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Cowboys, Yankees, Knicks Top Forbes' List of Most Valuable Sports Teams in 2021
May 7, 2021
For the sixth consecutive year, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in professional sports.
Forbes released its 2021 list of the most valuable sports teams Friday, and the Cowboys were at the top again with a value of $5.7 billion. Here is a rundown of the top 10:
1. Dallas Cowboys: $5.7 billion
2. New York Yankees: $5.25 billion
3. New York Knicks: $5 billion
4. Barcelona: $4.76 billion
5. Real Madrid: $4.75 billion
6. Golden State Warriors: $4.7 billion
7. Los Angeles Lakers: $4.6 billion
8. New England Patriots: $4.4 billion
9. New York Giants: $4.3 billion
10. Bayern Munich: $4.21 billion
The top three from last year are unchanged as the Cowboys, Yankees and Knicks occupied those spots in 2020 as well. The top five did receive a shake-up, though: Barcelona rose from eighth to fourth and Real Madrid from sixth to fifth, while the Lakers fell from fourth to seventh and the Warriors from fifth to sixth.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on professional sports teams and leagues, it has not had an adverse impact on the value of most franchises.
According to Forbes' Mike Ozanian, the average value of the 50 most valuable franchises in sports is up 9.9 percent from last year to $3.4 billion. That average value is a remarkable 55 percent higher than it was five years ago.
Each team in the top 10 has seen its value increase by at least 30 percent over the past five years, and the Warriors' value has gone up 147 percent.
Twelfth-ranked Liverpool (165 percent), as well the Los Angeles Rams (176 percent) and Manchester City (108 percent), who are tied for 13th, have gone up substantially as well.
Per Ozanian, NFL teams make up more than half of this year's top 50 with 26 teams on the list, followed by nine NBA teams, nine soccer teams and six MLB teams.
Soccer teams dominated the top of the list from 2010 to 2015, but the Cowboys broke that trend, and the Yankees have been No. 2 on the list in four of the past five years.
Team success can lead a franchise to become more valuable, but there isn't always a direct correlation.
Despite just two playoff appearances and one playoff win since 2016, the Cowboys continue to be the most valuable franchise in sports with no end in sight to their reign.