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[h1]The Worldâs 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams[/h1]
[h3]No.1 Manchester United[/h3]
Value: $1.86 billion
Owner: Glazer family
The Red Devils have 333 million supporters around the world including 17 million fans on Facebook.
[h3]No. 2 Dallas Cowboys[/h3]
Value: $1.81 billion
Owner: Jerry Jones
Cowboys Stadium has 15,000 club seats that cost $340 for each NFL game.
[h3]No. 3 New York Yankees[/h3]
Value: $1.7 billion
Owner: Steinbrenner family
The Yankees are worth 86% more than baseballâs second most valuable team, the Boston Red Sox.
[h3]No. 4 Washington ********[/h3]
Value: $1.55 billion
Owner: Dan Snyder
******** have been the NFLâs most profitable team over the past decade with an average operating income of $76 million.
[h3]No. 5 Real Madrid[/h3]
Value: $1.45 billion
Owner: club members
Gross revenue of $537 million, second only to New York Yankees among all sports teams.
[h3]No. 6 New England Patriots[/h3]
Value: $1.37 billion
Owner: Robert Kraft
Sponsorship revenues were up in 2010 and demand for tickets remains strong despite the highest prices in the league.
[h3]No. 7 Arsenal[/h3]
Value: $1.19 billion
Owner: Stanley Kroenke
Kroenke also owns the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA) and St. Louis Rams (NFL).
[h3]No. 8 New York Giants[/h3]
Value: $1.18 billion
Owners: John Mara and Steven Tisch
MetLife is reportedly close to signing a naming rights deal for New Meadowlands Stadium worth up to $18 million per year.
[h3]No. 9 Houston Texans[/h3]
Value: $1.17 billion
Owner: Robert McNair
The Texans have sold out every game at Reliant Stadium for the past nine years despite posting only one winning season.
[h3]No. 10 New York Jets[/h3]
Value: $1.14 billion
Owner: Robert Wood Johnson IV
Quarterback Mark Sanchez led the Jets to four road playoff wins in his first two seasons which tied an NFL record for most road wins by a QB.
[h3]No. 11 Philadelphia Eagles[/h3]
Value: $1.12 billion
Owner: Jeffrey Lurie
The Eagles placed their franchise tag on Michael Vick in February which could mean a $20 million salary in 2011 for the NFLâs Comeback Player of the Year.
[h3]No. 12 Baltimore Ravens[/h3]
Value: $1.07 billion
Owner: Stephen Bisciotti
Ravens fans are loyal as the team has sold out every game since moving to Baltimore from Cleveland in 1996.
[h3]No. 13 Ferrari[/h3]
Value: $1.07 billion
Owner: Fiat Group
Marlboroâs parent Philip Morris extended its sponsorship deal this year with Ferrari through 2015. The cigarette brand has been title sponsor of the team since 1997.
[h3]No. 14 Chicago Bears[/h3]
Value: $1.07 billion
Owner: McCaskey family
George Halas bought the Bears in 1920 with a $100 investment which has resulted in a 20% annualized return.
[h3]No. 15 Denver Broncos[/h3]
Value: $1.05 billion
Owner: Patrick Bowlen
The Broncos have just one playoff win since John Elway retired after the 1998 season.
[h3]No. 16 Indianapolis Colts[/h3]
Value: $1.04 billion
Owner: James Irsay
Season ticket renewals for Colts fans at Lucas Oil Stadium are 97%.
[h3]No. 17 Carolina Panthers[/h3]
Value: $1.04 billion
Owner: Jerry Richardson
The Panthers hope No. 1 draft pick Cam Newton will be a franchise quarterback after his Heisman Trophy winning campaign at Auburn.
[h3]No. 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers[/h3]
Value: $1.03 billion
Owner: Malcolm Glazer
Average game attendance slumped 22% last year after a three win season in 2010.
