Pittsburgh Pirates had done the math and adopted a deliberate strategy of fielding a bad / inexpensive team because of how the finances penciled out. I would love to see anything anyone has about ticket sales/revenue/exposure as a function of team talent. (My impression is that people who pay athletes tend to pay more than what can be justified solely by revenue simply because people who fund sports teams enjoy winning and are willing to spend their money to do it. Also, my impression is that there are long term/short term aspects to this. I mean, paying a star for one season might not be a good investment, but paying for stars every season for 100 years can really elevate your brand permanently-- see e.g. the blue bloods in any league.)

ofc, I am excited about Dybantsa, too. Also, the permanent association with a potential, eventual NBA star is hugely valuable.