MLS officially expanded to Charlotte on Tuesday, as the league announced that it has granted its 30th club to David Tepper, the billionaire owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.



The deal came at significant cost to Tepper, who will pay a whopping $325 million expansion fee just for the privilege of joining the league. The all-time record amount represents a $125 million jump from the $200 million expansion fees that MLS charged earlier this year when it awarded teams 28 and 29 to St. Louis and Sacramento.



Oddly enough, it’s also roughly the same amount that Michael Jordan spent to buy the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets in 2010. Jordan paid $275 million to purchase the then-Bobcats in March of 2010, which, when adjusting for inflation, equates to $324.4 million in 2019 dollars.



Sources detailed to The Athletic over the last couple of days the mechanics of how the expansion fees are paid by incoming clubs and distributed to existing...