Mitchell H. Ziets - President and CEO

Mitchell Ziets is the President and CEO of MZ Sports LLC. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Ziets has advised on a number of sports facilities and franchise acquisitions.

Since 2001, Mr. Ziets has advised on over thirty acquisitions of sports properties, and since 2004, has advised buyers on successful acquisitions of the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Seattle Supersonics, Portland Beavers and Georgia Force. For Advisory assignments, Mr. Ziets conducts financial and operational due diligence, develops financial projections, provides asset valuations, advises on deal structure, raises acquisition debt and equity, leads the league approval process and negotiates vendor contracts.

In addition, Mr. Ziets has a long history advising teams and public entities on new or renovated stadiums. His client roster includes some of the nation’s most well known sports facilities including Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Rangers Stadium, M&T Bank Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, Miller Park, Paul Brown Stadium, Giants Stadium, the Georgia Dome, Lincoln Financial Field, Citizen’s Bank Park, Great American Ballpark, Staples Center, Prudential Center and Petco Park. Because of the media scrutiny and controversy that often surround these projects, Mr. Ziets develops strategies and lease terms that reflect the delicate balance between political, fiscal, legal, and financial realities. With a background in corporate and municipal finance, Mr. Ziets has structured and executed financing plans which include municipal, team and project debt.

Highlights of Mr. Ziets' projects include the following:

• Advised the Lerner Family on its $450M acquisition of the Washington Nationals that closed in July 2006;
• Advised Frank and Jamie McCourt on the acquisition of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodgers Stadium and 276 acres of land in Chavez Ravine from Fox Entertainment Group that closed in February 2004;
• Assisted the Philadelphia Eagles on its unprecedented structured financing for Lincoln Financial Field, which included an insurance wrap on a commercial paper program with a long-dated swap;
• Developed and implemented the financing plan and negotiated lease terms for the San Diego Padres’ new ballpark which has spurred significant real estate development in downtown San Diego;
• Advised Dan Gilbert on the acquisition of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the operating rights to Gund Arena that closed in July 2005
• Implemented a forward swap for the Maryland Stadium Authority that saved $15 million, money that was used to bring football back to Baltimore;
• Crafted the financial structure for Miller Park in Milwaukee which achieved tax-exempt status through the unprecedented use of joint ballpark ownership;
• Advised Henry and Susan Samueli on the acquisition of the Anaheim Ducks from the Walt Disney company that closed in July 2005;
• Assisted the Atlanta Falcons in negotiating lease terms with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

Mr. Ziets received an M.S. in Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley and is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics with a double major in Operations Research and Actuarial Science. Mr. Ziets is a Board Member of the Philadelphia Sports Congress. In 2000, Mr. Ziets was selected as one of the “Top 40 Under Forty” leaders in the Philadelphia region by the Philadelphia Business Journal and as one of the top Forty Under Forty Sports Executives by the Sports Business Journal.