Richard Allan Rubano

Partner

Global Co-Chair, Media, Sport and Entertainment Sector

Emailrichard.rubano@us.dlapiper.com

Call+1 212 335 4624

New York

About

Richard Rubano has extensive experience advising clients worldwide on matters related to sports, media and entertainment, including buyers, sellers, financial investors (PE funds, sovereign wealth funds, etc) and sports franchises in the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, and various European football leagues.

Richard has led some of the Media, Sports and Entertainment (MSE) sector’s most high-profile transactions, including structuring and negotiating mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, controlling and non-controlling equity investments and recapitalizations of premiere sports properties; as well as structuring bid groups, consortiums, industry-focused funds, and other complex joint ventures.

In addition to his work in the MSE sector, Richard has led numerous transactions in the broader private equity and merger and acquisition (M&A) markets; and acts as an advisor to the firm's clients on a wide range of general business law and governance matters.

Areas of FocusMedia, Sports and Entertainment Corporate Private Equity Finance

Bar admissionsNew York

EXPERIENCE

Richard's experience includes the representation of:

The Sarver ownership group in its sale of the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury basketball teams for an NBA record-breaking enterprise value of $4b
The Mansour family in their acquisition of the expansion rights to San Diego FC for an MLS record-breaking expansion fee
Qatar Investment Authority in its investment in Monumental Sports and Entertainment (owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics), the first investment by a sovereign wealth fund in a US sports franchise
Ares Management Corporation in its $150m preferred equity investment in Inter Miami CF, as well as its follow-on $75m preferred equity investment
The lead-investor in a consortium pursuing the acquisition of the Washington Commanders
The lead-investor in a consortium pursuing the acquisition of Chelsea
Multiple franchises in connection with investments by private equity funds
Multiple limited partner investors in a consortium pursuing the acquisition of the Denver Broncos
AS Roma SPV, LLC, the majority shareholder of Italian soccer club AS Roma, in its sale of its controlling interest in the team and related assets
Tilman J. Fertitta in his acquisition of the Houston Rockets NBA franchise, including the operating rights to the Toyota Center Arena, for a then-record purchase price of $2.2b
Theodore Segal in his acquisition of the Houston Dynamo MLS franchise and the Houston Dash NWSL franchise
Bennett Rosenthal, Larry Berg and Brandon Beck in their acquisition of a controlling interest in Los Angeles Football Club
The ownership group of the Atlanta Hawks in its $700m+ sale of the NBA franchise and operating rights to the arena
Arthur M. Blank in the acquisition of the expansion rights to Atlanta United FC
Abu Dhabi United Group in the acquisition of the expansion rights to New York City Football Club
Stephen Ross in his acquisition of the Miami Dolphins football franchise and Dolphin Stadium
Northland Investment Corporation and Larry Gottesdiener in the acquisition of the Atlanta Dream WNBA franchise
Laura Ricketts and Laura Desmond in connection with the investment in the Chicago Sky WNBA franchise