The World’s Most Valuable Teams
Tim Mara paid $500 to found the football team in 1925; his heirs sold a 50% stake to the Tisch clan in 1991 for $75 million. The two families split ownership to this day. THIS IS A TERRIFIC TIME to own a professional sports team: Blockbuster television deals inked over the last several years have turbocharged franchise values across the major sports. The 50 most valuable teams are now worth an average of $2.2 billion, up 26% over just a year ago.
With 27 teams among the top 50, the NFL reigns supreme. Although they haven’t reached the Super Bowl in two decades, Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys top the list at $4 billion, thanks in part to revenue from premium seating ($125 million) and sponsorships ($120 million) that are football’s highest.
This is the first time since 2010 that a soccer franchise didn’t come out on top. (Manchester United wore the crown from 2010 through 2012; Real Madrid did so the last three years.) For much more, including the full roster of 50, visit forbes.com/most-valuable-teams. After last-place finishes in 2014 and 2015, the Bosox opened their coffers to sign ace David Price (above) to a seven-year, $217 million deal, the richest contract ever for a pitcher. The Gunners were the biggest movers on the list, jumping 13 places from a year ago. The club received the biggest cut of Premier League TV money this year: $148 million. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
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23 24 25 The Pack are the only publicly owned franchise in U.S. pro sports, with 360,760 shareholders. The franchise’s 13 championships (4 in the Super Bowl era) are the most in NFL history. owner(s) Jerry Jones club members club members Steinbrenner family Glazer family robert Kraft Madison Square Garden Dan Snyder Mara family Buss family Denise Debartolo york, VALUE ($MIL) $4,000 3,645 3,549 3,400 3,317 3,200 3,000 2,850 2,800 2,700 2,700 John york club members Woody Johnson Guggenheim Baseball Management robert Mcnair 2,500 Mccaskey family 2,450 Jeffrey Lurie 2,400 John henry, Thomas Werner 2,300 Jerry reinsdorf 2,300 charles Johnson 2,250 ricketts Family 2,200 Wyc and irving Grousbeck, 2,100 robert epstein, Stephen Pagliuca Stanley Kroenke 2,017 Steve Ballmer 2,000 Shareholders 1,950
2,678 2,600 2,500 1-year VALUE change 25% 12 12 6 7 23 20 19 33 4 69
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