO.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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