Manchester United are the second most valuable sports team on the planet, according to Forbes. The Premier League club are worth an incredible £3.16billion according to the magazine, coming in ahead of rivals such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
United failed to lift a single trophy last season, finishing a distant 19 points behind neighbours City in the league, but the top brass at the club can be content in the knowledge that their brand is still thriving.
American football team, Dallas Cowboys, valued at $4.8 billion, up 14% from $4.2 billion last year, remain the most valuable sports franchise in the world for the third consecutive year. The Cowboys have the highest revenue ($840 million) and earnings ($350 million) of any franchise. Massive global followings propel a trio of soccer clubs to the next three spots, with Manchester United valued at $4.12 billion to No. 2, up 12%, Real Madrid valued at $4.09 billion to No. 3, up 14%, and Barcelona valued at $4.06 billion to No. 4, up 12%. Rounding out the top five is the New York Yankees, which was the world’s second most valuable team last year, worth $4 billion.
The 2017 Europa League winners are ahead of both La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in the list, who are third and fourth and valued at £3.13bn and £3.11bn respectively. Bayern Munich are the only other football team outside the Premier League to make the list, sitting 12th and valued at £2.35bn. City are 30th (£1.89bn), while Arsenal (£1.71bn) are worth more than London rivals Chelsea (£1.58bn), with the pair ranked at 39th and 46th on the list.
The world’s most valuable sports teams of 2018 are worth a cumulative $137 billion, and the average current value of these 50 teams is $2.74 billion, the highest to date, which is an increase over last year when the average value was $2.5 billion. The cost of admission is now $1.95 billion, up $200 million from last year. Overall, there are 106 sports franchises worldwide worth at least $1 billion, up from 87 last year. The Houston Rockets (No. 40, worth $2.2 billion) are the biggest gainer, shooting up 14 spots after Tilman Fertitta closed on his deal to buy the team in October. Fellow NBA teams, Brooklyn Nets (No. 36, worth $2.3 billion) and Golden State Warriors (No. 10, worth $3.1 billion), also jumped at least ten places, with the league’s international growth prospects the best of any U.S. sports league and big market franchises valued at record multiples of revenue.
‘There has never been a better time to own a top-notch pro sports franchise,’ said Kurt Badenhausen, a senior editor at Forbes. ‘Blockbuster TV contracts and owner-friendly collective bargaining agreements are fueling record sale prices across major sports leagues.’
There were a whopping 29 NFL teams on the list, including top of tree Dallas Cowboys, who are worth a jaw-dropping £3.67bn. US sports dominated the list, with eight NBA teams also included, and six MLB franchises. In a sign of the difficult times facing motor racing, not one Formula One team featured in the top 50.
The National Football League is the most powerful sports league in the world, with lucrative broadcast contracts that are unmatched, landing 29 teams among the 50 most valuable sports franchises for the second straight year. The National Basketball Association has eight teams, European soccer represents seven teams, and Major League Baseball has six teams on the list. No hockey, Formula One or Nascar teams made the cut.
TOP 10 FORBES LIST
1. Dallas Cowboys £3,67bn (NFL)
2. Man Utd £3.16bn (football)
3. Real Madrid £3.14bn (football)
4. Barcelona £3.11bn (football)
5. New York Yankees £3.07bn (MLB)
6. New England Patriots £2.84bn (NFL)
7. New York Knicks £2.76bn (NBA)
8. Los Angeles Lakers £2.53bn (NBA)
8. New York Giants, £2.53bn (NFL)
10. Golden State £2.38bn (NBA)