Sports Team of the Year

Angel City FC

Angel City appears poised to become the most valuable women’s sports team in North America. Before the club played a single NWSL game, it was already bringing on investors at a valuation of more than $100 million. In 2022, the club accounted for 38.75% of all NWSL revenue, averaging more than 19,000 fans per game and earning the largest kit sponsorship deal of any NWSL team, with DoorDash. Not only are attendance and sponsorships thriving, the team tops NWSL in merchandise sales, bringing in $6 million last year.

buffalo bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills secured a team-friendly deal with the New York government to build a replacement to Highmark Stadium, securing their future in the tiny western New York market for another generation. They also won the AFC East again, and near the end of the year, Bills employees led the remarkable effort to save safety Damar Hamlin’s life after his cardiac arrest during a game in Cincinnati. The Bills and their rabid fan base led a nationwide effort to drive charitable contributions in Hamlin’s name.

florida panthers

Florida Panthers

The Panthers won the President’s Trophy for the best regular-season record for the first time in 2022 while setting a new club record in goals scored. The team successfully hosted the 2023 All-Star Game, doubled its RSN rights fee and posted its highest home attendance in a decade. New sponsorship deals included SeatGeek, a jersey patch deal with AutoNation and an expanded agreement with Amerant Bank, the team’s helmet sponsor.    

LAFC

Los Angeles FC

LAFC landed a $100 million stadium naming-rights agreement with Bank of Montreal, the largest such deal in MLS history, propelling the team to second in MLS in sponsorship revenue. Two new partnerships were innovative and the first of their kind: A deal with 3×4 Genetics, allowing the team to analyze genetic data for training and injury prevention purposes, and with Clear that now includes age verification for fans trying to buy alcohol. The team won the MLS Cup for the first time in franchise history in just its fifth year of existence.

san diego padres

San Diego Padres

With hundreds of millions of dollars invested in roster payroll, the Padres’ off-the-field business is booming. The club sold a franchise-record 23,500 full-season equivalents for this season, prompting its first season-ticket waitlist. The team is projecting 49 sellouts this season after a record 26 in 2022. A jersey patch sponsorship with Motorola was the first in MLB to be signed. And the Padres’ City Connect program has been a hit, ranking in the top three across MLB for all-time sales.

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Golden State Warriors

En route to their fourth NBA title in eight seasons, the Warriors set an NBA record with more than $800 million in revenue and led the league in partnership revenue, merchandise sales, RSN viewership and social media following. The team has had 452 consecutive sellouts, while eclipsing $100 million in ticket revenue during the playoffs alone, and launched Golden State Entertainment, which produced the documentary “38 At the Garden,” about Jeremy Lin, that ran on HBO.