Yankees No. 4 in value, lead five NYC teams on Forbes' top 50 franchise list
Robinson Cano of the Yankees celebrates his third-inning, three-run home run against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. (July 10, 2013) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Though three international soccer powers top Forbes Magazine's annual rating of most valuable sports franchises released Monday, and the Yankees -- at No 4 overall -- are the money leaders among American teams, the list is dominated by National Football League organizations.
Thirty of the NFL's 32 teams, led by the Dallas Cowboys at No. 5 overall, are rated in Forbes' top 50.
Only the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars did not make the list, though Forbes calculated that they would rank 51st and 52nd.
The Yankees, valued at $2.3 billion, follow Spain's Real Madrid ($3.3 billion), England's Manchester United ($3.165 billion) and Barcelona of Spain ($2.6 billion). The Cowboys are said to be worth $2.1 billion.
Besides the Yankees, the other New York teams in the top 50 are the Giants, ninth at $1.468 billion; Jets, 14th at $1.284 billion; Knicks, tied for 23rd at $1.1 billion; and Mets, 45th at $811 million.
According to Forbes, the Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the NBA.
Forty of the 50 franchises are U.S.-based, including seven Major League Baseball teams and three NBA teams. One Canadian-based NHL team (the Toronto Maple Leafs in a tie for 31st) is on the list. There are seven European soccer clubs and two race-car teams.
Forbes reported that the average franchise on the list is worth $1.24 billion, a 16-percent increase over last year. No team was worth more than $2 billion in 2011, and now there are five franchises above that number.
