Sorry about that clickbait headline… but it’s actually true*.
Forbes has released it’s annual valuation of every NFL team and the Buffalo Bills are the least valuable franchise at 1.4B dollars. The Cardinals, ranked as the 6th most valuable MLB team, are right at that 1.4B mark as well.
The Rams? 1.45B dollars.
New Forbes numbers are out. NFL teams are worth 38% more than a year ago, with the Cowboys on top at about $4 billion http://t.co/lJwigr3pYj
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 14, 2015
In case you’re wondering, the Cowboys are the most highly valued NFL team (4B). The Yankees (3.2B), Dodgers (2.4B), Red Sox (2.1B), Giants (2B) and Cubs (1.8B) are the teams ahead of the Cardinals.
The least valued MLB team? The Tampa Bay Rays (625M). Long way from that vaunted third comma.
Now most of these numbers have little to do with the passion of the fanbases. No offense to, say, Miami Dolphin supporters, but the BFIB take games very seriously. I’d be doing other things in Miami during the winter rather than watching mediocre football too.
No – this is about TV contracts.
The NFL’s TV deal is big. Real Big.
Thanks to pricier television contracts, the National Football League generated a record $7.3 billion in national revenue last season. The NFL booked a 21% increase in revenue, which is divvied up among the league’s 32 franchises. For the 2014 fiscal year, teams received $226.4 million apiece from the revenue pool, according to financial disclosures from the Green Bay Packers. Each team had a share of $187.7 million in the prior season.
Click on the link above to see how much the NFL gets paid for TV deals. That graph, though? That’s the big takeaway.
Some of that is merchandise and other income streams. But at the end of the year, each NFL team was PayPal’d (assuming) in excess of 226M dollars BEFORE a single butt sat in a seat, a single eyeball saw an in-stadium sign or before a single parking spot was filled.
That’s bananas.
Considering that baseball relies way more heavily on their stadium gates and sheer quantity of TV inventory, it’s not really a fair fight. Hell, I’m interested in buying the Cardinals (or the Rays) and it’s pretty much impossible. So they’re doing just fine.
But maybe you’re the billionaire that reads Cards Diaspora. And if so – hi let’s be friends. Also, take a strong look at an NFL team if the opportunity presents itself. Looks to be a solid investment.
* True insomuch as that with anything bought or sold, the value lies in the buyer/sellers hands. Bill DeWitt might take 1.4B for the Cardinals. He might also tell you to pound sand. Truth is this whole list is little more than a fun diversion.
Photo: MEF
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