[h3]No. 19 Bayern Munich[/h3]
Value: $1.03 billion
Owner: club members
Germanyâs most successful club plays its home games at Allianz Arena which opened in 2005 and houses 106 luxury suites.
[h3]No. 20 Green Bay Packers[/h3]
Value: $1.02 billion
Owner: shareholder-owned
The Packers Super Bowl win in February was the franchiseâs 13 NFL title since the league was founded in 1920âfour more than any other team.
[h3]No. 21 Cleveland Browns[/h3]
Value: $1.02 billion
Owner: Randolph Lerner
The Brownsâ revenues were the third highest in football in 1999 when Cleveland Browns Stadium opened, but they now rank in the bottom half of the NFL.
[h3]No. 22 Miami Dolphins[/h3]
Value: $1.01 billion
Owner: Stephen Ross
Owner Ross has sold small minority stakes in the Dolphins to celebrities like Jimmy Buffett, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan and Venus and Serena Williams.
[h3]No. 23 Pittsburgh Steelers[/h3]
Value: $996 million
Owners: Daniel Rooney and Art Rooney II
Steelers team merchandise was the NFLâs best seller last season and safety Troy Polamalu led all players in individual jersey sales.
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[/h3][h3]No. 24 Tennessee Titans[/h3]
Value: $994 million
Owner: Kenneth Adams Jr.
The Titans play in one of the NFL's smallest markets, but Nashville fans have supported the team without fail, selling out every game at LP Field since it opened in 1999.
[h3]No. 25 Seattle Seahawks[/h3]
Value: $989 million
Owner: Paul Allen
The Seahawks made the playoffs in January despite a losing recordâthe first time that has happened in a full NFL season. Owner Paul Allen lured head coach Pete Carroll from USC with a five-year, $35 million contract.
[h3]No. 26 Barcelona[/h3]
Value: $975 million
Owner: club members
Barcelonaâs new shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Sports is worth $200 over five years.
[h3]No. 27 Kansas City Chiefs[/h3]
Value: $965 million
Owner: Lamar Hunt family
Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972, but had a $375 million renovation completed last year that boosted stadium revenues for the Chiefs.
[h3]No. 28 New Orleans Saints[/h3]
Value: $955 million
Owner: Thomas Benson
The Saints capitalized on their 2010 Super Bowl win by raising ticket prices 21% last season.
[h3]No. 29 San Francisco 49ers[/h3]
Value: $925 million
Owners: Denise DeBartalo York and John York
The 49ers have already lined up $138 million in luxury suite sales for the their new stadium scheduled to open in 2015, but financing of the facility is still a major issue.
[h3]No. 30 Arizona Cardinals[/h3]
Value: $919 million
Owner: William Bidwell
The Cardinals had only one playoff win in 60 years before their surprise run to the 2009 Super Bowl where they lost to the Steelers 27-23.
[h3]No. 31 Boston Red Sox[/h3]
Value: $912 million
Owners: John Henry and Thomas Werner
The Red Sox owners spread their wings when they purchased the Liverpool soccer club for $476 million in October.
[h3]No. 32 San Diego Chargers[/h3]
Value: $907 million
Owner: Alexander Spanos
The Chargers play in the NFLâs third oldest stadium and are in desperate need of a new one to financially compete with other teams. Talk of a move to Los Angeles will not die until the stadium issue is resolved.
[h3]No. 33 Cincinnati Bengals[/h3]
Value: $905 million
Owner: Michael Brown
The pairing of diva wide receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco produced lots of buzz off the field last season, but only four wins for the Bengals.
[h3]No. 34 AC Milan[/h3]
Value: $838 million
Owner: Silvio Berlusconi
Italian Prime Minister and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi is worth $7.8. He built his fortune through Finivest which has interests in media, life insurance, movie production and his soccer club.
[h3]No. 35 Atlanta Falcons[/h3]
Value: $831 million
Owner: Arthur Blank
The Falcons traded five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns for the right to select wide receiver Julio Jones with the No. 6 pick in the 2011 NFL draft as the Falcons chase a Super Bowl title.
