Dallas Cowboys have usurped Spanish giants Real Madrid as the most valuable sports team of 2016 according to Forbes’ annual list. Real Madrid had finished on top for the last 3 seasons, but this time, they are second with the top 3 being rounded off by their rivals Barcelona.
It is for the first time since Forbes started the ranking in 2011, that the list is not headed by either Real Madrid or Manchester United. The top 10 most valuable sports teams has only three football teams with Real Madrid at 2nd, Barcelona at 3rd and Manchester United at 5th.
The Dallas Cowboys’ rise to the top is based on an incredible 25% rise in revenue which saw their value increase to $4 billion while Real Madrid’s 12% upturn in revenue saw them finish second with a value of $3.65 billion.
Barcelona moved up to fourth from third with a value of $3.55 billion, with New York Yankees dropping to fourth from joint second with a value of $3.4bn. The fifth place is taken by Manchester United $3.32bn, followed by the New England Patriots ($3.2bn).
The NBA saw two representatives with the New York Knicks at 7th while Los Angeles Lakers and San Fransisco 49ers rounded off the top 10 list. NFL teams Washington Redskins ($2.85bn) and the New York Giants ($2.8bn) took the 8th and 9th position.
Apart from these top 10 teams, the biggest gainer was Premier League club Arsenal wich rose to 23rd position (13 position increase from last time) due to an astonishing increase of 52% in revenue thanks to them getting the lion’s share of prime time television rights and them having the costliest season ticket prices. Arsenal are valued at $2.02 billion.
In total, the NFL made up 27 of the Forbes top 50 most valuable sports team list, while football and NBA both had 8 teams each. Major League Baseball had 7 teams on the list while NHL and Formula one surprisingly did not have any representatives.
Here is the complete list of Forbes’ top 10 most valuable teams:
1. Dallas Cowboys ($4bn)2. Real Madrid ($3.65bn)3. Barcelona ($3.55bn)4. New York Yankees ($3.4bn)5. Manchester United ($3.32bn)6. New England Patriots ($3.2bn)7. New York Knicks ($3bn)8. Washington Redskins ($2.85bn)9. New York Giants ($2.8bn)10. Los Angeles Lakers, San Francisco 49ers (both $2.7bn)
