Michael Ozanian: The Journalist Who Turned Sports Team Valuations Into a Franchise of Its Own
Michael Ozanian has spent four decades reporting where sports and money meet. He began in a magazine’s statistics department, built Forbes’ widely cited sports team valuations, co-hosted an Emmy-winning TV show on the subject, and now leads CNBC’s coverage of the business of sports as its senior sports reporter.
Education
Ozanian earned his bachelor’s degree from Siena College and an MBA from Long Island University. His own bio notes that his MBA thesis was an empirical study of the cause of inflation, using regression analysis to show a significant correlation between the general price level and the money supply. That interest in economics and data underlies much of his later work.
Starting in Forbes’ Statistics Department
According to CNBC, Ozanian joined Forbes in the mid-1980s in its statistics department, not as a writer. He later moved into writing, first about high-priced stocks, before turning to the area that would define his career. Over time, he rose to assistant managing editor and executive editor at the magazine.
Building Forbes’ Sports Valuations
Ozanian’s signature work at Forbes was taking large amounts of data and turning it into rankings that became the standard references for the sports industry. He is credited with building Forbes’ valuations of sports teams and with creating the “SportsMoney Index,” which ranked the most valuable athletes, brands, teams, and agencies. Ozanian also created the Forbes Fab 40, a ranking of the most valuable sports brands, and a ranking of actors and movie studios by return on investment, plus “Names You Need To Know,” a list that incorporated direct input from the audience.
He worked for many years alongside colleague Kurt Badenhausen, whom he has called his brother in arms.
“Forbes SportsMoney” on Television
Ozanian served as managing editor and co-host of “Forbes SportsMoney,” a television show that aired on the YES Network and Fox Sports 1. He co-hosted with Bob Lorenz, and David Alfreds was the producer. The show won multiple New York Emmy Awards, and CNBC’s bio credits it with four. He also hosted the “Forbes Sports Money” podcast, in which he spoke with team owners, athletes, and industry leaders about the economics of competition, and he regularly appeared on Fox and CNBC to talk about business, political, and sports issues.
Joining CNBC
Ozanian left Forbes after nearly three decades and joined CNBC in 2024. He is now the network’s senior sports reporter, based at its global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and a lead reporter for CNBC Sport, the network’s business-of-sports vertical. His beat is the intersection of sports and money: breaking news, analysis, and rankings of the most valuable leagues and teams across CNBC’s platforms.
The Valuations That Define His Beat
At CNBC, Ozanian’s annual valuation rankings have become a recurring franchise. His 2026 work includes:
- NBA: CNBC’s Official NBA Team Valuations for 2026 found three franchises now worth at least $10 billion, with average revenue across the league’s 30 teams of $416 million, 6.7% more than the previous season.
- WNBA: The 2026 WNBA valuations identified the league’s first $1 billion team.
- College sports: His 2025 valuations ranked the 75 most valuable college athletic programs.
- Deal reporting: He reported that the New York Giants were valued at $10.8 billion in the Tisch deal, and that a group led by Egon Durban would buy 25% of the Las Vegas Raiders at a $9.9 billion valuation, citing sources.
He typically unveils the valuations on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and in written reports on CNBC.com.
Personal Life
Ozanian keeps his family life largely private. IMDb’s trivia entry says he is the father of a son born in 2007. Beyond that, no reliable source provides details about a spouse or family.
Net Worth and Salary
Ozanian has not publicly disclosed his net worth or salary, and CNBC does not publish reporter compensation. One aggregator site estimates his annual salary at $50,000 to $150,000, but it cites no source and the range is too wide to be informative. No reliable source gives a net worth figure.
Treat any specific number attributed to him as an unverified estimate rather than a reported fact.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Michael (Mike) Ozanian |
| Education | Siena College (BA); Long Island University (MBA) |
| Employer | CNBC (since 2024) |
| Current role | Senior Sports Reporter; lead reporter, CNBC Sport |
| Based in | Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey |
| Previously | Forbes (from the mid-1980s): statistics department, writer, assistant managing editor, executive editor |
| TV | Managing editor and co-host, “Forbes SportsMoney” (YES Network, Fox Sports 1) |
| Creations | Forbes SportsMoney Index, Forbes Fab 40, sports team valuations |
| Family | One son (born 2007, per IMDb) |
| Estimated salary | About $50,000–$150,000 (unverified aggregator estimate) |
FAQ
What does Michael Ozanian do at CNBC?
He is the senior sports reporter and a lead reporter for CNBC Sport, covering the business of sports and publishing annual valuations of leagues and teams.
What did Michael Ozanian do at Forbes?
He started in the statistics department in the mid-1980s, then became a writer, assistant managing editor, and executive editor. He created Forbes’ sports team valuations, the SportsMoney Index, and the Fab 40 ranking.
What was “Forbes SportsMoney”?
It was an Emmy-winning TV show on the YES Network and Fox Sports 1 about the business of sports, which Ozanian co-hosted and served as managing editor.
What are CNBC’s official team valuations?
They are Ozanian’s annual rankings of how much sports franchises are worth, covering the NBA, WNBA, college athletic programs, and other leagues.
The Reporter Who Put a Price on Sports
Michael Ozanian’s career shows how data can become a beat. By turning financial statements and revenue numbers into valuations anyone could follow, he helped define how fans, owners, and investors talk about what teams are worth. At CNBC, he is applying that same approach to a sports industry where franchise prices keep climbing.
