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Recently, Forbes released their annual list of The World’s Top 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams. Two of the major categories that set the standards for being a valuable franchise is the highest revenue that the teams pulled in and the earnings of the franchise. The world’s most valuable sports teams came to a cumulative total of being worth $137 billion dollars. The average current value of the top 50 teams worth is $2.74 billion dollars, which is the highest ever.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 most valuable sports teams in the world.
5. New York Yankees-$4 Billion
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The Yankees come in at the 5th most valuable sports team in the world at $4 billion. The Yankees fell three spots in the rankings from last year as they were #2 on this list. The Bronx Bombers success is coming from the youth movement on the field. They have helped increase ticket sales, TV ratings, and attendance at games this season. Per-game attendance this year is 42,774, which is the largest since the 2012 season for the Yankees. TV ratings have increased by 69% in the past two season specifically, 12% in the first two months of this season. The Yankees are the most valuable team in all of baseball.
4. Barcelona-$4.06 Billion
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Barcelona shows up on this list as the fourth most valuable sports team in the world at $4.06 billion. Soccer is a global game that very popular amongst fans everywhere. Barcelona generates tons of revenue by selling merchandise and sponsorships to fans and companies at different places around the world. In the next few years, Barcelona should move up this list thanks to their newly renovated stadium they are getting that will attract fans and make it more desirable to watch games. Barcelona is the third highest soccer team on Forbes list.
3. Real Madrid-$4.09 Billion
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Real Madrid is the third most valuable sports team in the world being worth $4.09 billion. Thanks to great fan support and their great run during Champions League play Real Madrid slides just in front of their rival, Barcelona, on Forbes list. Since they won the Champions League for a third consecutive season they were able to generate tons of extra revenue that other teams couldn’t make. Madrid earned $102 million dollars during the 2017-2018 season.
2. Manchester United-$4.12 Billion
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Manchester United is the second most valuable sports team in the world at $4.12 billion. United is the highest ranked soccer team on the Forbes list. They are also the second most profitable team in the world making $254 million dollars during the season. That’s about 50% more operating income than any other soccer team in the world. The Red Devils upped their value from $3.69 billion dollars to $4.12 billion dollars, which is a pretty impressive feat. United is easily able to sell sponsorships and merchandise since they are one of the most popular club soccer teams in the world.
1. Dallas Cowboys-$4.8 Billion
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Coming in at #1 on the Forbes list for the most valuable sports team of 2018 is, “America’s Team”, the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are valued at $4.8 billion. This is the third consecutive year that the Cowboys are the most valuable team in the world according to Forbes. They have the highest revenue of any team at $840 million dollars. The owner, Jerry Jones, makes tens of millions of dollars from the stadium being so beautiful and people wanting to attend games or concerts there. TV contracts in the NFL are also helping NFL teams make more money than teams from other sports. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that “America’s Team” is the most valuable team in the world.
