New England didn't win the Super Bowl last season, but the Patriots didn't have to in order to continue making owner Bob Kraft a happy (and profitable) man.
The Pats were valued at $1.635 billion by Forbes magazine in its latest appraisal of the NFL's franchises, making them the second-most valuable team in the league.
The top spot would be reserved for the Dallas Cowboys, of course, who break the $2 billion mark and check in at a healthy $2.1 billion appraisal.
While Jerry Jones and the 'Boys might be content with their top spot, they may need to start winning in order to maintain it. Both the Patriots and the New York Giants saw double-digit percentage increases after squaring off in the Super Bowl. Interestingly, the Pats saw a bigger boost (17 percent) than the Super Bowl champion Giants (13 percent).
At the other end of the spectrum, small-market teams like Buffalo, Oakland and St. Louis bring up the rear with the Jacksonville Jaguars the NFL's least valuable franchise at a $770 million, a mere pittance for the league's big spenders.
According to Forbes, the Pats brought in a whopping $380 million in revenue last year, also good for second-most behind Dallas, and had an operating income of $118.8 mil. Interestingly enough, Forbes pegs the Raiders as the least profitable franchise with an operating loss of $15.2 million and the Steelers were also reportedly operating in the red. Judging by how the rest of these teams are doing, though, we figure that Pittsburgh will probably end up doing alright.
Photo of the Night
Are you ready for some football? No, that's a serious question. Are the refs ready?
Tweet of the Night
Kevin noooooooo.
And dating a Kardashian by Friday. RT: @ross_jones22: Kevin Ogletree … tomorrow's waiver wire darling
— Nancy Gay (@nancygay) September 6, 2012
Quote of the Night
"That's just men playing against boys right now."
— Cubs manager Dale Sveum, breaking down the Cubs-Nationals series
Video of the Night
You get a foul ball! You get a foul ball! And you get a fou– oh, wait you dropped it again.
