John Matthews
WMAL.com
NEW YORK — (WMAL) Washington opened the NFL season Sunday with another loss, but as team President Bruce Allen has previously pointed out, the Redskins are certainly “winning off the field.”
Forbes magazine on Monday released its list of most valuable NFL teams, and as has been the case in recent years, the Redskins remain firmly in the top five, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots. Following the Redskins at number 4 are the New York Giants, followed by the San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys, atop the list with an estimated worth of 4 billion dollars, are perennial winners in the NFL billionaires’ club, thanks to shrewd marketing by owner Jerry Jones, who has managed to exploit the Cowboy’s nickname as America’s Team and market his brand brilliantly. In 2014, the Cowboys generated $620 billion in revenue – a record for a U.S. sports team – largely through leading the league in attendance, premium seating sales and revenue at the Cowboys’ stadium generated through non-NFL events.
Like the Cowboys, the other teams in the top five, including the Redskins, own the stadiums they play in, and control all of the revenue generated by those facilities. They also all enjoy playing in large media markets, where they can leverage large marketing deals with advertisers who are willing to pay to be attached to those NFL brands.
Having a winning record hardly matters. The Cowboys have not been to the Super Bowl in 20 years, and the Redskins have won exactly one playoff game during that time.
And things can change quickly in the NFL. San Francisco joined the list this year after seeing its value increase 69 percent in a single year after the team moved from ancient Candlestick Park to the new Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers saw its revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships, concessions, luxury suites and non-NFL events grow by 160% in a single season.
Here are the top five teams, ranked by Forbes’ estimated worth (based on 2014 team revenue) :
1. Dallas Cowboys ($4 Billion)
2. New England Patriots ($3.2 Billion)
3. Washington Redskins ($2.85 Billion)
4. New York Giants ($2.8 Billion)
5. San Francisco 49ers ($2.7 Billion)
The Baltimore Ravens, by the way, are ranked 12th in the NFL – at $1.93 Billion
For the complete list, click here
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