Getty Image / Tom Pennington
Life is GOOD for owners of professional sports teams worldwide. In the USA, every single NBA, NFL, and MLB team is now worth more than $1 billion and the cutoff for the ‘Top 50’ most valuable sports teams worldwide is a record $2.075 billion which is up $125 MILLION from just last year.
For the 23rd straight year in a row, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in the world. Somehow, the fact that the Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1995 (24 years!!) hasn’t put a dent in the team’s value and they reign supreme over every soccer, NBA, NFL, and MLB team as well as teams in every other sport.
The Dallas Cowboys are worth an almost unfathomable $5 BILLION in the #1 spot, with the #2 team worth $4.6 billion, #3 worth $4.24 billion, and moving on down the line the two teams tied at #10 are worth $3.3 billion.
This annual report came out yesterday from Forbes and having done it every year for a long time so they have a pretty deep data set of valuations at this point. What’s interesting is how big of a leap NBA teams have made in recent years. Even though the NFL accounts for more than half of the world’s Top 50 Most Valuable Sports Franchises, the NBA is holding strong.
The New York Knicks are the most valuable NBA franchise ($4 billion) and their value is up 11% despite another piss poor season. According to Forbes, since 2014 there have been three NBA franchises sold for at least $2 billion so the $$$$ is there.
50 | New Orleans Saints $2.08 billion
49 | Jacksonville Jaguars $2.08 billion
47 (tie) | Kansas City Chiefs $2.1 billion
47 (tie) | St. Louis Cardinals $2.1 billion
46 | Arizona Cardinals $2.15 billion
45 | Liverpool (Premier League) $2.18 billion
44 | Los Angeles Clippers $2.2 billion
43 | Dallas Mavericks $2.25 billion
42 | Arsenal (Soccer) $2.27 billion
41 | Los Angeles Chargers $2.28 billion
38 (tie) | New York Mets $2.3 billion
38 (tie) | Carolina Panthers $2.3 billion
38 (tie) | Houston Rockets $2.3 billion
37 | Brooklyn Nets $2.35 billion
36 | Indianapolis Colts $2.38 billion
35 | Minnesota Vikings $2.4 billion
34 | Oakland Raiders $2.42 billion
33 | Miami Dolphins $2.58 billion
32 | Chelsea (Soccer) $2.588 billion
31 | Seattle Seahawks $2.589 billion
30 | Pittsburgh Steelers $2.59 billion
29 | Baltimore Ravens $2.59 billion
28 | Atlanta Falcons $2.6 billion
27 | Green Bay Packers $2.63 billion
26 | Denver Broncos $2.65 billion
25 | Manchester City (Soccer) $2.69 billion
24 | Philadelphia Eagles $2.75 billion
22 (tie) | Boston Celtics $2.8 billion
22 (tie) | Houston Texans $2.8 billion
21 | New York Jets $2.85 billion
19 (tie) | Chicago Bears $2.9 billion
19 (tie) | Chicago Bulls $2.9 billion
18 | San Francisco Giants $3 billion
17 | Bayern Munich (Soccer) $3.02 billion
16 | San Francisco 49ers $3.05 billion
14 (tie) | Chicago Cubs $3.1 billion
14 (tie) | Washington Redskins $3.1 billion
12 (tie) | Los Angeles Rams $3.2 billion
12 (tie) | Boston Red Sox $3.2 billion
10 (tie) | Los Angeles Dodgers $3.3 billion
10 (tie) | New York Giants $3.3 billion
9 | Golden State Warriors $3.5 billion
8 | Los Angeles Lakers $3.7 billion
7 | New England Patriots $3.8 billion
6 | Manchester United (Soccer) $3.81 billion
5 | New York Knicks $4 billion
4 | Barcelona (Soccer) $4.02 billion
3 | Real Madrid (Soccer) $4.24 billion
2 | New York Yankees $4.6 billion
1 | Dallas Cowboys $5 billion
For comparison, the most valuable sports franchise in the world outside of the main NFL, NBA, MLB, and top Euro soccer leagues is the NHL’s New York Rangers worth $1.55 billion. The Rangers rank 72nd worldwide.
The Dallas Cowboys’ $5 billion valuation is up 4% from last year. The New York Yankees are up 15% from last year. Real Madrid is up 4% and Barcelona is down -1% despite Madrid having a pretty atrocious year by their high standards and Barcelona winning La Liga and making it to the Champions League semifinals.
For a full rundown of this year’s report from Forbes including change in value, ownership, and more, you can CLICK HERE to visit their website.