It is good to be Jerry Jones. Not only will he be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame next month for his contributions to the sport, he's also the owner of the most valuable sports franchise in the world. When Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys, they were a franchise in the red. Back then, the Cowboys were losing $1 million a month. Today, America's Team is worth $4.2 billion and has an annual operating profit of $300 million!
The NFL fared well on the list of the most valuable sports franchises. Only the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Buffalo Bills failed to make the top 50.
The New York Yankees are the second most valuable team in the world. The Yankees are worth $3.7 billion, up 9% from last year when the team ranked fourth on this list. There are eight MLB teams on the list of the top 50.
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Three soccer clubs round out the top five. There are eight soccer teams on the list as well as eight NBA teams.
The year's biggest gainer is the Los Angeles Rams. The team moved from outside of the top 50 to number 12 with a valuation of $2.9 billion. The move from St. Louis to L.A. doubled the team's value.
There are 87 sports franchises worth at least $1 billion in the world today. Let's take a look at the top 15:
#15. Bayern Munch – $2.7 billion
Owners: Club Members
#13. Los Angeles Dodgers – $2.75 billion
Owners: Guggenheim Baseball Management
#13. New York Jets – $2.75 billion
Owner: Robert Wood Johnson IV
#12. Los Angeles Rams – $2.9 billion
Owner: Stan Kroneke
#11. Washington Redskins – $2.94 billion
Owner: Daniel Snyder
#9. Los Angeles Lakers – $3 billion
Owners: Jerry Buss Family Trust, Philip Anschutz
#9. San Francisco 49ers- $3 billion
Owners Denise DeBartolo York, John York
#8. New York Giants – $3.1 billion
Owners: John Mara, Steve Tisch
#7. New York Knicks – $3.3 billion
Owner: Madison Square Garden
#6. New England Patriots – $3.4 billion
Owner: Robert Kraft
#5. Real Madrid – $3.58 billion
Owner: Club Members
#4. Barcelona – $3.64 billion
Owner: Club Members
#3. Manchester United – $3.69 billion
Owner: Glazer Family
#2. New York Yankees – $3.7 billion
Owner: Steinbrenner Family
#1. Dallas Cowboys – $4.2 billion
Owner – Jerry Jones
