Zawyer Sports

What Zawyer Sports does

Zawyer Sports & Entertainment is a privately-held sports holding company founded in 2018 by Andy Kaufmann and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The company owns, operates, or manages more than a dozen professional sports teams spanning the ECHL (Jacksonville Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Allen Americans, Atlanta Gladiators), AHL (Charlotte Checkers), SPHL (Greensboro Gargoyles, Mobile Mysticks), Atlantic League baseball (Gastonia Ghost Peppers), and the newly launched UPSHOT women's professional basketball league, with consulting arrangements extending to Tahoe Knight Monsters, Augusta Lynx, and the Ghost Pirates Ice Cove facility. The portfolio includes sports and entertainment venues (Community First Igloo, Ghost Pirates Ice Cove) and an in-house marketing and merchandising services arm built around 32 Degrees Marketing, C3 Agency (acquired 2023), and Expert T's (acquired 2023).

The company is not a technology business: its core capability is multi-property sports team operations, venue management, ticket and sponsorship sales, and community programming. Revenue is generated primarily through ticketing, season memberships, concessions, merchandise, corporate partnerships, premium seating, facility rentals, and programming at owned venues, with incremental revenue from 32 Degrees Marketing and C3 Agency services sold to both internal teams and external clients. GTM is sales-led and locally oriented, leveraging direct box office and online ticketing, group and season-membership sales, corporate sponsorship activation through a dedicated VP of Corporate Activation, and a ticket-resale partnership with Fan Cave.

Customer segments include sports fans and families (primary B2C), corporate partners and sponsors (primary B2B), and youth/community program participants. The company is backed by a roster of athlete-investors including Tim Tebow, Kevin Harvick, Daniel Murphy, J.J. Jansen, Myles Jack, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Regan Smith, and maintains formal player-development affiliation agreements with five NHL franchises (Buffalo Sabres, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators). The management team combines hockey operations veterans with executives recruited from NFL organizations (Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets) and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, supporting a deliberate institutional buildout across C-suite functions completed in 2024.

Name

Zawyer Sports

Legal name

Zawyer Sports & Entertainment

Website

https://zawyersports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Zawyer Sports & Entertainment is a privately-held sports holding company that owns, operates, and manages 13+ professional sports teams across hockey, baseball, and women's basketball leagues, along with sports venues and a marketing agency, serving fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities across the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Management & Live Entertainment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Other Spectator Sports (711219), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Franchise Ownership Groups & Multi-Club Organizations (Multi-team owners, holding companies) (MPAKABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management (MPAKAKAJ)

Keywords

• Minor league hockey
• Sports entertainment management
• Arena venue operations
• Corporate sponsorship activation
• Professional sports franchises

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Professional Sports Team Operations: Owns and operates multiple professional sports franchises across hockey (ECHL, AHL, SPHL), baseball (Atlantic League), and women's basketball (UPSHOT League). Revenue generated through ticket sales, merchandise, concessions, and team operations.
2. Venue and Facility Operations: Operates sports facilities including Community First Igloo, Ghost Pirates Ice Cove, CaroMont Health Park, and consults on operations for Martin Luther King Jr. Arena. Revenue from facility rentals, public skating, programming, and food/beverage.
3. Marketing and Advertising Services: 32 Degrees Marketing and C3 Agency provide full-service marketing including graphic design, promotional items, screen printing, embroidery, branding, video production, SEO/SEM, and media buying to corporate partners and external clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zawyer Sports owns, operates, and manages a portfolio of minor league professional sports franchises (primarily ECHL and AHL hockey teams and the UPSHOT women's basketball league) along with the arenas in which they play. The company also runs in-house marketing agencies (32 Degrees Marketing and C3 Agency) that sell sponsorship activation and marketing services to corporate clients, and operates the Zawyer Sports Foundation for community programs.

