The Dallas Cowboys were once again named the most valuable team in the world by Forbes Magazine.
The list, published Wednesday, put the Cowboys at $4.8 billion, a 14 percent increase from last year. Rounding out the top five were three soccer teams — Manchester United ($4.123B), Real Madrid ($4.088B) and FC Barcelona ($4.064B) — and the New York Yankees. The Cowboys were also atop the list in 2017.
When Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989 — he bought 100 percent of the stadium for $65 million and 60 percent of the team at a $63 million valuation — 13 percent of the team had been foreclosed on and the Cowboys were losing $1 million a month.
CBS, which owned the Yankees, lost money on the sale to George Steinbrenner in 1973, selling the team for $8.7 million, having bought it three years prior for $11.2 million.
Of the 50 most valuable teams in Forbes’ rankings, 29 are NFL teams, with the Cowboys, Patriots ($3.7 billion) New York Giants ($3.3 billion) and Washington Redskins ($3.1 billion) all in the top 10. Only the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills failed to make the top 50.
The are eight NBA teams, with the New York Knicks ($3.6 billion), Los Angeles Lakers ($3.3 billion) and Golden State Warriors ($3.1 billion) in the top 10. The Warriors were purchased just eight years ago this week for a then NBA record $450 million.
The biggest gainer in terms of ranking on the list was the Houston Rockets, jumping up 14 spots to No. 40 with the $2.2 billion purchase by Tillman Fertitta. The biggest fall was the New York Jets, slipping eight spots to No. 21.
Source : ESPN
