Study: Patriots’ Franchise Among Top Five Best Investments Of Decade

The New England Patriots have been one of the most successful professional sports teams of the last decade, compiling a regular-season record of 124-36 since 2004 and advancing to three Super Bowls in the process.

Not surprisingly, that success on the field has translated into lucrative returns on the business end for team owner Robert Kraft.

In a recent study, Business Insider put together a list of the 34 pro sports franchises that have been the best investments for their owners over the past 10 years.

The Patriots were very close to the top of the list, ranking fourth with a $1.06 billion increase in value since 2004.

The study used “franchise valuations and revenue estimates” from Forbes.com to create the list, ranking each team based on how much they increased their revenue and total franchise value over the past decade. Check out the Patriots’ chart below.

New England ranked second among all NFL teams, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys, who have enjoyed a $1.45 billion increase in value since 2004.

Boston sports fans likely won’t be pleased with the study’s top team, as the New York Yankees led all franchises with a whopping $1.67 billion increase in value over the last 10 years. The Boston Red Sox were not too far behind, however, as a $967 million increase in value ranked them seventh on the list.

The Boston Celtics also cracked the list at No. 22 with a $585 million revenue increase, while the Boston Bruins surprisingly failed to make the cut.

The full list is definitely worth checking out, as it’s interesting to see some less notable teams from smaller markets enjoy major jumps in value as a result of their recent success.