USA TODAY Sports
When you think of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, you probably think of European soccer teams. There’s good reason for that. The most lucrative franchises tend to be the soccer powerhouses, and Forbes’ list of the top 50 most valuable sports franchises has been topped by a soccer team every year since the list began in 2011. That is, until this year. A new team tops Forbes’ list for 2016, and it’s an American team.
In fact, it’s America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys.
According to the report, the Cowboys are worth a whopping $4 billion, which is a 25 percent rise from last year. That was enough to knock off Real Madrid, who topped the list the last three years. Real’s value actually increased by 12 percent, but the Cowboys were still able to overtake them. Right behind Real were their bitter rivals, Barcelona. Two New York franchises, the Knicks and Yankees, are also in the top 10. The New England Patriots and Washington’s professional football team are also in the top 10.
The list is actually dominated by NFL teams. Twenty-seven NFL franchises are in the top 50, up from 20 last year. Topping them all are the Cowboys, though, which has to make Jerry Jones happy. They may not have won much on the field last year, and it’s been a long time since they won a title, but they’re worth $4 billion, so they can’t complain too much.
(Via Forbes)
