David Blitzer | |
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| Born | David Scott Blitzer (1969-09-07)September 7, 1969 (age 56) |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS) |
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| Employer | Blackstone (1991–present) |
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| Known for | First to own team equity in fivemajor sports leagues in the U.S. (NBA,NHL,NFL,MLS,MLB) |
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| Board member of | |
| Spouse | Allison Ross |
| Children | 5 |
David Scott Blitzer (born September 7, 1969) is an Americaninvestor andsports team owner. Blitzer is the chairman of theprivate equity firmBlackstone's tactical opportunities division and managing partner of theNew Jersey Devils ice hockey team and thePhiladelphia 76ers basketball team. He additionally owns severalassociation football clubs under Global Football Holdings and holds minority stakes in theCleveland Guardians baseball team and theWashington Commanders American football team. Blitzer is the first person to own team equity in the fivemajor professional sports leagues of the U.S.
Blitzer graduated from theWharton School of theUniversity of Pennsylvania. He joined Blackstone in 1991, where he served as the firm's global head of tactical opportunities from 2012 until transitioning to chairman in 2024. He andApollo Global Management co-founderJosh Harris are frequent partners, with the pair enteringsports business together in 2011 and establishingHarris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in 2017. Blitzer has an estimatednet worth of $3.6 billion as of 2025[update].
Blitzer was born on September 7, 1969, inScotch Plains, New Jersey. He graduated fromScotch Plains-Fanwood High School in 1987 and graduatedmagna cum laude from theWharton School of theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1991.[1] Blitzer joined the private equity firmBlackstone shortly after graduation and worked out ofLondon from 2001 to 2011 to oversee the company's interests in Europe.[2] He is a member of their management committee and headed their global Tactical Opportunities group from 2012 until stepping down and becoming chairman in November 2024.[3][4]
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Blitzer began contemplating investing in sports after meetingApollo Global Management co-founderJosh Harris in 2008 atThe Punch Bowl, a pub in London.[5] By 2011, those talks led to the pair forming an investment group that purchased thePhiladelphia 76ers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) for $280 million.[6][7] Other initial members of the group includedArt Wrubel,Jason Levien,Adam Aron,Martin Geller,David Heller,James Lassiter,Marc Leder,Michael Rubin,Will Smith,Jada Pinkett Smith, andErick Thohir.[8][9] In August 2013, Blitzer and Harris purchased theNew Jersey Devils of theNational Hockey League (NHL) and their arena, thePrudential Center, for $320 million.[10] Blitzer and investor David Abrams headed a group that owned 50% of theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, theTriple-A affiliate of theNew York Yankees, from 2014 until selling toDiamond Baseball Holdings in 2021.[11][12]
Blitzer co-foundedHarris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment with Harris in 2017. In addition to the 76ers and Devils, the company also owns theNBA G League'sDelaware Blue Coats, theAmerican Hockey League'sUtica Comets, esports teamDignitas of New Meta Entertainment,[13][14] HBSE Real Estate, sports tech venture capital firm HBSE Ventures,[15] and marketing, hospitality, and event ticketing company Elevate Sports Ventures.[16] In January 2022, Blitzer andQualtrics co-founderRyan Smith purchasedReal Salt Lake ofMajor League Soccer (MLS) andAmerica First Field, which included the affiliatedReal Monarchs andZions Bank Stadium.[17][18] The pair also reestablished theUtah Royals of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which had gone defunct in 2020 and became theKansas City Current.[19] He sold Real Salt Lake, the Royals, and America First Field toGail Miller in April 2025, with him remaining as a minority investor.[20] Blitzer purchased a 25 percent stake in the MLB'sCleveland Guardians in June 2022, with an option to acquire controlling interest in 2028.[21][22] Blitzer is the first person to hold team equity in fivemajor professional sports leagues of North America: the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLS, and MLB.[23]