[h3]No. 36 Detroit Lions[/h3]
Value: $817 million
Owner: William Clay Ford
The Lions are counting on Rookie of the Year Ndamukong Suh to lead Detroit back to the playoffs. The Lions are the only original NFL team never to appear in the Super Bowl.
[h3]No. 37 McLaren[/h3]
Value: $815 million
Owner: McLaren Group
McLaren has seen 12 of its drivers win Championships in its illustrious history. Its current two drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, are both past Formula One Champions.
[h3]No. 38 Los Angeles Dodgers[/h3]
Value: $800 million
Owner: Frank McCourt
MLB commissioner Bud Selig rejected Fox Sportsâ TV deal with the Dodgers that covered 17 years and was worth up to $3 billion. MLB wants the upfront money going to the team and not into the pocket of embattled owner Frank McCourt.
[h3]No. 39 Buffalo Bills[/h3]
Value: $799 million
Owner: Ralph Wilson Jr.
The Bills are in the midst of a deal where they get $78 million from Rogers Communications to play three preseason and five regular season games in Toronto between 2008 through 2012.
[h3]No. 40 St. Louis Rams[/h3]
Value: $779 million
Owner: Stanley Kroenke
Kroenke took control of the Rams in August when he bought out the heirs of Georgia Frontiere. Kroenke will have to turn over operational and financial control of the NBAâs Nuggets and NHLâs Avalanche by the end of 2014 to meet NFL ownership rules about owning teams in different markets.
[h3]No. 41 Minnesota Vikings[/h3]
Value: $774 million
Owners: Zygmunt Wilf and Mark Wilf
The Vikings lease at the Metrodome expires after the 2011 season and the team insists that it will not sign a new lease without a solution for a new stadium in place. Stadium revenues for the Vikings badly lag the rest of the NFL.
[h3]No. 42 Chicago Cubs[/h3]
Value: $773 million
Owner: Ricketts family
The Ricketts family wants Chicago taxpayers to fund more than $200 million in renovations in and around ancient Wrigley Field to boost revenues from premium seating, sponsorships and other amenities.
[h3]No. 43 Oakland Raiders[/h3]
Value: $758 million
Owner: Al Davis
The Raiders have the NFLâs lowest gross revenues as the team struggles to sell tickets at antiquated Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.
[h3]No. 44 New York Mets[/h3]
Value: $747 million
Owner: Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz
The Mets announced a $200 injection of equity from hedge fund titan David Einhorn to help solve some of their financial ails, but the deal has still not closed.
[h3]No. 45 Jacksonville Jaguars[/h3]
Value: $725 million
Owner: Wayne Weaver
The Jags are the NFLâs least valuable team, but still worth more than any NBA or NHL team, as well as all but five MLB teams.
[h3]No. 46 Chelsea[/h3]
Value: $658 million
Owner: Roman Abramovich
Chelsea is the most leveraged of the top soccer clubs with $889 million of debt on the team and its holding company.
[h3]No. 47 New York Knicks[/h3]
Value: $655 million
Owner: Madison Square Garden
The team sold out their full-season ticket inventory at their home arena, Madison Square Garden, last year for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
[h3]No. 48 Los Angeles Lakers[/h3]
Value: $643 million
Owners: Jerry Buss and Philip Anschutz
Courtside tickets costing $2600 apiece last season helped pay the $24.8 salary of Kobe Bryant which is $4 million more than any other NBA player.
[h3]No. 49 Juventus[/h3]
Value: $628 million
Owner: Agnelli family
Juventus is moving into a new stadium next season with seating capacity that is 49% greater than its current home.
[h3]No. 50 Philadelphia Phillies[/h3]
Value: $609 million
Owner: Partnership led by David Montgomery
The Phillies drew 3,647,249 fans to Citizens Bank Park last season, second only to the Yankees in MLB attendance.
Source: Forbes
