Owning a professional sports team can be lucrative, gratifying, and expensive — which is why only the richest of the rich have enough coin to buy one. And for all the rewards of seeing your team win championships, owners also must endure down seasons and disgruntled fans. Being an owner means riding that roller coaster every year — every game, for that matter. (Sometimes the roller coaster seems to go in only one direction: These are the worst teams in the history of every sport.)
Yet professional sports teams tend to grow in value year over year. 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the 50 most valuable teams in the world. Go down the list and you’ll see how much profit the owners or ownership groups have realized over the decades. Bought in 2011 for $770 million, for instance, the Jacksonville Jaguars are now worth $1.7 billion. Not a bad return on investment — and the Jaguars aren’t even one of the 20 teams with the most hall-of-famers.
Click here to see the world’s most valuable sports teams.
To determine the world’s most valuable sports teams, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed rankings for 2021 from Forbes, based on the equity, debts, purchase or investment offers, stadium value, revenue, and operating income rankings for the top 50 sports franchises. The change in valuation since last purchase was calculated based on the difference between the current valuation of the team and the most recent owner or ownership group’s purchase price, regardless of the equity stake. The most recent championship for European soccer clubs was determined based on the highest level of European competition and did not factor in domestic championships.Â
In the football-, baseball-, and basketball-obsessed U.S., we tend to think those are the only sports that matter. And this list includes the usual U.S.-based pro teams, like the Knicks, the Cowboys, the Dodgers, and the Yankees. Worldwide, though, soccer is king, as reflected by the presence here of such organizations as Manchester United F.C. of the English League and F.C. Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga.
Source: Jason Miller / Getty Images
50. Cleveland Browns, NFL
> Value: $2.35 billion
> Owner(s): Owner: Dee and Jimmy Haslam
> Price paid: $987 million in 2012
> Change in value since last purchase: +$1.4 Billion
> Last title: NFL Champion, 1964
Unlike other NFL teams, the Cleveland Browns have no official logo on their headgear. Instead, their brown helmets are a nod to the team’s first coach and co-founder, Paul Brown.
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Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
49. Dallas Mavericks, NBA
> Value: $2.45 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Mark Cuban
> Price paid: $280 million in 2000
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.2 Billion
> Last title: NBA Champion, 2011
Established in 1980 as an expansion team, the Dallas Mavericks had the team’s first winning season just four years later in 1984. Mark Cuban bought the team in 2000, and immediately began to spend big, but also ended up being fined by the league for a rude gesture during a game in 2001.
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Source: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
48. New York Mets, MLB
> Value: $2.45 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Steve Cohen
> Price paid: $2.42 billion in 2020
> Change in value since last purchase: +$30 Million
> Last title: World Series Champion, 1986
New York Mets fans rejoiced when hedge fund operator Steve Cohen bought the franchise from the Wilpon family last year. Will new ownership bring the team a World Series championship it hasn’t won since 1986? Check back in October to find out.
Source: www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison
47. Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
> Value: $2.45 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Shahid Khan
> Price paid: $770 million in 2011
> Change in value since last purchase: +$1.7 Billion
> Last title: None
The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t won a championship since entering the league in 1993. Team brass is hoping that will change with the signing of top college quarterback, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, in last year’s draft.
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Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images
46. New Orleans Saints, NFL
> Value: $2.48 billion
> Owner(s): Gayle Benson
> Price paid: $70.2 million in 1985
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.4 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2009
The name Saints honors the Catholic heritage of the city the team plays in. It also pays homage to Louis Armstrong’s classic version of “When the Saints Come Marching In.” Need another heavenly connection? The team was founded on Nov. 1, 1966 — All Saints Day.
Source: David Ramos / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
45. Paris Saint-Germain (France), Soccer
> Value: $2.5 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Qatar Sports Investments
> Price paid: $100 million in 2011
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.4 Billion
> Last title: UEFA Intertoto Cup Winner, 2001
The Paris Saint-Germain Football Club has won 31 titles, making it the top soccer club in France. Not bad for a relatively young organization founded in 1970.
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Source: Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
44. Houston Rockets, NBA
> Value: $2.5 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Tilman Fertitta
> Price paid: $2.2 billion in 2017
> Change in value since last purchase: +$300 Million
> Last title: NBA Champion, 1995
The Houston Rockets didn’t start out in the Lone Star State. From 1968 to 1971, San Diego was home. The team was named both as a reference to San Diego as “a city in motion” and in honor of the Atlas missile program being developed locally by General Dynamics.
Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images
43. Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
> Value: $2.5 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Hunt family
> Price paid: $25,000 in 1960
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.5 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2019
The Kansas City Chiefs played in the first AFL vs. NFL World Championship — now known as the Super Bowl — in 1967. Unfortunately, the team lost to the Green Bay Packers that year, 35-10 — but took home the Lombardi Trophy in 2019.
Source: Brian Blanco / Getty Images
42. Carolina Panthers, NFL
> Value: $2.55 billion
> Owner(s): David Tepper
> Price paid: $2.28 billion in 2018
> Change in value since last purchase: +$270 Million
> Last title: None
Although a newcomer to the league in 1995, the Panthers won the NFC Championship in 2003 and 2015. The isn’t the first pro football team to play in North Carolina. The Charlotte Bantams played during the Depression before disbanding in 1934. That team was followed by the Dixie League’s Charlotte Clippers in 1941 and the Charlotte Hornets of the now-defunct World Football League.
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Source: Harry How / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
41. Los Angeles Chargers, NFL
> Value: $2.6 billion
> Owner(s): Dean Spanos
> Price paid: $72 million in 1984
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.5 Billion
> Last title: AFL Champion, 1963
The team was founded in Los Angeles in 1959 before moving to San Diego in 1961.
In a game of musical chairs, they returned to their original home in 2017.
Source: Elsa / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
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.
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Source: Harry How / Getty Images
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.
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Source: Julian Finney / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
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.
Source: Andy Lyons / Getty Images
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.
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Source: Scott Cunningham / Getty Images
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.”
Source: Chris Trotman / Getty Images
35. Miami Dolphins, NFL
> Value: $2.9 billion
> Owner(s): Stephen Ross
> Price paid: $1.1 billion in 2009
> Change in value since last purchase: +$1.8 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1973
The Miami Dolphins are the only team in NFL history to have had an undefeated season, in 1972. That same year, they won the Super Bowl.
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Source: Adam Bettcher / Getty Images
34. Minnesota Vikings, NFL
> Value: $2.95 billion
> Owner(s): Zygmunt Wilf
> Price paid: $600 million in 2005
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.4 Billion
> Last title: NFL Champion, 1969
Although the Miami Dolphins can lay claim to the league’s only undefeated season, the Minnesota Vikings are one of only six NFL franchises to win at least 15 games in the regular season. The team has played in 46 playoff games, third-most in the league.
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Source: Rob Carr / Getty Images
33. Baltimore Ravens, NFL
> Value: $2.98 billion
> Owner(s): Stephen Bisciotti
> Price paid: $600 million in 2004
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.4 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2012
The Baltimore Ravens got their name from a poem, “The Raven,” by the city’s onetime resident Edgar Allan Poe. In 1995, team Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced plans to move the team to Baltimore. Under an agreement with the league, Modell had to leave the team’s records in Cleveland as the basis for a new version of the Browns, while Modell moved his players to Maryland.
Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
32. Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL
> Value: $3 billion
> Owner(s): Daniel Rooney Trust, Arthur Rooney II
> Price paid: $2,500 in 1933
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2008
The Pittsburgh Steelers were established in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates, mirroring the name of the city’s baseball franchise: the Pirates. Its nickname was changed to Steelers, a reference to the city’s steel mills, in 1940.
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Source: Mark Herreid / Shutterstock.com
31. Green Bay Packers, NFL
> Value: $3.05 billion
> Owner(s): shareholders
> Price paid: $100 in 1921
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2010
One of the storied franchises of the NFL, the Green Bay Packers first played in 1921. The team won two of the first Super Bowls ever played, in 1967 and 1968. The question for Packer fans now is whether star quarterback Aaron Rodgers will show up for off-season training.
Source: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images
30. Seattle Seahawks, NFL
> Value: $3.08 billion
> Owner(s): Paul G. Allen Trust
> Price paid: $194 million in 1997
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.9 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2013
Seattle Seahawk fans are famous for being loud. But at a playoff game in 2011, the fans jumped up and down so enthusiastically that they caused a minor earthquake with an estimated magnitude between 1 and 2.
