Haslam Sports Group paid $205 million for the National Women's Soccer League's 18th franchise, awarded to Columbus on Tuesday with play beginning in 2028. The fee is the highest in league history and 24% above the $165 million Atlanta committed last year for a team launching in 2026.
The Columbus deal does more than set a new benchmark. It ensures the league will collect the full $165 million from Atlanta's ownership group, which structured its payment with performance escalators tied to subsequent franchise sales. Haslam's check validated those triggers. The two expansion fees alone deliver $370 million in fresh capital to existing NWSL owners, who split expansion proceeds pro rata. For a league that sold its previous team—Bay FC—for $53 million in 2023, the Columbus price represents a 287% increase in 18 months.
Haslam Sports Group controls the NFL's Cleveland Browns and a minority stake in the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. The family office typically moves through Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's portfolio or independently through Pilot Flying J truck-stop wealth. The Columbus franchise will share personnel infrastructure with the Browns—legal, finance, analytics—but operate as a standalone P&L. The league required proof of stadium control before awarding the team. Columbus is expected to announce a venue partnership within 90 days, likely involving Historic Crew Stadium or a new downtown build tied to the city's hospitality district.
The $205 million figure matters most for what it does not include: media rights. The NWSL's current broadcast deal with CBS, ESPN, and Amazon runs through 2027 and pays roughly $60 million annually across all rights holders. Negotiations for the next cycle begin in early 2026. Columbus and Atlanta are the final expansion franchises before that renewal window closes. League executives have privately told potential ownership groups that valuations will reset upward once the next media deal is signed, likely in the $200 million to $250 million per year range. Haslam locked its entry price before that inflection.
Columbus becomes the fourth NWSL market in Ohio, Indiana, or Michigan, creating a Midwest cluster with scheduling and travel cost benefits. The city sits 140 miles from the Browns' facility in Berea, allowing Haslam staff to drive between properties on game days. That operational overlap is unusual in women's sports, where ownership groups typically run single-asset entities. The Browns employ 220 full-time staff; the NWSL team will start with roughly 40, but shared services in ticketing, sponsorship, and content production will lower per-employee cost.
The league now has 18 teams committed through 2028. Commissioner Jessica Berman has said publicly the league will pause expansion at 18 or 20 teams, depending on market demand. The next franchise fee—if there is one—will reflect post-2027 media rights. Early conversations with potential ownership groups in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Nashville have centered on $250 million to $300 million valuations, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Those numbers assume a media deal north of $200 million annually and continued attendance growth. The league averaged 11,250 fans per game in 2024, up 28% from 2023.
Haslam's team will inherit a player allocation process that begins in late 2027, when the expansion draft occurs. The Browns hired Callie Brownson as chief of staff in 2020, the first woman to hold that title in the NFL, and she remains with the organization. Whether she moves to the NWSL side or stays with the Browns is an open question, but the Browns' analytics group will almost certainly support Columbus roster construction. The league allows shared infrastructure as long as the teams maintain separate cap management and player personnel decisions.
Watch for Columbus to announce a jersey sponsor by mid-2026, roughly 18 months before play begins. Atlanta secured $8 million annually from Delta before its inaugural season. Columbus sits in a smaller market but benefits from Haslam's corporate relationships through the Browns and Pilot. The stadium partnership announcement will clarify whether the team plays in a renovated Crew Stadium or pursues a new build, which would delay sponsor negotiations until architectural renderings are available. The league's next board meeting is in March, when expansion revenue distribution will be finalized and Columbus formally joins ownership votes.
The takeaway
Haslam's **$205M** fee locks pre-media-rights pricing; next franchise—if any—reprices post-2027 at **$250M+**.
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