Found this interesting:
The average team in the National Football League is now worth more than $1 billion, marking the first time any sports league has surpassed that level, according to a report released Wednesday.
The 2008 average valuation for the 32 NFL teams was $1.04 billion, up 8.7 percent from last year’s $957 million due to the sport’s popularity and cash-generating new stadiums, said Forbes magazine, which releases its rankings annually.
Ten years ago when Forbes first valued NFL teams, the average franchise was worth $288 million.
The NFL is the most popular U.S. sports league with strong television ratings and annual league revenue topping $7 billion. While TV ratings have slipped over the last decade, NFL games still boast the strongest ratings among sports leagues.
I’m going to take a look at the Forbes report tonight, and I’ll probably write about it in full tomorrow. This has to feel like a bucket of cold water for MLB and their aspirations to be number one in the U.S.
The revenue difference might not be so significant (it’s not inconceivable that MLB could reach $7 billion this season, if we’re including MLBAM). But the valuation difference is. According to Forbes, the average MLB team was worth around $472 million coming into this season. That’s about 45% of the average NFL team, and it’s a pretty incredible figure given the similarity in revenues.
A lot more on this tomorrow, or this weekend at the latest.
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