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Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
29. Las Vegas Raiders, NFL
> Value: $3.1 billion
> Owner(s): Mark Davis
> Price paid: $180,000 in 1966
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.1 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1983
The Raiders moved east last year to Nevada’s gaming mecca after spending most of its history in California. Between 1960 and 1981 and 1995 to 2019, the team played in Oakland. From 1982 to 1995, Los Angeles was its home. Now it’s making a bet that its new city will bring success.
Source: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
28. San Francisco Giants, MLB
> Value: $3.18 billion
> Owner(s): Charles Johnson
> Price paid: $100 million in 1993
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.1 Billion
> Last title: World Series Champion, 2014
The San Francisco Giants are one of MLB’s oldest franchises, with a founding year of 1883, when the team was known as the New York Gothams. Yes, that’s right — the Giants were born in New York City. But in 1958, the team followed the Brooklyn Dodgers in a move to the West Coast.
Source: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
27. Chelsea (England), Soccer
> Value: $3.2 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Roman Abramovich
> Price paid: $233 million in 2003
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3 Billion
> Last title: UEFA Champions League Winner, 2021
Founded in 1905, Chelsea F.C. has nabbed more than 30 competitive titles, including six league championships and seven European trophies. It plays in Fulham, West London, and is a rival to nearby Arsenal.
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Source: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
26. Boston Celtics, NBA
> Value: $3.2 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Wycliffe Grousbeck, Irving Grousbeck, Robert Epstein, Stephen Pagliuca
> Price paid: $360 million in 2002
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.8 Billion
> Last title: NBA Champion, 2008
One of the NBA’s original eight teams, the Celtics were established in 1946. Although the team hasn’t won a championship since 2008, its 27 titles rank it as the league’s most successful franchise.
Source: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images
25. Denver Broncos, NFL
> Value: $3.2 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Pat Bowlen Trust
> Price paid: $78 million in 1984
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.1 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2015
Playing a mile above sea level has its advantages, especially for the Denver Broncos. Because of the city’s altitude, kickoffs are said to travel 10% percent farther than they do in other NFL cities. And three out of the four longest field goals in league history happened in Denver.
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24. Chicago Bulls, NBA
> Value: $3.3 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Jerry Reinsdorf
> Price paid: $16.2 million in 1985
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.3 Billion
> Last title: NBA Champion, 1998
The Bulls weren’t the first basketball team to play in the Windy City. Prior to the team’s founding in 1966, Chicago hosted the Sags and the Packers-Zephyrs.
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Source: Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images
23. Houston Texans, NFL
> Value: $3.3 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Janice McNair
> Price paid: $700 million in 1999
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.6 Billion
> Last title: None
The Texans replaced the Houston Oilers as the city’s NFL franchise. The Oilers relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1996, where they were renamed the Titans. In 1999, Houston entrepreneur Bob McNair was awarded an NFL franchise for the city, and the Texans joined the league in 2002 — making it the NFL’s youngest expansion team. After McNair’s death in 2018, his wife, Janice, took over majority ownership.
Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
22. Chicago Cubs, MLB
> Value: $3.36 billion
> Owner(s): Ricketts family
> Price paid: $700 million in 2009
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.7 Billion
> Last title: World Series Champion, 2016
A charter member of the National League since 1876, the Chicago Cubs were originally called the Chicago White Stockings. The team saw much success in its early years, but legend has it the so-called Curse of the Billy Goat — said to have been placed on the team by the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern near Wrigley Field during the World Series in 1945 — prevented the team from winning another championship for a century. The curse was broken in 2016 when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Source: Patrick Smith / Getty Images
21. Philadelphia Eagles, NFL
> Value: $3.4 billion
> Owner(s): Jeffrey Lurie
> Price paid: $185 million in 1994
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.2 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2017
Philadelphia sports fans can be tough. How tough? At a game in 1968, Eagles fans famously booed and pelted a Santa Claus impersonator with snowballs at halftime. Not exactly a City of Brotherly Love.
Source: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
20. Boston Red Sox, MLB
> Value: $3.47 billion
> Owner(s): John Henry, Tom Werner
> Price paid: $380 million in 2002
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.1 Billion
> Last title: World Series Champion, 2018
Like the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox won early in its history after entering the league in 1901. But the sale of its star pitcher, Babe Ruth, in 1919 began the legendary Curse of the Bambino, allegedly the reason the team had to wait decades for a World Series title. For long-suffering Red Sox fans, the curse was finally broken in 2004.
