Manchester United are the best-known football club in the English-speaking world and their claim to have over a billion fans worldwide means they are ripe to expand into other sports.
In the 1980s, United ran a basketball team that played in Stretford. They won the National Basketball League championship in 1986, triumphing over a field that contained a smattering of other English clubs.
At European level, Sharp Manchester United, as they were known for sponsorship reasons, also took on Barcelona and Real Madrid, who still operate commercially successful basketball teams to this day.
On the continent, there is generally less resistance to the multi-sports model, where a club’s owners unite several teams under one badge. It is common for teams in Spain, Portugal and Turkey, for instance, to trace their roots back to broader sports clubs, not just football.
Should Manchester United branch out into other sports?
There have been a few attempts to try something similar on this side of the English Channel in the 21st century.
As co-owner of Formula 1’s Mercedes teams, Sir Jim Ratcliffe will no doubt remember the Superleague Formula, which ran between 2008 and 2011 and Liverpool, Tottenham, Rangers, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Galatasaray.
Nearly all of these expansion projects have fallen flat, but there has been something of a revival in this department in recent years. And this is distinct from the multi-club projects and share ownership structures that have become popular, including with Ineos, who also own OGC Nice and Lausanne Sport.
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The Glazers, for example, have held talks about acquiring a franchise in the breakaway rugby union R360, alongside Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group and Leeds United minority investors Red Bull, although that would likely be as a separate investment to their clubs.
Further down the pyramid, Leyton Orient have won the rights to launch a London-based American football side that will compete in the European Football League. The Glazers, of course, already own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and there are umpteen links between the Premier League ownership class and the NFL.
The same is true of basketball and the NBA.
Owner(s) NBA team Premier League club
Stan Kroenke Denver Nuggets Arsenal
Wes Edens Milwaukee Bucks Aston Villa
Todd Boehly & Mark Walter LA Lakers Chelsea
Josh Harris & David Blitzer Philadelphia 76ers Crystal Palace
And in recent weeks, the prospect of Manchester United becoming the latest name in that overlap of that Venn diagram has emerged.
Could Man United really join NBA Europe?
In October 2027, the National Basketball Association plans to launch its first ever European league.
You may have read quotes from Gianni Petrucci, the president of the Italian Basketball Federation, that suggest that Man United are set to join up.
“It’s a new league that will be good for the system, bringing resources and entertainment,” he told Corriere dello Sport.
“If Manchester United, the most popular football team in the world, has already said yes, there must be a reason.”
Manchester United FC Arrives in Gdansk for the UEFA Europa League Final 2021
Photo by Tullio Puglia – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Now, there is some confusion about whether Petrucci, who turned 80 in July, may have meant Manchester City, not United. After all, it is City who have previously been reported as being keen to join NBA Europe.
That would tally with what industry sources have told United in Focus.
It is understood that United have been approached by the NBA to gauge their interest. But then again, so too has every eligible football club with a big enough brand cachet, and at this stage there certainly isn’t a hard ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from the Red Devils or any of their peers.
Chelsea and Arsenal are excluded from NBA Europe because their owners already own basketball teams, but Tottenham, Liverpool and Birmingham City have also been sounded out, United in Focus is informed.
It appears that long list is now a shortlist, with NBA Europe managing director George Aivazoglou telling media that Manchester and London were his target cities in the UK, alongside Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Munich, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul. They are targeting 16 franchises in total.
For United, one of the biggest questions is where a basketball team playing under the banner of the Red Devils would play.
The Co-op Arena was part-funded by Manchester City’s owners and is a stone’s throw away from the Etihad. It will host a regular-season NBA match in 2027 and, by extension, would be the logical pick for a Man City-branded team. And would the NBA really want two teams in Manchester?
United want to build a new stadium, of course, but we are years and years out from that. And in any case, while it’s possible that Old Trafford 2.0 could feature a mini venue, none has been presented yet by architects Foster & Partners. An alternative – such as the National Basketball Centre or AO Arena – might be more viable, but neither has a distinct connection with the club.
We’ll have to see how this one plays out, but those canvassed by United in Focus suggest that it is unlikely. For the time being, at least.
Another factor is that buying an NBA Europe franchise, which could cost up to £750m, would exclude the Glazers from buying a basketball team in the States for as long as their investment in M16 remains.
Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer attend Manchester United Training Session and Press Conference
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
There’s nothing to suggest that acquiring an American NBA team is in their immediate plans but it has been mooted in the past.
Why would Ratcliffe or the Glazers want NBA expansion?
Unlike Premier League clubs, NBA teams always generate profits.
Man United haven’t run a surplus since 2018-19. But a system of salary caps, luxury taxes, revenue sharing and the absence of promotion, relegation and cliff edges between competitions means NBA team owners are guaranteed multi-million dollar profits every single season.
Chart for United in Focus showing Manchester United's profit and loss account over the years
Man United profit and loss Credit: Adam Williams/United in Focus/GRV Media
Whether that would be the same in NBA Europe, whose business structure has not yet been ironed, it’s too soon to tell, but it’s a tantalising prospect from a business perspective. Profits could – in theory – be used as part of a flywheel model to help United financially.
The flip side, however, is that some experts suggest it could cheapen Man United as a brand.
Commercially, United have been stagnant for years. Adjusting for inflation, in fact, they have regressed. Piling their chips on a new team when their star is not at its highest might be considered myopic by some.
Chart showing recorded revenue and projections for Manchester United, with United in Focus logo
Man United revenue projections Credit: Adam Williams/United in Focus/GRV Media
Most significantly, it would likely be seen as a nakedly commercial move by fans.
Through Project Big Picture and the European Super League, United supporters have seen their owners try to co-opt the game for their own purposes.
It’s unlikely that they would acquiesce to their 146-year-old club being used as a peel-and-replace badge for a profiteering exercise that doesn’t represent their history or community.
There is also the matter of the Independent Football Regulator, which could conceivably get involved to block attempts to launch a new team.