SportsLook

Founder & Editor

Khabir Uddin

Khabir Uddin is the founder and editor of SportsLook, which he has owned and operated independently since 2014. He sets the editorial standards this site is held to, including our rule that every price we publish is a real, checkable figure with the date it was checked.

EditorialSports Business

Articles by Khabir Uddin (41)

Original SportsLook editorial illustration for What is financial fair play in football?
Ownership

What is financial fair play in football?

Financial fair play rules limit how clubs fund squad costs and losses. Learn the UEFA framework, monitoring tests and common misconceptions.

Olympic medal and athlete payment documents on a desk
Salaries & Earnings

How Much Do Olympic Athletes Get Paid? Medals, Bonuses and Support

The IOC does not pay athletes a standard Olympic salary or medal bonus. National bodies, federations, sponsors and prize programmes determine what athletes actually receive.

Youth athletes and a parent with soccer, basketball and volleyball equipment outside a community school gym

What Does Youth Sports Cost? The National Average and the Access Gap

Project Play puts average primary-sport spending at $1,016 in 2024. See what that figure includes, how participation differs by income and state, and what NFHS data can show.

College athlete preparing a NIL brand pitch beside a phone, contract checklist, and camera
Salaries & Earnings

How to Get a NIL Deal: A Safe, Practical Guide for Athletes

Learn how to find a NIL deal, pitch the right brands, check contract terms, and protect eligibility, disclosures, and payment rights.

College athlete valuation worksheet with a football helmet, social analytics, and contract notes
Salaries & Earnings

How NIL Valuations Are Calculated: Models, Deals, and Limits

Learn how NIL valuations are calculated, which inputs providers use, and why an estimated value is not the same as a disclosed athlete paycheck.

Anonymous college football player holding a helmet beside contract papers and a valuation chart in a stadium tunnel
Salaries & Earnings

College Football NIL Rankings 2026: Top 10 Players

Darian Mensah leads the September 2026 college football NIL rankings. Compare the top 10 player values, source dates and model differences side by side.

Two high school athletes reviewing a signed NIL contract with a parent and advisor in a school office
Salaries & Earnings

High School NIL: Eligibility Rules, Deals, and Practical Safety Checks

A practical guide to whether and how high-school athletes can do NIL, including state-rule differences, timing risks, and what to review before signing.

Athlete and coach discussing NIL strategy over a contract tablet
Salaries & Earnings

NIL Agents Explained: What to Check Before You Sign

A practical guide to what a NIL agent does, what they can and cannot promise, and the contracts to review first.

Athlete, donor, and compliance review board discussing NIL collective support options
Salaries & Earnings

NIL Collectives Explained: Funding, Rules, and Red Flags

A plain-language guide to how NIL collectives are structured, how athletes are paid, and how to spot compliance and conflict risks.

A folded white towel and a plain unmarked athletic helmet on a worn wooden bench in an empty locker room, a row of lockers out of focus behind
Salaries & Earnings

College Athlete Pay: $20.5m a School, All Sports

The House settlement lets each school share about $20.5m with its athletes. One coach at one of those schools earns $13.3m — 65% of the whole pool.

A half-built concrete sports venue with exposed rebar and idle cranes under a bleached sky, weeds growing through the site

Cost to Host the Olympics: Every Games Goes Over

Every host city since the 1960s has exceeded its budget. Rio by 352%, Tokyo 280%. LA 2028 is already at $7.145bn — and the Games haven't started.

Three brass-barrelled darts with dark flights embedded in a worn plain sisal dartboard, lit from the side against a dim out-of-focus hall
Prize Money

Darts Prize Money: £5m, and £15,000 for Losing

The 2026 World Darts Championship paid £5 million. The winner took £1 million — and every one of the 128 entrants was guaranteed £15,000.

A muddy leather football in wet grass beside a peeling white corner post on a rough pitch, a small tin-roofed terrace out of focus behind
Prize Money

FA Cup Prize Money: £2,250 to £2,000,000

Winning a first qualifying round tie pays £2,250. Winning the final pays £2m. No other competition in football spans four orders of magnitude.

A fanned stack of plain blank membership cards beside a grey ballot box and a brass desk lamp on a dark wooden desk, empty tiered seats behind
Ownership

Fan-Owned Football Clubs: Four Left in Spain

Barcelona has 141,000 socios, Real Madrid about 100,000 — and Real Madrid is preparing outside investment that would break the model.

