The world of sports isn’t just about entertainment, it’s also a multi-billion-dollar empire that includes some of the wealthiest franchises on the planet. While it’s fair to say that certain sports command a larger share of this wealth, you’re still likely to find individual clubs and teams that are worth several billion in their own right.
Here, using the most recent data, we’ve taken a closer look at some of these in isolation to uncover the respective most lucrative franchises in some of the world’s most popular sports.
NFL – The Dallas Cowboys – $8.0 billion
Starting with the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys continue to be the most valuable team – a record they’ve held onto since the 2010s. However, they’re not just American football’s most lucrative club, they are also the most valuable team in the world.
Football – Real Madrid – $5.1 billion
There are many billion-dollar association football clubs, but just pipping their La Liga rivals F.C. Barcelona to the post in terms of the most-valuable is Real Madrid. Beyond the club’s reputation alone, their worth is said to stem from factors such as branding rights, sponsorship, TV money and its unique fan-ownership.
Rugby Union – Union Bordeaux Bègles – $37 million
Despite having millions of loyal fans, a large calendar of domestic and international rugby fixtures and a huge global appeal, rugby union doesn’t quite have the same impact financially as other sports. However, Union Bordeaux Bègles in France can lay claim to being the most valuable club in the world, at a sizeable figure in the millions that’s certainly not to be sniffed at.
Basketball – New York Nicks – $5.8 billion
Basketball – much like the American football – also has many billion dollar-value teams, but right now it’s the famous New York Nicks that are worth the most. It’s worth nothing though that the Nicks are closely followed by the Golden State Warriors ($5.6bn) and the LA Lakers ($5.5bn) as the respective third, fourth and fifth most lucrative teams across all sports.
Baseball – New York Yankees – $6 billion
Staying in the Big Apple, it’s the New York Yankees who are the most lucrative baseball team in the world at a mighty $6 billion. This also puts them as the second most valuable sports team in the world.
Cricket – Mumbai Indians – $1.3 billion
In a similar vein to rugby union, cricket is another sport where its respective teams don’t break the top 10 most valuable in the world, despite having a huge roster of fixtures and support in countries across the globe. However, the difference is that many cricket teams do break the billion-dollar value figure and currently the most valuable is the Mumbai Indians franchise.
