While Real Madrid may be the most valuable team in all of sports, the Forbes listing of the most valuable teams in sports proves that the real value is in the NFL.
Beginning with the Dallas Cowboys at #5, thirty of the thirty-two NFL franchises ranked in the top fifty most valuable sports franchises in the world. The Oakland Raiders came in at #50, while the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars just missed the cut at #51 and #52.
Joining the Cowboys in the top ten were the New England Patriots at #6, the Washington Redskins at #8, and the New York Giants at #10. The Philadelphia Eagles rounded out the NFL’s most profitable division, the NFC East, at #15.
Soccer clubs formed the top three overall with Manchester United and Barcelona following Real Madrid.
Beyond the NFL, other American sports leagues lagged far behind. The MLB had the New York Yankees at #4, LA Dodgers at #7, Boston Red Sox at #11, Chicago Cubs at #31, Philadelphia Phillies #41, and New York Mets #45. The NBA put only three teams on the list which were the New York Knicks at #23, LA Lakers at #31 (tied), and Chicago Bulls Bulls at #47. For the NHL, there was only the Toronto Maple Leafs #31 (tied).
New York led the way with five teams listed followed by Chicago (3), Philadelphia (2), Boston (2), and Los Angeles (2).
Each of the first 33 franchises on the list were worth more than $1 billion. The Cowboys, at #5 are the last $2 billion franchise and Real Madrid and Manchester United, the previous list topper, were the only franchises worth in excess of #3 billion. The full list can be seen here.