In a move that has sent shockwaves through the world of professional sports, billionaire Julia Koch and her family have agreed to purchase a 10% minority stake in the NFL’s New York Giants, valuing the storied franchise at over $10 billion. This eye-popping figure, first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by sources to Axios, would mark the highest valuation ever reached in the sale of an NFL team—and, potentially, any professional sports team globally.
The deal, which emerged on September 4, 2025, is still subject to final agreement and must be approved by the league’s other owners. According to The Athletic and The Guardian, the transaction is slated to be presented to NFL owners for a vote at their October meeting. While the agreement could still fall apart before then, anticipation is building as the league and fans await what could be a landmark moment in sports business.
For the Mara and Tisch families, the transaction represents a significant—yet measured—shift. The two families, who have each held a 50% share of the Giants, will see their holdings reduced to 45% apiece, with the Koch family taking a 10% stake. Importantly, the deal does not provide the Kochs with a path to a controlling interest; the Mara and Tisch families remain firmly at the helm. John Mara, whose family has owned the Giants since the team’s founding in 1925, will continue as president and CEO, ensuring continuity at the top of one of the NFL’s most fabled organizations.
According to Sportico, the Giants’ new valuation places them as the third-most valuable NFL team, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys ($12.5 billion) and Los Angeles Rams ($10.7 billion), but surpassing the San Francisco 49ers, who earlier this year sold a 6.2% stake at an $8.6 billion valuation. The Giants’ $10 billion-plus price tag also eclipses the $6.05 billion paid by Josh Harris’ group for the Washington Commanders in 2023, a record for North American sports that now seems almost quaint by comparison.
Julia Koch, the widow of the late industrialist and political donor David Koch, is no stranger to the upper echelons of American wealth or New York’s sports scene. With an estimated net worth ranging from $74 billion to $81.2 billion, depending on the source (Forbes, Bloomberg), she is widely considered the richest woman in New York City and among the 20 wealthiest people in the world. Last year, Koch and her three children made headlines when they acquired a 15% stake in BSE Global, the parent company of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, WNBA’s New York Liberty, and Barclays Center, in a deal that valued the company at $6 billion. This latest move into the NFL cements the Koch family’s growing influence in New York’s sports landscape.
The deal’s scale is nothing short of historic. As The Guardian reports, the Kochs are paying more than $1 billion for their 10% interest. The transaction, if finalized, would not only set a new benchmark for NFL team sales but also surpass the $10 billion valuation reached earlier this year in the sale of a majority stake in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Such figures underscore the surging value of sports franchises, fueled by the NFL’s colossal media deals, global reach, and the league’s unique ability to draw in both fans and investors from all walks of life.
The Giants’ decision to explore the sale of a minority, non-controlling stake dates back to February 2025, when the Mara and Tisch families hired investment bank Moelis & Co. to help navigate the process. As The Associated Press and CNBC detailed, the franchise was already among the most valuable in the league, and the search for a suitable partner was conducted with an eye toward maintaining the Giants’ legacy and family stewardship. The Koch family’s deep pockets and recent forays into New York sports made them a natural fit.
Despite the magnitude of the deal, both the Giants and the Koch family have remained tight-lipped publicly. Representatives for both sides declined to comment when approached by The Athletic and The Guardian. Still, the excitement is palpable as the NFL season kicks off on September 4, 2025, with the Giants set to face the Commanders on Sunday, September 7. If the deal is ratified in October, it will cap a year of unprecedented activity in the upper reaches of sports ownership.
For the Mara and Tisch families, the sale is a strategic move rather than a retreat. The Giants, four-time Super Bowl champions, have been a family-run institution since Tim Mara founded the club a century ago. The Tisch family joined in 1991, and together, the two dynasties have shepherded the team through eras of triumph and challenge. The addition of the Kochs, with their financial firepower and growing sports portfolio, is seen as a way to further solidify the Giants’ future without ceding control or tradition.
Industry observers note that the Giants’ sale is part of a broader trend of skyrocketing franchise valuations and new capital flowing into professional sports. The NFL’s recent media rights deals, coupled with the league’s international ambitions and the unique scarcity of available ownership stakes, have created a perfect storm for record-setting transactions. As Sportico and CNBC have chronicled, even minority stakes in storied franchises are now fetching sums that would have seemed unimaginable just a decade ago.
Of course, the deal is not yet a done deal. The NFL’s ownership committee must still give its blessing, and league insiders caution that negotiations could unravel before the final vote. Nevertheless, the expectation is that the Kochs’ entry into the NFL club will be approved, given their financial standing and lack of a path to control. For fans, the move is unlikely to bring immediate changes on the field or in the executive suite, but it does signal a new era in the business of football—and perhaps a new chapter for one of New York’s most beloved teams.
As the Giants prepare for another season under the bright lights, the sale stands as a testament to the enduring allure—and escalating value—of professional sports in America. With the Koch family poised to join the ranks of NFL owners, all eyes will be on October’s league meeting, where history could be made once again.
