Dallas Cowboys Listed as Most Valuable Sports Franchise

The Lions franchise is estimated to be worth $1.44 billion which is $2.56 billion less than the Dallas Cowboys, who top the list at $4 billion.

The Dallas Cowboys are the first sports team to be valued at $4 billion, cementing its place as the richest franchise in the world of sports.

Forbes said the Cowboys have surged to the top thanks to revenues of $620m, some $100m more than its nearest high-earners in the NFL.

Last year’s blockbuster $1.4 billion sale of the Buffalo Bills appears to have boosted the potential market values of the league’s 10 least profitable teams, which besides the Chargers include other Los Angeles wannabes such as the Rams and Raiders. Real Madrid ($3.26 billion), the Patriots ($3.2 billion), New York Yankees ($3.2 billion) and Barcelona ($3.16 billion) follow behind.

Why? Because unless the owners wanted to sell, the increase in value only caused estate and tax complications. That may seem like a insane jump but, if you consider that each of the 32 teams had a $39 million increase in national revenue previous year , it’s not so surprising.

The New Orleans Saints are 23rd on the list, worth about 1.52 billion dollars. Then, it was valued at $1.5 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates. In 2014, the team pulled in 0 million in revenue (a record for a sports team in the U.S.) and finished with an operating income of $270 million. The team added 7,000 seats two years ago and by the time they finish remodeling private suites in 2017, the Packers will have spent $367 million over six years upgrading Lambeau Field. The San Francisco 49ers grew an incredible 69 percent (yeah, what a terrible offseason) due to their move into Levi’s Stadium, Forbes reported.

With the 2015 season underway, Forbes estimated the value of each National Football League franchise.