National Football League

Cowboys, Yankees headline the 10 most valuable sports franchises

Published May. 8, 2021 10:11 a.m. ET

While the world has faced a global pandemic for the last calendar year, causing economic instability across the globe, it is clear that the business of sports is still thriving.

And nobody is thriving quite like "America's Team," which is doubling as the most valuable franchise in professional sports.

According to "Forbes '" latest list of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, the top dog is still Jerry Jones' prized possession, the Dallas Cowboys .

The Cowboys top the list with a value of $5.7 billion, a far cry from the $150 million that Jones paid for the franchise in 1989.

According to "Forbes," the average value of the 50 most valuable franchises on this year's list jumped 9.9% from a year ago.

And with the most valuable franchises being discussed, it should come as no surprise that three New York teams are placed in the top 10.

The New York Yankees are the second most valuable franchise in the world at $5.25 billion, followed by the New York Knicks at $5 billion.

Interestingly, the top three franchises on this list did not win a single championship during the 2010s, with the Yankees being the last to do so when they won the World Series in 2009. This was the last time any of the top three even made it to the championship game or round of their respective sport.

The third New York franchise on the list was the NFL's Giants, who are ranked ninth and valued at $4.3 billion.

It should come as no surprise that the two most valuable soccer clubs in the world are Barcelona and Real Madrid , both coming in at third and fourth on the list with values of $4.76 and $4.75 billion, respectively.

But while that might not be surprising, there is a shocker on the list.

The Golden State Warriors rank as the second-most valuable franchise in the NBA, placing sixth on the list with a value of $4.7 billion, slightly ahead of the iconic Los Angeles Lakers, who come in at seventh with a $4.6 billion valuation.

The Warriors won three NBA Finals between 2015 and 2018, and opened their new Chase Center arena in San Francisco in 2019.

The Lakers just recently won the 2020 NBA Finals last October.

Also in the top 10 are the New England Patriots, who rank eighth at $4.4 billion, and German soccer power Bayern Munich, which is 10th at $4.21 billion.

Other notables listed in the top 50:

No. 16: Los Angeles Dodgers ($3.57 billion)
No. 17: New York Jets ($3.55 billion)
No. 20: Boston Red Sox ($3.47 billion)
No. 29: Las Vegas Raiders ($3.1 billion)
No. 31: Green Bay Packers ($3.05 billion)
No. 40: Brooklyn Nets ($2.65 billion)
No. 43: Kansas City Chiefs ($2.5 billion)

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