If you’re a sports fan, you’ll probably be interested in knowing which are the most profitable US sports teams today. After all, it’s even more fun taking shots at the rich owners when you know just how much money they’re raking in from the fans. It is no secret that sports handle a large amount of finances. Nowadays, winning and losing are actually not so important. When it comes to sports, making money is what matters. So, if you happen to have a big sum lying around, maybe you should put it to work and invest it in one of these valuable sports franchises. Or, if sports are not your thing, take a look at our list of the Most Profitable Companies.
Forbes has recently compiled a list of the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world. So, using that data, we managed to put together a countdown of the most profitable US sports teams. It may come as a surprise to you that the US teams didn’t dominate the global ranking. If you take a closer look at the list, the reason is easily revealed: the top three teams are soccer teams, a sport which is very popular worldwide, but not so much in the US. It doesn’t matter how expensive American sports franchises have become in the last years, they still cannot compete with the ultra-wealthy European soccer clubs.
These top sports leagues have been valued and analyzed by Forbes for over a decade taking into account the team values, their venue deals, and other variables. Forbes’ top 50 is based on the valuations for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and soccer teams of the last year. The results of this analysis show that the franchises which generate the most profits in the US are mainly football and baseball teams. In fact, basketball and hockey both failed to make it into the top ten of Forbes’ ranking, and hockey also failed to make the top ten on the US rankings.
So, are you curious now as to which are the ten most profitable US sports teams? Let’s begin the countdown with a team from New York, which won’t be the last by any stretch.
10. New York Jets
This NFL team is valued at $1.38 billion. Owned by Robert Wood Johnson IV, the former “Titans of New York” made it to #14 in Forbes’ list.
9. New York Knicks
The second New York team on the list, and the only basketball team on it, the fully named “New York Knickerbockers” ranked #13 in the Forbes list. Its estimated value is $1.4 billion and it is owned by the Madison Square Garden Company. It also had the NBA’s biggest average attendance.
8. Houston Texans
Valued at $1.45 billion, Robert McNair’s team nabbed Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, after a disastrous 14-game losing streak last season.
7. Boston Red Sox
The first baseball team in our countdown, and worth $1.5 billion are the Boston Red Sox, who sandwiched last place finishes in the AL East in 2012 and 2014 around their 8th World Series title in 2013.
6. New York Giants
The third New York franchise on this list managed to pack the second largest number of fans per game last season. Owned by John Mara and Steven Tisch, it is worth around $1.55 billion.
The countdown continues on the next page with a team mired in all sorts of controversies over their name, as our ranking of the most profitable US sports teams continues.
5. Washington Redskins
The name of this team has been the subject of much controversy many times, but it hasn’t stopped them from making it into Forbes’ top ten of the most valuable teams worldwide. Its value: $1.7 billion.
4. New England Patriots
Valued at $1.8 billion and owned by Robert Kraft, The Patriots have sold out every home game since 1994, despite having the second-most-expensive ticket prices in the NFL.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The first franchise in our list to be worth $2 billion is a baseball team. In January they made a television deal for 25 years with a renowned cable company, and have drastically increased their payroll over the past couple seasons under new ownership.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Ranked by Forbes as #5 worldwide, this team is valued at $2.3 billion and shows America’s love for American football, as they are known as “America’s Team”.
1. New York Yankees
Confirming New York’s power in the sports business, the Yankees are valued at $2.5 billion and top our list. This enterprise demonstrates that despite NFL teams making up the bulk of the top ten most profitable US sports teams, baseball is still America’s Pastime.