Blitzer purchased an 18% stake in the English football clubCrystal Palace in 2015.[24][25] He later formed Global Football Holdings, which has invested inEstoril Praia (Portugal),[26]Alcorcón (Spain),[27]Beveren (Belgium),[28]FC Augsburg (Germany),[29]ADO Den Haag (Netherlands),[26] andBrøndby (Denmark).[30] In 2020, Blitzer and Harris bought a $140 million stake in thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL).[31] In 2023, he was a part of another group led by Harris that purchased the NFL'sWashington Commanders for $6.05 billion.[32][33] The same year, Blitzer invested in the return ofSlamBall, a basketball league combining elements of other sports,[34] and bought a minority stake inJoe Gibbs Racing by way of HBSE in 2023.[35] He was named to the NHL's Executive Committee in October 2023, which is responsible for vetting new ownership applications, collective bargaining, and league expansion.[36] Blitzer and professional golferTiger Woods are owners of theJupiter Links Golf Club of thevirtual golf leagueTGL, founded in 2023.[37]
In 2024, he sold his stake in the Steelers toArt Rooney II andThomas Tull.[38] Blitzer is a member of College Sports Tomorrow, a group formed in 2024 consisting of 20 pro team owners, league executives, and college administrators proposing an overhaul tocollege football, including abolishingconferences and reorganizingPower Five schools in seven divisions of ten each with a system ofpromotion and relegation for the rest, in addition to changes toNIL deals and thetransfer portal.[39] Blitzer and Harris have also invested in youth sports brands, forming Unrivaled Sports as a parent company in March 2024 with capital fromThe Chernin Group.[40][41] He was among a group of investors in Major League Table Tennis andLOVB Pro, a women's indoor volleyball league, in 2024 and the Snow League, a snowboarding and freestyle skiing league created byShaun White, in 2025.[42][43][44] In June 2025, HBSE was awarded aPhiladelphia WNBA team to begin play in 2030.[45] In June 2025, Blitzer became a co-owner ofLOVB Austin withPeter Holt andAmy Griffin.[46]
| Team | League | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers | National Basketball Association (NBA) | 2011 | Co-managing partner withJosh Harris. Includes theDelaware Blue Coats of theNBA G League. |
| New Jersey Devils | National Hockey League (NHL) | 2013 | Managing partner with Harris. Includes thePrudential Center and theUtica Comets of theAmerican Hockey League. |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | NASCAR | 2023 | Limited partner with Harris. |
| Philadelphia WNBA team | Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) | 2025 | Managing partner with Harris. |
| Team | League | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estoril Praia | Primeira Liga | 2019 | Owner |
| Alcorcón | Segunda División | Owner | |
| Beveren | Challenger Pro League | 2020 | Co-owner withJahm Najafi andJeff Moorad |
| FC Augsburg | Bundesliga | 2021 | Co-owner with Klaus Hofmann; 45% stake |
| ADO Den Haag | Eerste Divisie | Owner | |
| Brøndby | Danish Superliga | 2022 | Owner (50.1%) |
| Team | League | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders | International League | 2014 | 50% stake with David Abrams. Sold toDiamond Baseball Holdings in 2021. |
| Crystal Palace | Premier League | 2015 | General partner withSteve Parish,John Textor, and Josh Harris; 18% stake |
| Cleveland Guardians | Major League Baseball (MLB) | 2022 | Limited partner; 25% stake with the option to become majority owner in 2028 |
| Washington Commanders | National Football League (NFL) | 2023 | Limited partner under Josh Harris |
| Jupiter Links Golf Club | TGL | Co-owner withTiger Woods | |
| Real Salt Lake | Major League Soccer (MLS) | 2025 | Limited partner; co-owned withRyan Smith from 2022 until selling toGail Miller in 2025 |
| Utah Royals | National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) | ||
| LOVB Austin | LOVB Pro | Co-owner withPeter Holt andAmy Griffin |
Blitzer is Jewish.[47] He is married to Allison (née Ross) Blitzer; they have five children.[48] His net worth was estimated in June 2025 to be $3.6 billion.[48] Blitzer's father-in-law, Stuart Ross—who once owned the North American rights toThe Smurfs franchise—was convicted of extortion in 2010 and sentenced to five years of probation after attempting to extort $11 million from Blitzer.[49][50] He is also a donor toHillel International, supporting programs that assist Jewish students in higher education.[51]
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