Frank Saviano, P.C.
Overview
Frank Saviano is a corporate partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He advises on complex, business-critical corporate matters across the sports and media industries. He represents a broad range of clients, including private capital firms, strategic companies, professional teams and owners, sports leagues, financial institutions, media networks and companies operating at the intersection of sports and adjacent sectors.
Frank has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the sports industry by numerous publications. Variety named him in its Dealmakers Elite list in 2017 and Dealmakers Impact Report in 2019–2020. He has also been recognized by Leaders in Sport, Chambers USA, Law360, The Legal 500 United States and Euromoney. He was listed in the Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame, after naming him to the Forty Under 40 list in 2015, 2018 and 2019. The Hollywood Reporter named him to its inaugural Top Sports Lawyers list in 2025 and The National Law Journal named him as an NLJ Trailblazer for Sports, Gaming & Entertainment Law in 2021.
Experience
Representative Matters
Professional Sports Teams
- Sixth Street in its minority investment in the New England Patriots
- Tom Dundon in the purchase of a controlling interest in the Portland Trailblazers from the estate of Paul Allen*
- Sixth Street in its investment in the San Francisco Giants*
- Carlyle in its investment in Seattle Reign FC, an NWSL franchise*
- Mark Cuban in the sale of the controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson and Dumont families*
- Dynasty Equity in its investment in Liverpool F.C.*
- Sixth Street in its acquisition of Bay FC, an NWSL expansion franchise*
- Diamond Baseball Holdings, a Silver Lake portfolio company, in the acquisition of over 40 MLB Professional Development League Clubs*
- Endeavor in the acquisition of multiple MLB Professional Development League Clubs and the creation of Diamond Baseball Holdings and subsequent sale of Diamond Baseball Holdings to Silver Lake*
- Owners of the Carolina Panthers in the sale to David Tepper*
- Shahid Khan in his acquisition of the Jacksonville Jaguars*
- Alan Kestenbaum in an investment in the Atlanta Falcons*
- The NBA in its acquisition and subsequent sale of the New Orleans Hornets*
- Olympique Lyonnais Groupe in its acquisition of Reign FC*
- Various investors in minority investments in the Las Vegas Raiders*
- Dyal Capital in various investments in the Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks*
- Michael Dell in an investment in the San Antonio Spurs*
- Michael Dell in an investment in the WNBA*
- Stan Middleman in an investment in the Philadelphia Phillies*
Sports and Media
- Endeavor in its sale of its tennis tournament portfolio, including the ATP 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments — Miami Open and Mutua Madrid Open — to MARI*
- Endeavor in its sale of WME Football and WME Basketball*
- Endeavor in its sale of the Rio Open ATP 500 tournament to Mubadala*
- Dynasty Equity in its investment in Unrivaled Sports*
- EverPass Media, a RedBird Capital Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of UPshow and investment by TKO Group Holdings*
- Houston Rockets in the acquisition of AT&T SportsNet Southwest with the Houston Astros*
- TWG Global (holding company of Mark Walter) and Billie Jean King Enterprises in a joint venture with the International Tennis Federation to form the Billie Jean King Cup (the women’s World Cup of Tennis)*
- RedBird Capital Partners in a transaction with the NFL to form EverPass Media*
- Sixth Street in the creation of the Soccer Champions Tour*
- 888 Holdings in its exclusive U.S. sports betting partnership with the Sports Illustrated brand and related equity issuance*
- Blackstone Tactical Opportunities in its investment in Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES)*
- Soccer United Marketing in an investment by Providence Equity Partners and the subsequent repurchase of Providence Equity’s stake*
- Bruin Sports Capital and RedBird Capital Partners in a transaction with the NFL to form On Location Experiences*
- Bruin Sports Capital in its acquisition of deltatre, a sports digital media company*
- Owners of the Detroit Pistons in the formation of 313 Presents, an entertainment joint venture with the owners of the Red Wings to manage concert venues in the greater Detroit area*
Other Significant Transactions
- Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.’s independent special committee in connection with a transaction support agreement and amendments to the media rights agreements between New York Knicks, New York Rangers and MSG Networks Inc. as part of MSG Networks’ debt work-out process with its lenders*
- Media rights transactions for major sports leagues, teams and networks, including NASCAR, Pac-12 Conference, Big East Conference, MLS, United States Soccer Federation, the USGA, the Detroit Pistons and the CW Network*
- The New York Islanders in the lease and development of the Belmont Park Arena*
- NASCAR in the development of its landmark charter membership system with its Sprint Cup Series teams*
- The BIG EAST Conference in the establishment of the “new” BIG EAST Conference, including its agreement with Madison Square Garden and negotiations with incoming member institutions*
- The Detroit Pistons in arena lease negotiations for their relocation to the Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit*
*Prior to joining Kirkland
Prior Experience
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- New York
Education
- University of Virginia School of LawJ.D.2009
- Trinity CollegeB.A.2003