Product overview

Zawyer Sports is a sports entertainment holding company operating a portfolio of professional sports teams and facilities. The portfolio spans professional hockey teams across multiple leagues (ECHL, SPHL, AHL, Southern Professional Hockey League) including the Jacksonville Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Greensboro Gargoyles, Charlotte Checkers, Mobile Mysticks, and Gastonia Ghost Peppers; basketball teams in the NBA G League such as the Greensboro Swarm, College Park Skyhawks, Grand Rapids Gold, and Austin Spurs; women's professional basketball with the Greensboro Ghouls; and the newly announced UPSHOT League professional basketball league. The company also operates the 32 Degrees Marketing agency for sports marketing services and manages facilities including the Community First Igloo and Savannah Civic Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jacksonville Icemen

Quantifiable outcome

• Jacksonville Icemen led ECHL in attendance for 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jacksonville Armada FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZawyer Sports serves as official Operating Partner for Jacksonville Armada FC soccer team. Zawyer would handle ticket sales, operations, marketing support, customer service, corporate partnership sales, game day operations, and stadium facility management for the club's new downtown soccer-specific stadium.
• Fan CaveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFan Cave is the preferred ticket resale partner of the Jacksonville Icemen, along with nearly a dozen other ECHL and AHL teams. Uses unique purchasing solutions tailored to each franchise based on sales goals and secondary market demand to eliminate ticketing risk.
• Buffalo SabrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJacksonville Icemen are ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, providing player development pipeline relationship.
• Vegas Golden KnightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSavannah Ghost Pirates are ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, providing player development pipeline relationship.
• Florida PantherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharlotte Checkers are AHL affiliate of the NHL's Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Partnership is pivotal for development of Panthers Pipeline and roster.
• Ottawa SenatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllen Americans are ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Ottawa Senators.
• Nashville PredatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlanta Gladiators are ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Nashville Predators.
• Brooks RehabilitationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brooks Rehabilitation Adaptive Sports and Recreation program provides discounted ice rental for sled hockey participants, enabling people with disabilities to participate in ice sports.
• City of SavannahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Savannah partnered with Savannah Ghost Pirates for the team to operate Martin Luther King Jr. Arena throughout the 2022-23 season.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pegula Sports & Entertainment: Terry and Kim Pegula's privately held sports ownership group controlling the Buffalo Bills (NFL), Buffalo Sabres (NHL), and Rochester Americans (AHL). Highly comparable to Zawyer's NHL/AHL/ECHL stack in Buffalo/Rochester, and the Rochester Amerks map directly to the Zawyer tier of hockey operations.
• Fenway Sports Group: John Henry's sports holding company owning the Boston Red Sox (MLB), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), and Liverpool FC (EPL), plus partial holdings in other properties. Direct comparable as a multi-team, multi-league ownership group pursuing scale across geographies and sports categories.
• Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. Publicly traded sports holding company operating the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL). Multi-league team operator with material hockey and basketball exposure, comparable in structure (though not in scale) to Zawyer's hockey+basketball portfolio.
• Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: Stan Kroenke's privately held entity holding the Los Angeles Rams (NFL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Arsenal FC (EPL), and other sports properties. Comparable in being a multi-sport, multi-league ownership holding structure.
• Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG): The largest owner/operator of sports and live entertainment venues globally, with stakes in the LA Kings (NHL), LA Galaxy (MLS), and multiple arena management contracts. Comparable as a multi-property sports holding company spanning leagues and venues, though at far larger scale and with NHL direct ownership.
• Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment: Josh Harris's sports holding company that owns the New Jersey Devils (NHL), Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), and minority stakes in other properties. Multi-league ownership with venue interests makes it directly comparable as a multi-team operator across hockey and basketball.
• TKO Group Holdings: Publicly traded sports and entertainment holding company operating the UFC, WWE, and Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Comparable as a multi-property operator across combat/individual sports with venue and event revenue models similar in shape (though not in sport) to Zawyer's league portfolio.
• Monumental Sports & Entertainment: Operates the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Mystics (WNBA), and Capital One Arena. Direct comparable as a multi-team, multi-league ownership group with venue control, though anchored by major league franchises.

Emerging players

• Athletes Unlimited: Innovator operating player-led women's sports leagues in volleyball, basketball, softball, and lacrosse with a season-format scoring model. Direct adjacent comparable to Zawyer's UPSHOT women's basketball league as a fellow new-economy women's sports operator experimenting with league design and consumer pricing.
• Unrivaled Basketball: Recently launched women's professional basketball league featuring WNBA stars in a 3v3, off-season format founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Comparable to UPSHOT League as a women's basketball competitor entering the market at the same time Zawyer is launching its UPSHOT franchises.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ZawyerSports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zawyer Sports