Forbes Magazine has unveiled its annual list of the 50 most valuable sports teams on the planet and, as you’d expect, it’s dominated by US basketball, baseball and NFL teams and European football (soccer) teams.
Sadly, there wasn’t an Aussie team in cooee of the top 50.
According to the list, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sporting franchise on the planet and worth a whopping $US4.2 billion.
The Cowboys held on to its number one spot it won in 2016 after it unseated incumbent Real Madrid who, interestingly, have fallen to fifth on this year’s list.
To qualify for Forbes’ annual list, things like a club’s profitability, marketability, TV deals and player contracts are all taken into consideration to determine its worth.
Here’s 2017’s top 50 (all figures in US dollars and % change from 2016):
1. Dallas Cowboys, $4.2 billion, 5% (NFL)
2. New York Yankees, $3.7 billion, 9% (MLB)
3. Manchester United, $3.69 billion, 11% (Soccer)
4. Barcelona, $3.64 billion, 2% (Soccer)
5. Real Madrid, $3.58 billion, -2% (Soccer)
6. New England Patriots, $3.4 billion, 6% (NFL)
7. New York Knicks, $3.3 billion, 10% (NBA)
8. New York Giants, $3.1 billion, 11% (NFL)
9. San Francisco 49ers, $3 billion, 11% (NFL)
9. Los Angeles Lakers, $3 billion, 11% (NBA)
11. Washington Redskins, $2.95 billion, 4% (NFL)
12. Los Angeles Rams, $2.9 billion, 100% (NFL)
13. New York Jets, $2.75 billion, 6% (NFL)
13. Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.75 billion, 10% (MLB)
15. Bayern Munich, $2.71 billion, 1% (Soccer)
16. Chicago Bears, $2.7 billion, 10% (NFL)
16. Boston Red Sox, $2.7 billion, 17% (MLB)
18. Chicago Cubs, $2.68 billion, 22% (MLB)
19. San Francisco Giants, $2.65 billion, 18% (MLB)
20. Houston Texans, $2.6 billion, 4% (NFL)
20. Golden State Warriors, $2.6 billion, 37% (NBA)
22. Philadelphia Eagles, $2.5 billion, 4% (NFL)
22. Chicago Bulls, $2.5 billion, 9% (NBA)
24. Denver Broncos, $2.4 billion, 24% (NFL)
25. Miami Dolphins, $2.38 billion, 28% (NFL)
26. Green Bay Packers, $2.35 billion, 21% (NFL)
27. Baltimore Ravens, $2.3 billion, 19% (NFL)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers, $2.25 billion, 18% (NFL)
29. Seattle Seahawks, $2.25 billion, 19% (NFL)
30. Minnesota Vikings, $2.2 billion, 38% (NFL)
30. Boston Celtics, $2.2 billion, 5% (NBA)
32. Indianapolis Colts, $2.18 billion, 16% (NFL)
33. Atlanta Falcons, $2.13 billion, 27% (NFL)
34. Oakland Raiders, $2.1 billion, 47% (NFL)
35. Manchester City, $2.083 billion, 8% (Soccer)
36. Los Angeles Chargers, $2.08 billion, 36% (NFL)
37. Carolina Panthers, $2.075 billion, 33% (NFL)
38. Arizona Cardinals, $2.025 billion, 31% (NFL)
39. Tennessee Titans, $2 billion, 34% (NFL)
39. Los Angeles Clippers, $2 billion, 0% (NBA)
39. New York Mets, $2 billion, 21% (MLB)
42. Jacksonville Jaguars, $1.95 billion, 32% (NFL)
43. Arsenal, $1.93 billion, -4% (Soccer)
44. Kansas City Chiefs, $1.88 billion, 23% (NFL)
45. Cleveland Browns, $1.85 billion, 23% (NFL)
46. Chelsea, $1.845 billion, 11% (Soccer)
47. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $1.8 billion, 19% (NFL)
47. Brooklyn Nets, $1.8 billion, 6% (NBA)
47. St Louis Cardinals, $1.8 billion, 12% (MLB)
50. New Orleans Saints, $1.75 billion, 16% (NFL)
50. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, $1.75 billion, 31% (MLB)
