Twelve franchises gained at least $900 million in value this year, and 10 saw appreciation of at least 50%.
By Brett Knight And Justin TeitelbaumForbes team
Tthe Dallas Cowboys became the first sports team worth at least $10 billion this year, hitting that historic milestone by earning $1.1 billion starting in 2023. But two other franchises added even more value: the Boston Celtics (1, $3 billion) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($1.2 billion). .
In total, among the 171 teams that Forbes valued in 2023 and 2024 from MLB, MLS, world footballTHE NFLTHE NBA and the NHL155 is worth more every year. However, only 12 of them appreciated at least $900 million: four from basketball, four from football and four from hockey.
Naturally, most of these teams are located in some of the country’s biggest markets, giving franchises a revenue-generating advantage in a number of areas – and they are exploiting their advantage. The Los Angeles Kings, for example, have strengthened revenue from luxury suites and club seats by 31% last season to an estimated $115 million, or $41 million more than the second best team in hockey. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, have made significant gains virtually across the board, not only in terms of premium seats, but also in terms of overall ticket sales, advertising and sponsorship, and events non-NBA organized in their arena.
Ascending teams also benefit from the dynamism of their leagues. The NFL’s new national media rights program launched last season, paying each of its teams about $380 million a year on average through 2033, and the NBA will receive a similar increase with the NFL’s money. national television next year, more than two and a half times. what its current offerings are worth. The NHL, meanwhile, received more money from its sponsors, both at the national and team levels.
However, the real explanation for soaring valuations lies less in the economic situation of any specific team and more in the voracious appetite of investors to get into sports ownership. Recent trades have reset the market, driving up the multiples used to calculate team valuations, and the Boston Celtics, currently on the block after their run to an NBA championship in June– are expected to continue this upward trajectory whenever the team is sold.
Percentage-wise, the top-performing 2024 teams look a little different, largely because NHL franchises have averaged 44% growth this year. In fact, 30 of the 31 fastest-growing teams came from hockey. MLS’s Inter Miami CF was the only exception, with a 72% appreciation following the arrival of Lionel Messi in 2023. boosted the club’s business.
Yet there were nine other teams – from the NFL and NBA as well as MLS – whose values climbed at least 22% this year. (For comparison, the S&P 500 is up 26.6% in 2024 as stock prices soar.)
Major League Baseball and world soccer are lagging behind other leagues. The biggest increase in football in absolute terms this year was for Manchester United, in the English Premier League (up $550 million, to $6.55 billion), while the highest percentage growth of One non-MLS team was Arsenal’s, by 15%, to $2.6 billion. In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers led the way with a $650 million increase (to $5.45 billion), alongside the Philadelphia Phillies up 14% (to $2.925 billion).
Even though these sports don’t quite live up to the returns of the NHL or NBA, they are still good investments. Over the past decade, the most valuable teams in MLB and world soccer (including MLS) have seen an average appreciation of 190% or more.
In the NHL, the Utah Hockey Club grew an incredible 140% this year, reaching $1.2 billion. This was an unusual case, with most of the winnings due to the franchise’s move from the Phoenix area, where, as the Arizona Coyotes, the team had played in a 5-year college arena. 000 places over the last two seasons. But nine other NHL clubs also saw their value grow by 48.9% or better.
And the three least popular hockey teams would still rank among the top 45 franchises in all sports: the Montreal Canadiens (30%), New York Islanders (23%) and Ottawa Senators (21%).
METHODOLOGY
Appreciation rates for 2024 were calculated from Forbes’ annual lists of the most valuable teams in each sport, which rank company values (equity plus net debt). Valuations include the economic aspects of a team’s stadium (including revenue from other events that accrues to the team owner), but not the value of the stadium’s real estate itself. Similarly, values include the rights to regional sports networks owned by the team, but not the value of the RSNs themselves; interests in other sports-related assets and mixed-use real estate projects are also excluded. (For valuations including all sports-related assets, see Forbes’ 2024 ranking of most valuable sports empires.)
Valuations were based on revenue estimates for the most recent completed season at the time of publication: 2023 for MLB, MLS and NFL; 2023-24 for the NBA and NHL; and 2022-23 for non-MLS soccer leagues. All figures have been converted to US dollars based on average exchange rates during the season.