The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Cowboys top list of most valuable franchises
The Dallas Cowboys are worth $4.2 billion, making them the most valuable sports franchise for the second straight year, according to Forbes .
In its annual rankings, Forbes placed the New York Yankees second — up from fourth a year ago — with a value of $3.7 billion.
Next are three soccer clubs: Manchester United ($3.69 billion), Barcelona ($3.64) and Real Madrid ($3.58).
The rest of the top 10 includes the New England Patriots ($3.4 billion), New York Knicks ($3.3 billion), New York Giants ($3.1 billion), San Francisco 49ers ($3 billion) and Los Angeles Lakers ($3 billion).
The rankings are based on Forbes’ valuations done over the last year for all NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, soccer, NASCAR and Formula One teams.
The average current value of the top most valuable teams is $2.5 billion, the highest to date, an increase over last year, when the average value was $2.2 billion.
Arians cancer
Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says he is facing the coming season with renewed energy after an offseason cancer scare.
Arians reveals in his new book “The Quarterback Whisperer” that a small spot was detected on his kidney while he was being examined for a hernia problem in December.
He said in the book that the diagnosis was renal cell carcinoma. A small portion of his kidney was removed in February “and now I feel great,” he said.
The 64-year-old coach said his energy has returned and he’s ready for at least one more season as an NFL coach.
The cancer was found at an
early enough stage that Arians’ kidney was saved. He told NFL Network that he feels very lucky.
It was Arians’ second bout with cancer. He beat prostate cancer in 2007.
Relocation fees
NFL relocation fees helped boost the bottom line for the Green Bay Packers and the rest of the NFL.
The league’s only publicly owned team released its 2017 statement on Wednesday, reporting net income of $72.8 million.
About $27.1 million is part of the team’s share of the fees that the Raiders, Rams and Chargers had to pay to relocate. Such fees are split equally among NFL teams that aren’t moving.
The Packers’ annual financial statements always provide a peek into the lucrative business side of the NFL, especially since the team plays in the league’s smallest market. The relocation spree over the past year gave the report added relevance.
The Raiders’ fee to move from Oakland to Las Vegas was about $350 million. The Rams had to pay a $650 million fee to go from St. Louis to Los Angeles, while the Chargers had to pay the same amount to move from San Diego to join the Rams up the California coast.
So that would mean the share of the relocation fee pot for each of the 29 teams that didn’t move would be approximately $55 million. With taxes and estimating the value of the dollar in future years, the actual accounting gets hazy fast without an accounting degree.
The Packers said its share of relocation money will be paid over 10 years, starting in 2020.
“It also gives you an idea of the time value of money. Our last payment will be 13 years out,” team President Mark Murphy said. “That $27.1 million, if you invested it now, will be worth a lot of money in 13 years.”
Overall, one of the NFL’s marquee teams had another strong financial year: Total revenue rose 8 percent to $441.4 million, a new high for the 14th straight year.