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Source: Will Newton / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
19. Washington Football Team, NFL
> Value: $3.5 billion
> Owner(s): Daniel Snyder
> Price paid: $750 million in 1999
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.8 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1991
Public outcry forced the Washington Football Team to change its name from the Redskins in 2020. By 2022, D.C’s NFL franchise will have a new permanent name, possibly one suggested by a fan.
Source: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
18. Chicago Bears, NFL
> Value: $3.53 billion
> Owner(s): McCaskey family
> Price paid: $100 in 1920
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.5 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1985
The Chicago Bears weren’t always the Bears. In 1921, their first season, the team was known as the Decatur Staleys. The nickname Bears was picked because it echoed that of the city’s baseball team, the Cubs.
Source: Al Bello / Getty Images
17. New York Jets, NFL
> Value: $3.55 billion
> Owner(s): Johnson family
> Price paid: $635 million in 2000
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.9 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1968
A charter member of the old AFL, the New York Jets were originally called the Titans in 1959. The name was later changed to the Jets in 1963, a nod to the aircraft from LaGuardia Airport flying over Shea Stadium where the team played. The team is best known for its upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl.
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Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
16. Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB
> Value: $3.57 billion
> Owner(s): Guggenheim Baseball Management
> Price paid: $2 billion in 2012
> Change in value since last purchase: +$1.6 Billion
> Last title: World Series Champion, 2020
The Los Angeles Dodgers began play in the National League in 1883 in the New York Borough of Brooklyn. Fans gave the team an assortment of nicknames over the years, including the Bridegrooms, the Robins, the Atlantics, and the Trolley Dodgers (a reference to Brooklyn’s electric trolley lines). The last of these, shortened to the Dodgers, became official in 1932. After winning their first World Series in 1955, the Dodgers moved west to Los Angeles, breaking the hearts of fans left behind in Brooklyn.
Source: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images
15. San Francisco 49ers, NFL
> Value: $3.8 billion
> Owner(s): Denise DeBartolo York, John York
> Price paid: $13 million in 1977
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.8 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1994
San Francisco 49ers legendary quarterback Joe Montana led the team to three Super Bowl championships. But did you know he was a third-round pick in the 1979 NFL draft — proving that lower picks can go on to become superstars?
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Source: Michael Regan / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
14. Manchester City (England), Soccer
> Value: $4 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Owner: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
> Price paid: $385 million in 2008
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.6 Billion
> Last title: UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Winner, 1970
Manchester City F.C. shares the spotlight in the English city of Manchester with its chief rival, Manchester United, F.C. The two teams have played 178 matches, with United winning 73, City winning 53, and 52 ending in a tie.
Source: Michael Steele / Getty Images
13. Los Angeles Rams, NFL
> Value: $4 billion (tied)
> Owner(s): Stanley Kroenke
> Price paid: $750 million in 2010
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.3 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1999
The Rams took a circuitous path to their present location in Los Angeles. The team actually started in Cleveland in 1936. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1946 and stayed there until relocating to St. Louis, Missouri in 1994, before moving back to Los Angeles in 2015.
Source: Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
12. Liverpool (England), Soccer
> Value: $4.1 billion
> Owner(s): John Henry, Tom Werner
> Price paid: $476 million in 2010
> Change in value since last purchase: +$3.6 Billion
> Last title: UEFA Champions League Winner, 2019
Founded in 1892, Liverpool F.C. has successfully competed in England’s Premier League, winning 19 League championships, seven FA Cups, and a record eight League Cups. The team has a longstanding rivalry with Manchester United. Interestingly, the team is owned by the owners of the Boston Red Sox.
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Source: Ben Radford / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
11. Manchester United (England), Soccer
> Value: $4.2 billion
> Owner(s): Glazer family
> Price paid: $1.4 billion in 2005
> Change in value since last purchase: +$2.8 Billion
> Last title: UEFA Champions League Winner, 2008
Manchester United, F.C. traces its origins back to 1878. Despite the team’s success, it has experienced tragedy: In 1958, eight players were killed in a plane crash in Munich.
