The future of MLB, the WNBA and more

SBJ asked Dealmakers attendees for their thoughts — submitted anonymously — on some of the industry’s biggest storylines:

Private equity’s entry to college sports was a hot topic throughout the conference, and half of the crowd was bullish on institutional capital backing teams and conferences. Nearly one-third of the respondents were selling.Is AI investing a bubble? Only 8% of Dealmakers attendees said “no.”The potential for an MLB work stoppage was the most divisive question: 40% of respondents thought the league will successfully navigate its upcoming labor negotiations, while 47% expected MLB to lose games in 2027.Nearly two-thirds of the crowd was bullish on the WNBA’s long-term prospects, though a not-so-small minority of 18% thought it was time to sell.No topic garnered more consensus than the potential for North American soccer to leverage next summer’s World Cup: Nearly 80% of voters saw more growth to come.