An empty aluminium coach's sideline bench on stadium turf at dawn with a coiled headset cable and a blank clipboard, empty tiers behind
Salaries & Earnings

Highest Paid College Football Coaches: $13.3m Top

Kirby Smart leads on $13.3m. Nine coaches clear $10m — and unlike football managers, these salaries are public record rather than reported estimates.

An empty floodlit tennis court at dusk with a racket bag resting against the net post and a scoreboard switched off
Salaries & Earnings

Highest Paid Female Athletes: Shut Out of the Top 50

Coco Gauff earned an estimated $33m — and still missed Forbes' top 50, which had no women for a third straight year. The cut-off was $54.6m.

An empty technical area beside a floodlit pitch at night, with a folded coat over the back of a dugout seat and a whiteboard face down
Salaries & Earnings

Highest Paid Football Managers: Simeone Leads on €35m

Diego Simeone earns a reported €35m a year at Atlético, well clear of Guardiola's £20m. Every figure is an estimate — here's why, and which to distrust.

A plain black coaching headset and a blank white tactics whiteboard lying on wet grass beside training cones, empty stadium seating out of focus behind
Salaries & Earnings

Highest Paid Rugby Coaches: £800,000 at the Top

Andy Farrell is reportedly rugby's best-paid coach on ~£800,000. The ninth-best-paid US college football coach earns roughly ten times that.

An empty indoor basketball arena with polished hardwood floor and tiered seating, lit by overhead spotlights from above the court
Salaries & Earnings

Highest Paid WNBA Players: The $1.4m Ceiling

Three players share the WNBA's 2026 maximum of $1.4m. Why A'ja Wilson is also reported at $1.67m — and why both figures are correct.

A large stadium under construction at dusk, a partly completed concrete bowl with exposed steel roof trusses and tower cranes standing over it
Stadiums & Arenas

How Long to Build a Stadium: 26 Months or 12 Years

AT&T Stadium took 26 months. Croke Park took twelve years. The difference isn't engineering — it's whether the ground has to keep hosting matches.

The white-painted timber rail of a horse racing track with dirt against its base and morning mist over the surface, an old grandstand out of focus behind
Tickets & Access

Kentucky Derby Tickets: The Sale Opened in June 2026

2027 Derby tickets went on sale at noon on 4 June 2026 — eleven months early. And unlike the Masters or the Ryder Cup, this one is not a ballot.

Six identical grey model football stadiums arranged on a polished boardroom table, each linked by a fine thread to a single brass pin at the centre
Ownership

Multi-Club Ownership: 42% of Europe's Biggest Clubs

City Football Group owns 13 clubs. Nearly 42% of Big Five league clubs sit under multi-club ownership — and UEFA's expanded format makes collisions likelier.

A glass-walled executive suite high inside a large stadium, looking down over an empty bowl at dusk, with an empty desk in the foreground
Ownership

Most Valuable Sports Teams: The NFL Owns the List

The Dallas Cowboys are worth $13bn — and NFL franchises take 13 of the top 20. Real Madrid leads world football on $9.5bn and still ranks outside the top five.

An empty boardroom table with leather chairs beside a tall window overlooking a floodlit football stadium at dusk
Ownership

Premier League Owners: Three Clubs Left in British Hands

Eleven of the twenty Premier League clubs are American-owned, including four of the big six. Only Brentford, Brighton and Tottenham remain fully British.

A referee's whistle, yellow and red cards and a folded flag laid on a wooden bench in a dim changing room, lit by a single overhead lamp
Salaries & Earnings

Premier League Referee Salary: 21 People, £250k Ceiling

Select Group One has 21 full-time referees on £72k–£148k basic plus £1,116 a match. The best earn £250,000 — about 1/80th of Guardiola's reported pay.

Eight identical small plain grey resin ball models in a row on a dark polished boardroom table, a single brass paperweight casting one shadow across them
Ownership

Private Equity in Sports: The NBA Went to Eight

Every major US league now allows private equity. The NFL caps it at 10%. And since December 2025 one NBA fund can hold stakes in eight teams.

