Special Report
The Sports Teams Worth the Most Money
July 3, 2021 1:00 pm
Last Updated: July 3, 2021 1:29 pm
40. Brooklyn Nets, NBA
> Value: $2.65 billion
> Owner(s): Joseph Tsai
> Price paid: $3.2 billion in 2019
> Change in value since last purchase: -$550 Million
> Last title: None
The Brooklyn Nets share the basketball spotlight in New York City with the New York Knicks. But the team wasn’t always New York-based. After becoming a charter member of American Basketball Association — a league set up to rival the NBA — the team played in New Jersey and Long Island before joining the NBA.
39. Los Angeles Clippers, NBA
> Value: $2.75 billion
> Owner(s): Steve Ballmer
> Price paid: $2 billion in 2014
> Change in value since last purchase: +$750 Million
> Last title: None
Former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer is reportedly the richest owner among North American professional team owners. The team shares the Staples Center with crosstown rivals the Los Angeles Lakers.
38. Arsenal (England), Soccer
> Value: $2.8 billion
> Owner(s): Stanley Kroenke
> Price paid: $1.1 billion in 2011
> Change in value since last purchase: +$1.7 Billion
> Last title: UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Winner, 1994
A member of England’s Premier league, Arsenal F.C. is based in Islington, a district of London. It has the distinction of playing the first-ever televised English league match — a 1927 game against Sheffield United.
37. Indianapolis Colts, NFL
> Value: $2.85 billion
> Owner(s): James Irsay
> Price paid: $14 million in 1972
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.8 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2006
Like many NFL franchises, the Indianapolis Colts didn’t start out in their namesake city. The team played in Dallas, and then moved to Baltimore. When that city wouldn’t fund a new stadium, then-owner Robert Irsay packed the team up and left for Indianapolis.
36. Atlanta Falcons, NFL
> Value: $2.88 billion
> Owner(s): Arthur Blank
> Price paid: $545 million in 2002
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.3 Billion
> Last title: None
When the Atlanta Falcons were established in 1965, the team had no name, so it held a contest. It was won by a schoolteacher, who wrote, “The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey. It’s deadly and has a great sporting tradition.”
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