Mark Cuban's Harbinger Sports Partners acquires minority stake in Oakland Athletics

Author: Damilola Esebame Read Time: 5 minutes

Mark Cuban, the billionaire who spent two decades as one of the NBA's most prominent owners, has entered baseball. The franchise he chose has yet to play a single game in what will eventually become its permanent home city.

His firm, Harbinger Sports Partners, announced on July 23 that it had acquired a minority stake in the Athletics. The team currently plays at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento while its $2 billion domed stadium rises on the Las Vegas Strip ahead of a 2028 opening.

"We are minority investors looking to make our investors a lot of money," Cuban said in a statement.

As institutional money pours into baseball, everyday investors are left wondering: Is this a chance to get in, or is the opportunity still reserved for those with exclusive access?

Harbinger Brings Heavyweight Sports Experience to Its First Athletics Deal

The group around Cuban has deep operational roots in professional sports, major league governance, and large-scale venue management. Cuban serves as general partner and president of the Atlanta-based firm, which he helped launch in May 2025.

Key leadership includes:

• Rashaun Williams – Founder and chief investment officer; minority owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
• Steve Cannon – Co-founder and chief executive; vice chairman at AMB Sports and Entertainment, which oversees the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, MLS's Atlanta United, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
• Jonathan Mariner – Managing partner; previously served as chief financial officer for Major League Baseball and led the negotiations.

The Athletics deal marks Harbinger's first completed investment since the firm launched in May 2025, the group confirmed. Harbinger has raised more than $460 million toward a $750 million target and plans 10 to 12 franchise investments total.

A $2 Billion Stadium and Las Vegas Anchor the Athletics' Investment Thesis

The Athletics' impending relocation to Las Vegas sits at the center of Harbinger's rationale for choosing this particular franchise.

The domed ballpark on the former Tropicana Hotel site along Las Vegas Boulevard broke ground in June 2025. ESPN reported in May 2026 that the lower bowl and suite levels are taking shape, with upper-deck construction underway.

Rashaun Williams, Falcons minority owner, said stadium funding was secured and their investment is not a rescue:

"All of the money required to build the stadium was already committed two years ago... Fisher definitely doesn't need our money. We're not coming to bail anyone out by any means."

Key stadium and ticket data:

• First-available luxury suites have already sold out.
• 80% of behind-home-plate season-ticket packages have been purchased.
• Nevada and Clark County have committed up to $380 million in public financing toward the venue's total cost.

Williams described the deal as part of a long-term strategy focused specifically on the Las Vegas sports market. "Las Vegas represents one of the greatest sports investment opportunities of our generation," he said in the announcement.

The Athletics' Las Vegas move and new stadium underpin investors' confidence in the franchise's long-term growth and revenue potential. (NurPhoto/Getty Images)

MLB Franchise Values Are Climbing at Their Fastest Pace in Five Years

Cuban and his partners are not operating in a vacuum. Their purchase arrives during the sharpest upswing in baseball franchise valuations in recent years.