US owners of Italian team chose basketball over soccer

By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer

ROME (AP) — Europe’s soccer leagues are so full of teams owned and operated by American investors that the market could soon be saturated. That’s why an eclectic group of professionals studying in the executive MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School turned their attention to basketball and acquired a 90% stake in the Italian team Pallacanestro Trieste. Former NFL linebacker Connor Barwin is one member of the ownership team. He says “we think we’re ahead of the next trend, which will be European basketball.” Barwin adds that soccer “has gotten very expensive” and “we see basketball as the next sport that is going to bring a ton of investment.”