Just ahead of their 2025 NFL season kickoff, the New York Giants have agreed to sell a 10% minority stake to Julia Koch and her family. The deal would value the franchise at more than $10 billion, the highest valuation ever recorded for a sports team. As reported by Bloomberg, the transaction is pending final negotiations and approval by both parties, with a presentation to NFL owners expected in October.
Julia Koch and her family are expected to pay more than $1 billion for the minority interest, which would alter the team’s structure without changing its primary leadership. The Giants, founded in 1925, have been owned by the Mara family since their establishment. The Tisch family entered the ownership structure in 1991 by purchasing half of the team, creating an equal 50–50 split that has remained in place for over three decades.
Following the proposed sale, both the Mara and Tisch families would see their holdings reduced to 45%. John Mara would continue to serve as president and chief executive officer, maintaining control of team operations and long-standing family oversight. The Giants first signaled their intent to sell a non-controlling interest in February, when the organization retained Moelis & Co., an investment bank, to explore opportunities. The announcement aligned with broader trends in professional sports, where record valuations and growing investor interest have pushed teams to consider new ways of raising capital.
Courtesy of The New York Giants (YouTube)
In 2024, the NFL approved a policy change that allowed private equity investment in team ownership, immediately opening the floodgates for outside capital. The Giants’ deal comes just months after a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers was sold at a $10 billion valuation, which was then a record for any sports franchise. If the Koch family acquires a minority stake in the Giants at a valuation of $10 billion, the deal would establish a new record for the highest valuation in NFL history, leapfrogging Josh Harris’ $6.05 billion takeover of the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder in 2023.
According to CNBC’s 2025 team valuations, the Giants are now the third-most valuable team in the NFL. Only the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys hold higher estimated valuations at $10.7 billion and $12.5 billion respectively. In recent years, the Koch family has grown its footprint in New York’s sports and entertainment industry. In 2024, Koch and her three children acquired a 15% stake in BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and Barclays Center, in a deal that valued the group at $6 billion.
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The New York Giants have a storied history that features four Super Bowl victories in the modern era. The team claimed championships in the 1986, 1990, 2007, and 2011 seasons. In recent years, performance has declined, with the franchise reaching the playoffs only twice since the 2011 championship. Over the past twelve seasons, the team has recorded only two winning seasons, highlighting ongoing challenges in returning to its former prominence on the field.
Julia Koch is the third richest woman and the 20th richest person in the world, with a reported net worth of over $81.2 billion. She inherited her ownership in Koch Industries in 2019 following the death of her husband, David Koch. The family controls 42% of the company, one of the largest privately held conglomerates in the United States. In parallel with its corporate holdings, Koch has held leadership roles in philanthropic foundations focused on healthcare, education, and the arts.
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Julia presides over the David H. Koch Foundation, which reported more than $200 million in charitable contributions as of 2022. She also created the Julia Koch Family Foundation, which supports a variety of cultural and scientific institutions. Between 2007 and 2017, she and David Koch donated an average of $63 million annually to nonprofit causes, ranging from medical research to public arts initiatives.
