When considering investment options, it's natural to want to put your money where your heart is and invest in some of your favorite products. However, investing in professional sports teams isn't as easy as you might think. Very few American sports teams are publicly traded, making direct investment tricky. Your options for investing in professional sports are greater if you're interested in international sports teams, but if you really want to invest in American professional sports you'll have to be creative.
Step 1
Decide which team you want to invest in. Many people have favorite teams, and want to invest in them directly. However, in American sports, the only team that offers direct investment options as of 2013 are the Green Bay Packers, and that stock is offered infrequently and does not provide dividends. On the other hand, most European sports teams are publicly traded and buying stock in their organization is a simple matter of contacting your broker.
Step 2
Look into the companies that own the team you want to invest in. Many teams are owned by an entity with other holdings that you can invest in. For example, Micky Arison owns the Miami Heat and controlling interest in Carnival Corporation, the cruise ship company.While you cannot buy stock in the Heat, you can buy stock in Carnival.
Step 3
Consider an exchange traded fund that includes the company that owns your favorite team. This provides a more diversified option than buying stock in a single company, making it a less risky way to invest in your team. An exchange traded fund is a fund that owns portions of several companies. Purchasing a share of an exchange traded fund gives you access to each of those companies. Research the past performance of the fund before you make your purchase.
Step 4
Contact your broker and invest in the company or fund you have chosen. If your brokerage account allows online trades you can do this online yourself. Bear in mind that your brokerage may have a minimum investment amount and a per trade fee, and some stock purchases or funds have a minimum investment amount as well.
