Forbes Names Dallas Cowboys The Most Valuable Sports Franchise In 2016

Arsenal (23rd) was the biggest riser – up 13 places after its value increased by an astonishing 54% to $2.02B due to receiving the biggest cut of Premier League television money and having the most expensive season tickets.

The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world with a value of $4 billion, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes. Manchester United topped it from 2011 to 2012, with Real Madrid being No. 1 the following three years. So, the Cowboys doubled the average National Football League franchise.

According to the magazine, the Cowboys jumped into the top spot on the heels of a 25 percent value increase over the a year ago, making the team worth an estimated $4 billion.

NESN.com’s Rachel Holt has the full details on Forbes’ list in the video above.

Despite their financial success, the Cowboys have not made a Super Bowl appearance in two decades – furthering the argument that they are still “America’s Team”. The Cowboys took another step in this year’s list, ranking first among any team in all sports.

The pact is worth $1.6bn (£1.22bn) over 10 years – four times more than their previous agreement. Manchester United finished fifth thanks in part to a new $1.1 billion merchandising deal with Adidas. The Cowboys also beat out two other NFC East rivals who made the top 10, the Washington Redskins (No. 8, $2.85 billion) and the New York Giants (No. 9, $2.8 billion).

It was the first time since Forbes began compiling their annual top 50 lists of the most valuable sports teams in the world, that a non-soccer club will lead the way this year.

Check out Forbes’ entire list here.