49ers are reportedly "exploring" a sale of up to 10 percent of the team

As franchise values keep going up and up, more and more teams are looking to turn slices of equity into cold, hard cash.

Bloomberg reports, via Sports Business Journal, that the 49ers are "exploring" the sale of a 10-percent stake in the team. The offering would be based on a valuation of more than $9 billion. That would put the price of 10 percent at more than $900 million.

Per the report, it's unclear whether the 49ers will sell to one of the approved private-equity funds or to one or more individuals. For now, the internal deliberations are "ongoing." It's not a sure thing that any sale will be made.

The $9 billion valuation would be a record.

It would be quite the return on the original investment. In 1977, Edward DeBartolo Sr. bought the entire team for only $13 million from the wives of team founders Tony and Victor Morabito. The team is currently owned by the daughter of DeBartolo and her family, with her son Jed York serving as the CEO.