What is the most valuable sports franchise in the world?
It’s not the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, it’s not an American team at all. according to recent estimates, the most valuable sports franchise in the world is Real Madrid of Spain’s La Liga. The team has a value of $3.4 billion, both the Yankees and Cowboys, who are valued at $3.3 billion each. So what accounts for Real Madrid’s high valuation? What makes it so much more valuable than any other sports team in the world? Let’s take a look at what is the most valuable sports franchise in the world?
Real Madrid is one of the most recognizable sports brands in the world. In 2014, Forbes ranked it as the second most valuable sports team in the world behind only Manchester United. It’s been a dominant force on the field as well, with 12 Champions League titles and a record 32 La Liga championships to its name. Indeed, Real Madrid has won the Champions League more than any other team. To give you an idea of just how dominant they are, look at the two trophies they picked up in this year’s competition. They lead Spanish league play with seven games left to go and boast some of the most high-profile players in the game including Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most marketable players in all of sports.
The main reason that Real Madrid’s value is greater than that of other soccer teams around the world is two-fold. First, they have a massive global fan base with 285 million fans worldwide according to Forbes. Second, they have some of the best sponsorship deals in all of sports. They’re currently sponsored by Adidas, Emirates Airlines, Pepsi Co., and others. Forbes stated that their sponsorship revenue was $45 million in 2013-2014, the most of any sports team in the world. The combination of high fan base and high sponsorship deals make them one of the most successful teams in all of sports financially.
To put that into perspective, the next closest soccer team is Manchester United with a value of $3.17 billion. That’s nearly a half-billion dollar difference between first and second place. The other largest sports franchises in the world are the Dallas Cowboys ($3.3 billion), New York Yankees ($3.2 billion), and Barcelona ($3.16 billion), all of which are behind Real Madrid. What’s more impressive is the fact that Forbes considers the Dallas Cowboys to be the most valuable sports team in the world, but both Real Madrid and Manchester United outrank them when it comes to revenue, operating income, and enterprise value. That means that if you took the Cowboys purely on their business, they wouldn’t even crack the top five.
As you can see, Real Madrid is in a class by itself when it comes to sports franchises around the world in terms of value. They have more fans than any other sports team in the world and generate over $100 million every year just in sponsorship deals. They’ve got some of the best players in the game, an incredible brand recognition, and are more profitable than any other sports team on the planet. It seems unlikely that anyone will catch up to them for quite some time.
Real Madrid is one of the most recognizable sports brands in the world. In 2014, Forbes ranked it as the second most valuable sports team in the world behind only Manchester United. It’s been a dominant force on the field as well, with 12 Champions League titles and a record 32 La Liga championships to its name. Indeed, Real Madrid has won the Champions League more than any other team. To give you an idea of just how dominant they are. Look at the two trophies they picked up in this year’s competition. They lead Spanish league play with seven games left to go and boast some of the most high-profile players in the game including Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most marketable players in all of sports.
The main reason that Real Madrid’s value is greater than that of other soccer teams around the world is two-fold. First, they have a massive global fan base with 285 million fans worldwide according to Forbes. Second, they have some of the best sponsorship deals in all of sports. They’re currently sponsored by Adidas, Emirates Airlines, Pepsi Co., and others. Forbes stated that their sponsorship revenue was $45 million in 2013-2014, the most of any sports team in the world. The combination of high fan base and high sponsorship deals make them one of the most successful teams in all of sports financially.
To put that into perspective, the next closest soccer team is Manchester United with a value of $3.17 billion. That’s nearly a half-billion dollar difference between first and second place. The other largest sports franchises in the world are the Dallas Cowboys ($3.3 billion). New York Yankees ($3.2 billion), and Barcelona ($3.16 billion), all of which are behind Real Madrid. What’s more impressive is the fact that Forbes considers the Dallas Cowboys to be the most valuable sports team in the world. But both Real Madrid and Manchester United outrank them when it comes to revenue, operating income, and enterprise value. That means that if you took the Cowboys purely on their business, they wouldn’t even crack the top five.
As you can see, Real Madrid is in a class by itself when it comes to sports franchises around the world in terms of value. They have more fans than any other sports team in the world. And generate over $100 million every year just in sponsorship deals. They’ve got some of the best players in the game. An incredible brand recognition, and are more profitable than any other sports team on the planet. It seems unlikely that anyone will catch up to them for quite some time.
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