Frank Saviano

Frank’s experience includes representing:

Sports Team M&A

• Carlyle in its investment in Seattle Reign FC, an NWSL franchise
• Mark Cuban in the sale of the controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson and Dumont families
• Dynasty Equity in its investment in Liverpool F.C.
• Sixth Street in its acquisition of Bay FC, an NWSL expansion franchise
• Endeavor in its sale of the Rio Open ATP 500 tournament to Mubadala
• Diamond Baseball Holdings, a Silver Lake portfolio company, in the acquisition of over 25 MLB Professional Development League Clubs
• Endeavor in the acquisition of multiple MLB Professional Development League Clubs and the creation of Diamond Baseball Holdings and subsequent sale of Diamond Baseball Holdings to Silver Lake
• Owners of the Carolina Panthers in the sale to David Tepper*
• Shahid Khan in his acquisition of the Jacksonville Jaguars*
• Alan Kestenbaum in an investment in the Atlanta Falcons*
• The NBA in its acquisition and subsequent sale of the New Orleans Hornets*
• Olympique Lyonnais Groupe in its acquisition of Reign FC*
• Dyal Capital in various investments in the Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks
• Michael Dell in an investment in the San Antonio Spurs
• Michael Dell in an investment in the WNBA
• Stan Middleman in an investment in the Philadelphia Phillies

Sports and Media Strategic M&A & Joint Ventures

• EverPass Media, a RedBird Capital Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of UPshow and investment by TKO Group Holdings
• Houston Rockets in the acquisition of AT&T SportsNet Southwest with the Houston Astros
• TWG Global (holding company of Mark Walter) and Billie Jean King Enterprises in a joint venture with the International Tennis Federation to form the Billie Jean King Cup (the women’s World Cup of Tennis)
• RedBird Capital Partners in a transaction with the NFL to form EverPass Media
• Sixth Street in the creation of the Soccer Champions Tour
• 888 Holdings in its exclusive US sports betting partnership with the Sports Illustrated brand and related equity issuance
• Blackstone Tactical Opportunities in its investment in Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES)*
• Soccer United Marketing in an investment by Providence Equity Partners and the subsequent repurchase of Providence Equity’s stake*
• Bruin Sports Capital and RedBird Capital Partners in a transaction with the NFL to form On Location Experiences*
• Bruin Sports Capital in its acquisition of deltatre, a sports digital media company*
• Owners of the Detroit Pistons in the formation of 313 Presents, an entertainment joint venture with the owners of the Red Wings to manage concert venues in the greater Detroit area*

Other Significant Transactions

• Media rights transactions for major sports leagues, teams and networks, including NASCAR, Pac-12 Conference, Big East Conference, MLS, United States Soccer Federation, the USGA, the Detroit Pistons, and the CW Network*
• Dapper Labs in transactions with the NBA for “NBA Top Shot” and NFL for “NFL All Day” NFT offerings
• The New York Islanders in the lease and development of the Belmont Park Arena*
• NASCAR in the development of its landmark charter membership system with its Sprint Cup Series teams*
• The Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee in its partnership with NBCUniversal for the sale of Olympic sponsorship opportunities*
• The BIG EAST Conference in the establishment of the “new” BIG EAST Conference, including its agreement with Madison Square Garden and negotiations with incoming member institutions*
• The Detroit Pistons in arena lease negotiations for their relocation to the Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham