Manchester United join an elite list of sports teams as Forbes unveiled its annual Most Valuable Sports Teams list.
The English Premier League club are third this year behind NFL team the Dallas Cowboys and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees. The list sees just three football clubs from Europe make the top 10, as it was dominated by American sports teams.
Manchester United are valued at an incredible £2.86 billion which is up from last year. Barcelona and Real Madrid were right behind the Red Devils. In the magazine’s top 50, only seven football (soccer) clubs appear, with the list being dominated by American football teams from the NFL. Of the 32 NFL franchise in the United States, 29 made Forbes’ Most Valuable Sports Teams list.
Other football clubs to join Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid on the top 50 list were Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
According to Forbes, the Dallas Cowboys are in their second straight year of being the most valuable sports team after knocking off Real Madrid in 2016. The Cowboys are worth £3.26 billion.
Amazingly, the NFL was the most profitable sports league, and each team made a minimum profit of £20m ($26m) last season. While European football leagues could take notes from the NFL on how to become more profitable, the good news is, the NBA and Major League Baseball had a similar number of teams on the top 50 list. Major League Baseball featured eight franchises, while the NBA equalled football with seven.
Forbes World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams of 2017
Rank, Team, Value, 1-Yr change (Sport)
1. Dallas Cowboys, $4.2 billion, 5% (NFL)
3. Manchester United, $3.69 billion, 11% (Soccer)
4. Barcelona, $3.64 billion, 2% (Soccer)
5. Real Madrid, $3.58 billion, -2% (Soccer)
6. New England Patriots, $3.4 billion, 6% (NFL)
7. New York Knicks, $3.3 billion, 10% (NBA)
8. New York Giants, $3.1 billion, 11% (NFL)
9. San Francisco 49ers, $3 billion, 11% (NFL)
9. Los Angeles Lakers, $3 billion, 11% (NBA)
11. Washington Redskins, $2.95 billion, 4% (NFL)
12. Los Angeles Rams, $2.9 billion, 100% (NFL)
13. New York Jets, $2.75 billion, 6% (NFL)
13. Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.75 billion, 10% (MLB)
15. Bayern Munich, $2.71 billion, 1% (Soccer)
16. Chicago Bears, $2.7 billion, 10% (NFL)
16. Boston Red Sox, $2.7 billion, 17% (MLB)
18. Chicago Cubs, $2.68 billion, 22% (MLB)
19. San Francisco Giants, $2.65 billion, 18% (MLB)
20. Houston Texans, $2.6 billion, 4% (NFL)
20. Golden State Warriors, $2.6 billion, 37% (NBA)
22. Philadelphia Eagles, $2.5 billion, 4% (NFL)
22. Chicago Bulls, $2.5 billion, 9% (NBA)
24. Denver Broncos, $2.4 billion, 24% (NFL)
25. Miami Dolphins, $2.38 billion, 28% (NFL)
26. Green Bay Packers, $2.35 billion, 21% (NFL)
27. Baltimore Ravens, $2.3 billion, 19% (NFL)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers, $2.25 billion, 18% (NFL)
29. Seattle Seahawks, $2.25 billion, 19% (NFL)
30. Minnesota Vikings, $2.2 billion, 38% (NFL)
30. Boston Celtics, $2.2 billion, 5% (NBA)
32. Indianapolis Colts, $2.18 billion, 16% (NFL)
33. Atlanta Falcons, $2.13 billion, 27% (NFL)
34. Oakland Raiders, $2.1 billion, 47% (NFL)
35. Manchester City, $2.083 billion, 8% (Soccer)
36. Los Angeles Chargers, $2.08 billion, 36% (NFL)
37. Carolina Panthers, $2.075 billion, 33% (NFL)
38. Arizona Cardinals, $2.025 billion, 31% (NFL)
39. Tennessee Titans, $2 billion, 34% (NFL)
39. Los Angeles Clippers, $2 billion, 0% (NBA)
39. New York Mets, $2 billion, 21% (MLB)
42. Jacksonville Jaguars, $1.95 billion, 32% (NFL)
43. Arsenal, $1.93 billion, -4% (Soccer)
44. Kansas City Chiefs, $1.88 billion, 23% (NFL)
45. Cleveland Browns, $1.85 billion, 23% (NFL)
46. Chelsea, $1.845 billion, 11% (Soccer)
47. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $1.8 billion, 19% (NFL)
47. Brooklyn Nets, $1.8 billion, 6% (NBA)
47. St Louis Cardinals, $1.8 billion, 12% (MLB)
50. New Orleans Saints, $1.75 billion, 16% (NFL)
50. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, $1.75 billion, 31% (MLB)
