Ep 199: Marc Lasry - Private Equity’s Play in the World of Sport

In this episode of Inside the Rope, David Clark sits down with legendary investor Marc Lasry, co-founder and CEO of Avenue Capital and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. Lasry unpacks the explosive growth of private equity in the global sports industry—where financial returns meet passionate fandom. From his journey as a Moroccan-born immigrant to building a $25 billion investment firm, Lasry offers a firsthand look at why sports franchises are no longer just vanity assets for billionaires, but a scalable, investable asset class ripe with opportunity. He shares how Avenue Capital approaches sports as a structured, revenue-generating investment with tangible upside through ticketing, sponsorship, and media rights. We explore his early bets on underappreciated assets like pickleball and women’s sport, and how digitisation, fantasy, and fan engagement are reshaping the commercial landscape. This conversation is essential listening for investors seeking uncorrelated returns, exposure to global entertainment, and insights from one of the foremost minds in distressed debt and opportunistic investing.