When it comes to the most valuable sports teams in the world, there's only one king of that castle. After purchasing the Dallas Cowboys for the small fee of $140 million back in 1989 — at a time when the franchise was losing $1 million per month — owner Jerry Jones built a football empire in Texas. Thanks to everything from corporate sponsorships to massive television deals, the Cowboys now lead every sports franchise with a whopping $365 million in yearly operating income.
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But the NFL franchise, valued for the fourth-straight year above $5 billion by Forbes, isn't the only sports team growing at an incredible rate. On this very same list back in 2012, only one team — English Premier League club Manchester United — was valued over $2 billion. As of 2019, there are 52 teams across the world worth at least $2 billion, and 26 of the top 50 teams play in the National Football League.
Most Valuable Sports Teams
1. Dallas Cowboys (NFL) — $5 billion
2. New York Yankees (MLB) — $4.6 billion
3. Real Madrid (Soccer: La Liga) — $4.24 billion
4. Barcelona (Soccer: La Liga) — $4.02 billion
5. New York Knicks (NBA) — $4 billion
6. Manchester United (Soccer: EPL) — $3.81 billion
7. New England Patriots (NFL) — $3.8 billion
8. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) — $3.7 billion
9. Golden State Warriors (NBA) — $3.5 billion
T-10. New York Giants (NFL) — $3.3 billion
T-10. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - $3.3 billion
Manchester United was the world’s only pro sports team worth more than $2 billion in 2012. Now there are at least 50, including almost every NFL team https://t.co/T1tHr164AW pic.twitter.com/LWNCBkPyf4
— Forbes (@Forbes) July 22, 2019
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The biggest movers on Forbes' list this year were English Premier League soccer club Chelsea — valued at $2.58 billion — which increased its value 25 percent from last year. And in the United States, where the EPL is increasing in popularity thanks to a massive TV deal with NBC, Chelsea figures to be one of the most-watched teams this season after signing 20-year-old Christian Pulisic, the highest-paid American soccer player ever.
Second on that list of movers and shakers were the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and First-Team All-Business owner Mark Cuban. The Mavericks' value increased 18 percent year-over-year, now worth $2.25 billion. International superstars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis set up Dallas to be one of the world's most-marketable NBA franchises for the next several years.
Here is a breakdown of all four major American sports leagues and what teams cracked Forbes' top 50 most valuable sports franchises for 2019:
Most Valuable NFL Teams
1. Dallas Cowboys — $5 billion (1st overall)
2. New England Patriots — $3.8B (7th)
3. New York Giants — $3.3B (10th)
4. Los Angeles Rams — $3.2B (T-12th)
5. Washington Redskins — $3.1B (T-14th)
6. San Francisco 49ers — $3.05B (16th)
7. Chicago Bears — $2.9B (T-19th)
8. New York Jets — $2.85B (21st)
9. Houston Texans — $2.8B (T-22nd)
10. Philadelphia Eagles — $2.75B (24th)
11. Denver Broncos — $2.65B (26th)
12. Green Bay Packers — $2.63B (27th)
13. Atlanta Falcons — $2.6B (28th)
14. Baltimore Ravens — $2.59B (29th)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers — $2.59B (30th)
16. Seattle Seahawks — $2.58B (31st)
17. Miami Dolphins — $2.58B (33rd)
18. Oakland Raiders — $2.42B (34th)
19. Minnesota Vikings — $2.4B (35th)
20. Indianapolis Colts — $2.38B (36th)
21. Carolina Panthers — $2.3B (T-38th)
22. Los Angeles Chargers — $2.28B (41st)
23. Arizona Cardinals — $2.15B (46th)
24. Kansas City Chiefs — $2.1B (T-47th)
25. Jacksonville Jaguars — $2.08B (49th)
26. New Orleans Saints — $2.08B (50th)
Most Valuable MLB Teams
1. New York Yankees — $4.6 billion (2nd overall)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers — $3.3B (T-10th)
3. Boston Red Sox — $3.2B (T-12th)
4. Chicago Cubs — $3.1B (T-14th)
5. San Francisco Giants — $3.0B (18th)
6. New York Mets — $2.3B (T-38th)
7. St. Louis Cardinals — $2.1B (T-47th)
Most Valuable NBA Teams
1. New York Knicks — $4 billion (5th overall)
2. Los Angeles Lakers — $3.7B (8th)
3. Golden State Warriors — $3.5B (9th)
4. Chicago Bulls — $2.9B (T-19th)
5. Boston Celtics — $2.8B (T-22nd)
6. Brooklyn Nets — $2.35B (37th)
7. Houston Rockets — $2.3B (T-38th)
8. Dallas Mavericks — $2.25B (43rd)
9. Los Angeles Clippers — $2.2B (44th)
Most Valuable NHL Team
1. New York Rangers — $1.55 billion (72nd overall)
2. Well, there's always next year...
