BUSINESS

Arizona Cardinals among Forbes' top 50 global sports franchises

Russ Wiles
The Republic | azcentral.com
The Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson warms up before playing the San Francisco 49ers on Sep. 27, 2015 in Glendale. The Cardinals, the lone metro-Phoenix franchise to make the Forbes list of the top 50 sports teams globally, are worth an estimated $1.54 billion, according to Forbes, although that's below the NFL average of $2 billion.
  • The Arizona Cardinals are the state's lone team to rank among the 50 top global sports franchises
  • But with a worth of $1.54 billion, the Cardinals might be the least valuable team in the NFC West
  • NFL teams, led by the Dallas Cowboys, dominate the latest sports-franchise value rankings by Forbes

The Arizona Cardinals might be the least valuable franchise in the NFC West, but they're worth enough to rank among the 50 top sports teams globally.

National Football League teams account for 27 of the 50 clubs to make the cut in Forbes' annual global ranking. The Dallas Cowboys, worth an estimated $4 billion, are the world's most valuable athletic franchise, followed by Spanish soccer powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona, then the New York Yankees and Manchester United from the English Premier League.

A lucrative new television deal explains much of the high valuations for NFL teams, Forbes said.

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The Arizona Cardinals, the lone metro-Phoenix franchise to make the cut, are worth an estimated $1.54 billion, according to Forbes, although that's below the NFL average of $2 billion.

Forbes pegs two NFC West rivals as more valuable than the Cardinals, placing the San Francisco 49ers 10th overall at $2.7 billion and the Seattle Seahawks 32nd at $1.87 billion. The Cardinals are ranked No. 42 globally.

The fourth team in the division, the St. Louis Rams, were estimated to be worth $1.4 billion last fall by Forbes. But since the club just relocated to Los Angeles, a much larger market, the franchise's value has probably increased dramatically, Forbes added, possibly eclipsing that of the Cardinals.

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The New York Knicks are the most valuable National Basketball Association team at $3 billion despite chronic ineptitude on the court. They are one of eight NBA teams in the Forbes report. Major League Baseball placed seven teams, but no National Hockey League franchises made Forbes'  top 50, nor did any auto racing businesses.

Few sports franchises publish timely financial reports for public inspection, which makes valuations subject to a lot of guesswork. As a case in point, Forbes boosted the Cardinals' value by more than $500 million just since the prior year's report.

Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8616.