(TheStar.com) -- A U.S. investment company is interested in buying the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Nine months after the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan announced it was selling its 80 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Star has learned that the company has caught the eye of a huge U.S.-based private equity firm with a track record in sports and media.

Providence Equity Partners has inquired about Teachers’ stake in Maple Leaf Sports, a person familiar with the matter said, but it’s unclear whether it has made a formal offer.

Providence Equity’s interest comes at a time when marquee sports franchises are commanding more than $1 billion, making it increasingly difficult for wealthy individuals to purchase teams.

“Now it’s all about the financial play and the investment, not the emotion or getting into the locker room,” said Brian Cooper, a former Maple Leaf Sports executive, who is now president of S&E Sponsorship Group, a sports consulting company.

Teams that have been bought out by private equity firms and their founders include the National Basketball Association’s Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers.