In 1989, Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Stadium for $140 million. Today, according to Forbes magazine, the Cowboys are worth $1.81 billion.
Who says NFL owners aren’t doing well?
According to Forbes, which is out with its latest list of the most valuable franchises in sports, the Cowboys are the second-most valuable franchise in the world, barely behind English soccer team Manchester United, which is worth an estimated $1.86 billion. Manchester United is owned by the same Glazer family that owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Forbes ranks the New York Yankees third at $1.7 billion, the Washington Redskins fourth at $1.55 billion, Spanish soccer team Real Madrid fifth at $1.45 billion and the New England Patriots sixth at $1.37 billion.
In seventh place is English soccer team Arsenal (owned by Rams owner Stan Kroenke) at $1.19 billion, and rounding out the top 10 are three more NFL teams: The New York Giants at $1.18 billion, the Houston Texans at $1.17 billion and the New York Jets at $1.14 billion.
Overall, eight of the 12 most valuable sports franchises in the world are NFL teams. We’d urge NFL owners to consider how much value their franchises will lose if they alienate their fans by failing to end the lockout soon.