Business: Forbes, The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019

The world’s richest sports teams are almost all swimming in cash these days. Barcelona, which lost $37 million due to excessive player costs, was the only top-50 team to post a loss on an operating basis, and every other team turned a profit of at least $25 million. More than half of the teams made more than $100 million, led by the Cowboys at $365 million.

Some of the most relevant information:

• NBA teams have made the most dramatic moves this decade. The New York Knicks headline nine hoops teams in the top 50 this year. Their $4 billion value, up 11%, ranks fifth among all sports teams. The Los Angeles Lakers ($3.7 billion) and Golden State Warriors ($3.5 billion) also cracked the top 10. In 2012, the Lakers were the most valuable NBA team at $900 million and ranked 35th out of all sports franchises. The Knicks were the only other NBA team in the top 50 in 2012.
• Three NBA franchises have been sold for at least $2 billion since 2014 (Nets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers). The prior NBA-record sale price was $550 million for the Milwaukee Bucks, which closed three months before Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion blockbuster purchase of the Clippers.

The franchise values below are based on Forbes’ published valuations over the past 12 months by Mike Ozanian, Christina Settimi and Kurt Badenhausen. Team values reflect enterprise values (equity plus debt). No teams from the NHL, Nascar, MLS or Formula One made the top 50. The highest-ranking franchise outside of the NBA, NFL, MLB and European soccer was the New York Rangers at 72nd with a value of $1.55 billion.

• The NFL remains the most dominant sports leagues with more than half of the 50 most valuable sports franchises, but the other major sports chipped away at its dominance during the past year.
• The discount bin is empty when shopping for teams in the major sports leagues. Every NFL, NBA and MLB franchise is now worth at least $1 billion.
• Manchester United was the world’s only pro sports team worth more than $2 billion in 2012. Now there are at least 50, including almost every NFL team.

The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019: Top 10

1 | Dallas Cowboys (NFL)

Value: $5 billion
1-Year % Change: 4%
Owner: Jerry Jones
Operating Income: $365 million

2 | New York Yankees (MLB)

Value: $4.6 billion
1-Year % Change: 15%
Owners: Steinbrenner family
Operating Income: $30 million

3 | Real Madrid (Soccer)

Value: $4.24 billion
1-Year % Change: 4%
Owners: Club members
Operating Income: $112 million

4 | Barcelona (Soccer)

Value: $4.02 billion
1-Year % Change: -1%
Owners: Club members
Operating Income: -$37 million

5 | New York Knicks (NBA)

Value: $4 billion
1-Year % Change: 11%
Owner: Madison Square Garden Company
Operating Income: $155 million

6 | Manchester United (Soccer)

Value: $3.81 billion
1-Year % Change: -8%
Owners: Glazer family
Operating Income: $238 million

7 | New England Patriots (NFL)

Value: $3.8 billion
1-Year % Change: 3%
Owner: Robert Kraft
Operating Income: $235 million

8 | Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)

Value: $3.7 billion
1-Year % Change: 12%
Owners: Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Philip Anschutz
Operating Income: $147 million

9 | Golden State Warriors (NBA)

Value: $3.5 billion
1-Year % Change: 13%
Owners: Joe Lacob, Peter Guber
Operating Income: $103 million

10 (tie) | New York Giants (NFL)

Value: $3.3 billion
1-Year % Change: 0%
Owners: John Mara, Steven Tisch
Operating Income: $149 million

10 (tie) | Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)

Value: $3.3 billion
1-Year % Change: 10%
Owners: Guggenheim Baseball Management
Operating Income: $95 million

References:

Forbes, The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019, Kurt Badenhausen.