The Forbes 50 Most Valuable Franchises

It’s that time of  year again, when Forbes ranks their top 50 most valuable franchises in sports (Forbes.com, 7/16/2012). Here are some of the highlights:

• European soccer clubs hold the top two spots (Manchester United and Real Madrid), with their immense global reach driving the most revenue.
• All 32 NFL teams are in the top 50, showing the power that the league has developed over the past few years, especially through their television deals.
• Even with the Dodgers recent $2B+ sale price, the Yankees are still the top MLB team on the list.
• The highest ranked basketball team is the Los Angeles Lakers at #35. The only other NBA team on the list is the New York Knicks (#43).
• No NHL or MLS clubs made the list, but two F1 racing teams (Ferrari and McLaren) made the cut.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Manchester United ($2.23 billion)
2. Real Madrid ($1.88 billion)
3. New York Yankees ($1.85 billion)
4. Dallas Cowboys ($1.85 billion)
5. Washington Redskins ($1.56 billion)
6. Los Angeles Dodgers ($1.4 billion)
7. New England Patriots ($1.4 billion)
8. Barcelona ($1.31 billion)
9. New York Giants ($1.3 billion)
10. Arsenal ($1.29 billion)