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In today’s world, there are roughly 800 professional sports teams. Those teams each provide some sort of annual revenue based on a series of things: how popular the team is, how much merchandise they sell, how many tickets they sell to each game, how much food the concessions sell during a game, and much more. All this comes together to show how profitable a sports team is, and how much they’re worth.
According to Forbes magazine, the NFL is one of the most profitable franchises out of all the sports.
The following list of sports teams is based on profits made so far in this year, 2017.
10. Washington Redskins
In 1932, the Redskins were not the Redskins, they were the Boston Braves. It wasn’t until 1933 that the Redskins got their name, but they were still based out of Boston, playing at Fenway Park. The franchise of the Washington Redskins was officially born in 1937 when the NFL allowed the transfer of the team from Boston to Washington D.C. The Redskins have always been able to stay profitable and continue to make more revenue year after year. From 2016 to 2017 the Redskins saw a 4% increase in profit with $2.95 billion in revenue.
9. Tied for 9 – Los Angeles Lakers & San Francisco 49ers
The Los Angeles Lakers and the San Francisco 49ers both have the same amount of value at $3 billion. Both teams have increased their profitability by 11% since last year.
The Los Angeles Lakers started off in 1949 as the Minneapolis Lakers. Nearly 10 years later, the Los Angeles Lakers emerged. By this time, the Lakers franchise had won five championships in the NBA/BAA (Basketball Association of America) and had 11 playoff appearances. Since 1961, the Lakers have won 11 championships and have 47 playoff appearances.
The other team tied for ninth place on this Top 10 list is the San Francisco 49ers. The franchise started in 1946 by long-time San Francisco resident Tony Morabito. The 49ers have had many legendary players on its rosters such as Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, just to name a few. On average, the 49ers bring in $212 million just in stadium revenue.
8. New York Giants
https://twitter.com/Giants/status/920454410270007299
If you’re from New York, you know you have to pick one NFL. It’s either the Giants or the Jets. The fan base between the two is pretty even, but the Giants seem to profit way more than the Jets do; that could be because the Jets don’t normally have a great football team. The New York Giants have seen an 11% increase in revenue from last year to this year, bringing in $3.1 billion. The Jets and Giants share the Metlife Stadium, but the Giants bring in on average, $204 million, while the Jets well don’t.
7. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks basketball franchise started in 1946 and was originally called the “Knickerbockers.” This name came from a book by Washington Irving called A History of New York. Knickerbockers was used in reference to people who were descendants of the original Dutch settlers in New York. The Knicks make a profit of about $3.3 billion a year. Although the Knicks aren’t always the best team, they play at Madison Square Garden in New York City, so they bring in a lot of people because of tourism in New York.
https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/919925921301217282
6. New England Patriots
You either love the Patriots, or you root against them in every game they play. That’s because, from the beginning, the Patriots have been a big contender in the NFL. So, it is not surprising that the Patriots are one of the top teams who are most profitable. In the last year, the Patriots revenue has increased by 6% and is at $3.4 billion. Also, Gillette Stadium brings in $279 million per year.
5. Real Madrid
https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/920395991374876673
In years past, the NFL hasn’t come anywhere close to the revenue profit made by soccer teams, but in the recent years the NFL has skyrocketed up the charts by almost 25%. But, professional soccer franchises are still ranking in the top 5 of this list. The Real Madrid franchise started in 1902 and is now based out of Madrid, Spain. This team has actually lost some revenue in comparison to other teams with $3.58 billion in franchise value.
4. Barcelona
https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/920552610884734976
Another soccer team brings us closer to the most profitable franchise in sports. FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 and has been very popular in the European football league since then. Annually, this franchise brings in about $3.64 billion and this year this revenue increased by 2%.
3. Manchester United
The #RedArmy are representing in Lisbon! pic.twitter.com/5DIClDYr79
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 18, 2017
Closing out the soccer teams in the top 10 is Manchester United. According to Forbes, for the last three years, the soccer teams have been at the top of the most valuable sports teams, but they have seen a decline. Manchester United is the most profitable soccer team coming in with $3.69 billion and an increase in revenue by 11% this past year.
2. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are coming in second on this list. Over the last year, this franchise’s revenue has seen a 9% increase and is at $3.7 billion. The Yankees are the only baseball team on this top 10 list which is not that surprising as most people are not huge fans of baseball due to the slowness of the game. The ones who do support baseball are supporters for life though, which is why the Yankees have such a huge fanbase.
1. Dallas Cowboys
You and your friends when it's game week again… pic.twitter.com/ymLBsaA19e
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 17, 2017
Coming in first place for the most profitable sports team is the Dallas Cowboys. Nicknamed “America’s Team,” the Cowboys bring in about $4.2 billion a year in revenue. Owner Jerry Jones paid $150 million to own the Cowboys franchise in 1989 and is now the most valuable team in the NFL and in the world. So even though the Cowboys haven’t made it to the Super Bowl in a few years, they still have one of the largest fanbases in the world.
