With football and soccer in full swing and baseball in the heat of last-minute pennant races, Forbes’s recent list of most valuable sports teams featured five of the most recognizable brand names in their respective sports.
1.) Dallas Cowboys — $4 Billion (NFL): Thanks to a penchant for last-second drama—sorry New York Giants fans!—’America’s Team’ tops the list at being valued at $4 billion. Thanks to the savvy Jerry Jones at the helm, playing in the eighth wonder of the world—AT&T Stadium—and having some of the NFL’s premier stars in Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant, the five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys are a perennial ratings draw and money-making entity if there ever was one.
2.) Real Madrid — $3.26 Billion (La Liga): Thanks to the likes of Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale, the ten-time European champion Los Blancos are the highest-valued soccer club on Forbes’ list in 2015. A cool $160 million more than their long-time rivals from Catalonia in F.C. Barca
3.) New England Patriots — $3.2 Billion (NFL): Clearly, the seemingly never-ending Deflategate scandal involving the Patriots alleged role for deflating footballs, inflated their franchise value up to $3.2 billion. Thanks to Tom Brady emerging victorious in a long-drawn out legal battle against the NFL, the defending Super Bowl champions now have their eyes firmly set on claiming their fifth title.
4.) New York Yankees — $3.2 Billion (MLB): In their first year sans Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees are still contending for yet another World Series title. Currently locked in a battle with the upstart Toronto Blue Jays, the Bronx Bombers net worth is as strong as ever.
5.) F.C. Barcelona — $3.1 Billion (La Liga): Despite being valued slightly less than their long-time rivals from the Spanish capital, the defending European champions round out the top five thanks to a prolific trio of forwards in Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.