Forbes has released its annual list of the most valuable sports teams and three area teams have cracked the top 50.
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The most valuable sports franchise in the world is the soccer team Real Madrid, with an estimated value of $3.3 billion. English soccer club Manchester United rounds out the top five, at $3.1 billion.
The team also cashed in on TV revenue from the Spanish Primera Liga as well as other televised leagues like the Federation Internationale de Football Association Club World Cup which they won in 2014.
As for the latest Real Madrid transfer news, you could use apps such as Sky Sports or BBC Sports, but surely it would be better to go direct to the official Real Madrid app for Android and iOS?
The New York Yankees tied for second. While Real’s value is slightly down on past year, the average value of a top-50 side is up 31 per cent on 12 months ago at £1.12billion ($1.75bn).
There were 62 sports teams worldwide valued by Forbes at $1 billion or more. The team’s renovation of Wrigley Field, as well as the recent sale of a minority stake that generated $150 million in revenue, were both cited as reasons for their ascent on the list. Washington gained slightly more value, as a percentage, than the NFL’s most valuable franchise, the Dallas Cowboys. Naming rights bought by AT&T amounts to a total of $500 million spread over a 25-year period.
As long as Jerry Jones is running the show in Dallas, the Cowboys are positioned well to keep their current spot on Forbes list.
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There are 20 NFL squads on the 51-team list, with 12 from Major League Baseball, 10 from the National Basteball Association, and one from Formula One. Ironically enough, the Boston Braves/Boston Redskins/Washington Redskins franchise has seemingly had the most logo changes, using 10 different primary logos over the years, although majority have portrayed the same thing. The full list for 2015 can be seen here.