A plain tarnished silver two-handled trophy cup with no markings standing beside a scuffed leather rugby ball on a dark wooden table
Prize Money

Six Nations Prize Money: There Isn't Any

Winning the Six Nations pays nothing. The money moved a different way — a private equity deal worth up to £365m whose instalments have just finished.

A darkened television control gallery with banks of blank monitors and an empty operator chair, lit only by desk lamps

Super Bowl Ad Cost: The Year Buyers Said No

Disney asked $10m for a 30-second Super Bowl LXI spot. Advertisers refused, it sold at $8–9m, then sold out. The first public pushback on Super Bowl pricing.

An empty motor-racing pit lane at dusk, a long row of identical closed grey garage shutters receding into the distance above wet reflective tarmac
Ownership

Who Owns Formula 1: And Why Red Bull Owns Two

Liberty Media bought F1 for $8bn in 2017 and it is now valued near $22bn. One group owns two of the eleven teams — something football would not permit.

Two old brass door keys of noticeably different sizes lying side by side on a green leather-topped desk beside a closed leather ledger
Ownership

Who Owns Manchester United: 69% vs 29%

The Glazers hold about 69% and the votes. Ratcliffe's INEOS holds 28.94% and runs football. Ownership and control sit with different people.

Basketball arena exterior divided between a city hall silhouette and a private ownership office
Ownership

Who Owns NBA Arenas? All 30 Teams Explained

See who owns and operates every NBA arena in 2026, which buildings are publicly owned, and why naming sponsors usually are not the owners.

Anonymous college football, basketball and female athletes standing behind a contract table in a media studio
Salaries & Earnings

Highest NIL Deals 2026: Overall, Women and High School

Darian Mensah leads the 2026 NIL rankings at $6.5 million. Compare the top overall, women's and high-school values, with methods and dates.

Anonymous football head coach wearing a headset and studying a play sheet under stadium lights
Salaries & Earnings

Highest-Paid NFL Coaches in 2026: Top 15 Salaries

Andy Reid and John Harbaugh lead the highest-paid NFL coaches at a reported $20 million. See the 2026 top 15 and contract details.

Three anonymous professional ice hockey players skating under arena lights in generic green, navy and burgundy uniforms
Salaries & Earnings

Highest-Paid NHL Players in 2026-27: Top 10

Kirill Kaprizov is the NHL's highest-paid player by cap hit at $17 million. See the 2026-27 top 10, contract values and salary-cap context.

Three anonymous professional women's basketball players in purple, gold and blue uniforms on an arena court
Salaries & Earnings

Top 20 Highest-Paid WNBA Players in 2026

See the top 20 highest-paid WNBA players in 2026. Three stars lead at $1.4 million, followed by Ezi Magbegor and a large $1.19 million tie.

Luxury basketball arena suite with financial papers and a metallic basketball sculpture
Ownership

15 Richest NBA Owners in 2026, Ranked by Net Worth

Steve Ballmer is the NBA's richest owner in 2026. See the top 15 ranked by estimated wealth, team, business source and ownership cost.

Football club boardroom overlooking a large red-seated North London stadium at dusk
Ownership

Who Owns Arsenal? Stan Kroenke, Josh Kroenke and KSE

Arsenal is 100% owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. See Stan and Josh Kroenke's roles, the takeover timeline, price and other KSE teams.

Executive suite overlooking a Bronx baseball stadium with a vintage baseball and investment papers
Ownership

Who Owns the Yankees? Steinbrenner Control Explained

The Steinbrenner family controls the Yankees through Yankee Global Enterprises. See Hal's role, Apollo's new stake and the ownership history.

Editorial illustration of diverse professional women walking through a creative workspace beside a football stadium

Footballers' Partners: 10 Careers Beyond the Touchline

Ten prominent partners of footballers profiled through their own careers in music, fashion, business, media and sport—not ranked by appearance.

Anonymous sports executive studying valuation charts above a football stadium
Ownership

Richest NFL Owners: All 32 Ranked by Net Worth

Every NFL ownership group ranked by owner net worth, with the year each bought in, what they paid, and what Forbes says the franchise is worth today.

Anonymous football-club owner in a boardroom overlooking a stadium at dusk
Ownership

Who Owns the Dallas Cowboys? Jerry Jones and a $13B Club

Jerry Jones has owned the Dallas Cowboys since 1989, when he paid $140 million. His net worth, the family's roles, and why the club is worth $13 billion.