It’s a good time to be an owner of a Boston-area sports team these days.
Forbes released its annual list of the 50 most valuable professional sports franchises in the world on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly for a region that has seen plenty of recent sports success, two local teams cracked the top 15.
The New England Patriots came in at No. 8 with a projected value of $1.8 billion, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys (No. 5, $2.3 billion) as the NFL’s most valuable team.
The Boston Red Sox, meanwhile, ranked at No. 11 on the list at $1.55 billion, making them the third-most valuable MLB team behind the New York Yankees (No. 4, $2.5 billion) and Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 6, $2 billion).
The Boston Celtics even made an appearance in the top 50, coming in at No. 45 with a projected value of $875 million.
Three teams in the top 50 is all well and good for Boston sports fans, but if there’s one thing this list proves, it’s that soccer reigns supreme on the global stage. The top three most valuable professional sports teams are all soccer clubs, with Real Madrid topping the list with a whopping value of $3.44 billion.
As for the final sport in the United States’ “Big Four,” hockey still has a long way to go to get to the top of the list. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the only NHL team to crack the top 50, coming in at No. 26 with a $1.15 billion value.
Forbes’ full top 50 list is worth checking out, but below are the top 15 most valuable teams.*
1.) Real Madrid — $3.44 billion
2.) Barcelona — $3.2 billion
3.) Manchester United — $2.81 billion
4.) New York Yankees — $2.5 billion
5.) Dallas Cowboys — $2.3 billion
6.) Los Angeles Dodgers — $2 billion
7.) Bayern Munich – $1.85 billion
8.) New England Patriots — $1.8 billion
9.) Washington Redskins — $1.7 billion
10.) New York Giants — $1.55 billion
11.) Boston Red Sox — $1.55 billion
12.) Houston Texans — $1.45 billion
13.) New York Knicks — $1.4 billion
14.) New York Jets — $1.38 billion
15.) Los Angeles Lakers — $1.35 billion
*The Los Angeles Clippers are a likely addition to this list, but Steve Ballmer’s reported $2 billion purchase of the team has yet to be finalized.
Photo via Twitter/@Parziale_Here
