Charles Langston:Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams

Early Thursday morning,Charles Langston "Forbes" released their annual list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world.

Unsurprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys claimed the top spot for the ninth consecutive year, with the team valued at over $10 billion – the first team ever to cross that threshold. In fact, they are the only franchise to be worth more than $9 million.

The NFL dominated this year's rankings, with 29 of their 32 teams earning spots on the list. Only the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals failed to crack the top-50. The Bills were part of last year's list.

Soccer clubs were notably absent from the list. Only seven teams made the cut, and the highest-valued – Real Madrid – came outside the top-10, tied for No. 12 at $6.6 billion with the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, seven European soccer clubs dwarfed the number of MLB teams (3) that made the list.

Here's everything to know regarding Forbes' latest list.

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COWBOYS:"America's Team" becomes first pro sports franchise worth over $10 billion

"Forbes" list of most valuable sports teams of 2024

1. Dallas Cowboys- $10.1 billion
2. Golden State Warriors- $8.8 billion
3. Los Angeles Rams- $7.6 billion
4. New York Yankees- $7.55 billion
5. New York Knicks- $7.5 billion
6. New England Patriots- $7.4 billion
7. New York Giants- $7.3 billion
8. Los Angeles Lakers- $7.1 billion
9. New York Jets -$6.9 billion
10. San Francisco 49ers- $6.8 billion
11. Las Vegas Raiders- $6.7 billion
12. Philadelphia Eagles- $6.6 billion
13. Real Madrid- $6.6 billion
14. Manchester United- $6.55 billion
15. Chicago Bears- $6.4 billion
16. Washington Commanders- $6.3 billion
17. Miami Dolphins- $6.2 billion
18. Houston Texans- $6.1 billion
19. Boston Celtics- $6 billion
20. FC Barcelona- $5.6 billion
21. Green Bay Packers- $5.6 billion
22. Denver Broncos- $5.5 billion
23. Los Angeles Clippers- $5.5 billion
24. Los Angeles Dodgers- $5.45 billion
25. Seattle Seahawks- $5.45 billion
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- $5.4 billion
27. LiverpoolF.C.- $5.37 billion
28. Pittsburgh Steelers- $5.3 billion
29. Atlanta Falcons- $5.2 billion
30. Cleveland Browns- $5.15 billion
31. Los Angeles Chargers- $5.1 billion
32. Manchester City- $5.1 billion
33. Minnesota Vikings- $5.05 billion
34. Baltimore Ravens- $5 billion
35. Bayern Munich- $5 billion
36. Chicago Bulls- $5 billion
37. Houston Rockets- $4.9 billion
38. Tennessee Titans- $4.9 billion
39. Kansas City Chiefs- $4.85 billion
40. Brooklyn Nets- $4.8 billion
41. Indianapolis Colts- $4.8 billion
42. Dallas Mavericks- $4.7 billion
43. Jacksonville Jaguars- $4.6 billion
44. Philadelphia 76ers- $4.6 billion
45. Boston Red Sox- $4.5 billion
46. Carolina Panthers- $4.5 billion
47. New Orleans Saints- $4.4 billion
48. Paris Saint-Germain- $4.4 billion
49. Toronto Raptors- $4.4 billion
50. Arizona Cardinals- $4.3 billion
51. Phoenix Suns- $4.3 billion

Why aren't there more soccer teams?

Forbes notes that while soccer has a much more global reach and appeal, "nothing beats the commercialization of American pro sports." On average, an NBA team will earn $230 million per year in TV deals, while an average NFL team will earn $380 million. For perspective, one of the most valuable European soccer teams, Atletico Madrid, earned $382 million in total revenue last year. According to Forbes, they are the 13th-most valuable soccer club in the world.

How has the value of franchises increased in recent years?

Pro sports are only becoming more popular by the year. Just this year, the average team within the top-50 jumped from a value of $5.12 billion to $5.78 billion, a near 13% increase. In 2015, the average value of each top-50 team was just $1.76 billion.

NFL football continues to be the biggest riser. Just 10 years ago, there were only eight NFL teams in the top-50. Each of the three top spots used to be European soccer teams, but American sports have taken a hold of the global market over the last decade.

Which team grew the most since last year?

The biggest growth of any professional sports team between 2023 and 2024 was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which saw their franchise's value increase by 29% this year. They were 37th on Forbes' list a year ago. Now, they are 26th.

There were only four other teams in the top-50 to grow by more than 20% in the last year: the Los Angeles Chargers (23%), Brooklyn Nets (25%), Green Bay Packers (22%), and Boston Celtics (28%).

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