Mr. Rapkoch is the founder and president of Sports Value Consulting, LLC, a professional valuation and advisory firm committed to the business of sports. He is an Accredited Senior Appraiser in the field of Business Valuation. He has been conducting valuations since 1994. Mr. Rapkoch became significantly involved in sports advisory at a Big 4 Accounting Firm, where he spent over six years performing sports franchise valuations prior to founding Sports Value Consulting, LLC in 2003.
Sports Value Consulting, LLC is the only valuation firm of its size, solely focused on the business of professional sports. It has an extensive database of deal data, which provides the foundation for its engagements. Other firms rely on news reports and estimates for deal prices and data. Mr. Rapkoch believes the only way to truly understand the value of a team is to be part of a transaction. Mr. Rapkoch has been associated with over 30 transactions in sports.
He has been engaged in the valuation of over 100 engagements for sports franchises. He has performed valuation engagements directly for several league offices and has testified on behalf of the National Hockey League. His valuation work has been conducted for investment groups, teams, banks, leagues, and law firms.
Mr. Rapkoch has worked for various investors and investment groups related to the proposed acquisition of a professional sports franchise.
Mr. Rapkoch has been engaged by several banks to assist them in understanding the value of a professional sports franchise to which they were lending.
Major radio and newspaper outlets across North America have sought out Mr. Rapkoch for his opinion on various topics regarding the business of professional sports.
Mr. Rapkoch was selected to be on Business Week’s Power panel for its first two years of selecting the most powerful people in sports. He has been nominated for three consecutive years to be named Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, representing the most influential people in professional sports under the age of forty. He is frequently relied upon to provide thoughtful input on various matters in professional sports for various media outlets, including New York Times, LA Times, and Crain’s Chicago Business.
Mr. Rapkoch volunteered his time as a soccer league director for a local non-profit organization in addition to coaching two youth soccer and basketball teams.
Mr. Rapkoch graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in finance. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of North Texas, speaking on topics related to the business side of sports and valuation.
Founder and President of Sports Value Consulting, LLC.
Sports Value Consulting, LLC June 2003 to Present
Mr. Rapkoch formed SVC to be one of the few firms specializing in professional sports valuations. His experience includes buy-side due diligence, valuation of franchises, and valuation of intangible assets. Mr. Rapkoch’s relationships with teams and league officials provide a considerable advantage in serving sports franchises.
Previous advisory engagements in professional sports include:
· Valuation of team for financing purposes;
· Valuation of team for litigation purposes;
· Valuation of team for financial reporting purposes;
· Buy-side due diligence;
· Valuation for gift/estate tax planning;
· Valuation of a minority interest in a team; and
· Valuation of player contracts and other intangible assets resulting from a transaction.
Previous Business Experience
Prior to forming SVC in 2003, Mr. Rapkoch was a manager in Ernst & Young, LLP’s Corporate Finance Group for over six years. There he performed valuation on numerous companies in multiple industries. He specialized in working with professional sports teams as a majority of that work was done out of the Dallas office. He was an integral part of building the firm’s exposure to professional sports franchises during his tenure.
From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Rapkoch was part of Arthur Andersen LLP’s Financial Valuation Services group.
B.A. University of North Texas, major in Finance.
Professional Course Work
Accredited Senior Appraiser under the American Society of Appraisers.
Successfully passed levels one and two of the Charter Financial Analysts Institute CFA program.
Retainers in Litigation Matters
In 2013, Mr. Rapkoch was retained as an expert witness in case # 11-39335-C-11 RE: Robert A. Cook – Debtor, related to an interest in the Sacramento Kings.
In 2011, he was retained as expert witness in HTPA Holding Company, LLC, SSG Group, LLC, and LPF Atlanta, LLC vs. King Spalding, LLP case number 2011CV195487.
On September 10, 2009, he testified as an expert witness in the case entitled Dewey Ranch Hockey, LLC Chapter 11, case number 2:09-bk-09488-RTBP.
On May 1, 2006, Mr. Rapkoch was deposed as an expert witness in the case entitled Arena Football 2 Operating Co., LLC v. Source One Group, Inc., et al, 04-425931-CK.