Source: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
10. Bayern Munich (Germany), Soccer
> Value: $4.21 billion
> Owner(s): Club members
> Price paid: Not applicable
> Change in value since last purchase: Not applicable
> Last title: UEFA Champions League Winner, 2020
Since its founding in 1900, Bayern Munich, F.C. has grabbed 25 national titles and is one of only three clubs to win all three major European trophies: the European Cup/Champions League, the Europa League and the Cup Winners’ Cup. However, it had to wait a bit for success: The club didn’t win its first national championship until 1932.
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Source: Rob Carr / Getty Images
9. New York Giants, NFL
> Value: $4.3 billion
> Owner(s): John Mara, Steven Tisch
> Price paid: $500 in 1925, $150 million in 1991
> Change in value since last purchase: +$4.2 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2011
In 1925, the New York Giants joined the NFL when owner Tim Mara invested $500 in the franchise. The team has won four Super Bowls, so it is apparent the investment has paid off.
Source: Jim Rogash / Getty Images
8. New England Patriots, NFL
> Value: $4.4 billion
> Owner(s): Robert Kraft
> Price paid: $172 million in 1994
> Change in value since last purchase: +$4.2 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 2018
First known as the Boston Patriots, the team became the New England Patriots in 1970. The team has won six Super Bowl titles and 11 AFC championships, making them one of the most successful NFL franchises.
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
7. Los Angeles Lakers, NBA
> Value: $4.6 billion
> Owner(s): Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Philip Anschutz
> Price paid: $20 million in 1979, $268 million in 1998
> Change in value since last purchase: +$4.3 Billion
> Last title: NBA Champion, 2020
The team’s nickname harkens back to the club’s original city, Minneapolis, known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. When the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960, they kept the name.
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Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
6. Golden State Warriors, NBA
> Value: $4.7 billion
> Owner(s): Joe Lacob, Peter Gruber
> Price paid: $450 million in 2010
> Change in value since last purchase: +$4.3 Billion
> Last title: NBA Champion, 2018
Like MLB’s Dodgers and Giants, the Golden State Warriors started in the East and moved West. Originally a Philadelphia team founded in 1946, the Warriors relocated to San Francisco after the 1961-62 season.
5. Real Madrid (Spain), Soccer
> Value: $4.75 billion
> Owner(s): Club members
> Price paid: Not applicable
> Change in value since last purchase: Not applicable
> Last title: UEFA Champions League Winner, 2018
Founded in 1902, Real Madrid is one of three founding members of La Liga, Spain’s top soccer league. And it has stayed in the league ever since the league was established in 1929, winning a record 34 La Liga titles.
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Source: David Ramos / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
4. Barcelona (Spain), Soccer
> Value: $4.76 billion
> Owner(s): Club members
> Price paid: Not applicable
> Change in value since last purchase: Not applicable
> Last title: UEFA Champions League Winner, 2015
Like Real Madrid, Barcelona, F.C. co-founded La Liga in 1928, and has never fallen out of the league’s standings since. The Madrid team is considered the club’s arch rival.
Source: Nick Laham / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
3. New York Knicks, NBA
> Value: $5 billion
> Owner(s): Madison Square Garden Sports
> Price paid: $300 million in 1997
> Change in value since last purchase: +$4.7 Billion
> Last title: NBA Champion, 1973
Established in 1946, the New York Knicks trace their name to the Dutch settlers in New York City in the 1600s, who wore pants rolled up below the knee known as “knickers” or “knickerbockers.” After a long drought, the team made the playoffs this year.
Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
2. New York Yankees, MLB
> Value: $5.25 billion
> Owner(s): Steinbrenner family
> Price paid: $8.8 million in 1973
> Change in value since last purchase: +$5.2 Billion
> Last title: World Series Champion, 2009
With 27 World Series titles, the New York Yankees can claim to be MLB’s most winning franchise. Second place on the list are the St. Louis Cardinals, at a distant 11.
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Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images
1. Dallas Cowboys, NFL
> Value: $5.7 billion
> Owner(s): Jerry Jones
> Price paid: $150 million in 1989
> Change in value since last purchase: +$5.6 Billion
> Last title: Super Bowl Champion, 1995
Entering the NFL as an expansion team in 1960, the Dallas Cowboys have established themselves a premier club with five Super Bowl titles. The team’s popularity has earned them the nickname “America’s Team,” though fans of other teams will dispute that.
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