The Patriots are the 6th Most Valuable Sports Franchise in the World

They're on Forbes's list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises.

pats

Image Credit: jdn on Flickr

Forbes Magazine has once again identified the 50 most valuable sports franchises and, whichever continent you live on, it looks like “football” is a pretty lucrative business and Boston is a city of riches.

The top three franchises in the world are European soccer teams: Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Barcelona. It’s interesting to put American sports up on the world stage and find that the rest of the world’s soccer fanaticism really does measure up.  Nevertheless, the National Football League might not have made the top three, but they otherwise dominate the list. Of 22 NFL franchises, 20 broke the top 50. Despite the NFL’s general penchant for raking it in, the most lucrative American franchise, at #4 on the list, is … The New York Yankees at an estimated worth of $2.3 billion. Must be nice to be a Steinbrenner.

As for our local representation, The New England Patriots are sixth on the list, the third American sports franchise, and the second most lucrative NFL team. (The Dallas Cowboys come in ahead of them.)  Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox come in at #11, behind just two other baseball teams. (Those damn Yankees, as well as the L.A. Dodgers.) But don’t stress too much, for as Forbes notes, “winning isn’t everything.” “The LA Dodgers, The NY Knicks, and the Dallas Cowboys have soared in value, despite lukewarm performances on the field and court over the past decade,” the magazine writes. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting look at how our sports measure up as business ventures.