U.S. Professional SPort Valuations

Using data from Forbes and SBRnet, the franchise valuations have steadily grown since 2010. The median franchise value shows how dominant the NFL is in terms of franchise value with the median team worth almost $4billion. This is well above the other sports. It also looks like the NBA has surpassed the MLB over the last couple of years. If fan interest continues, and broadcasting revenue follows, this trend will continue.
The average value demonstrates the same trend, but is higher due to the influence of the largest market teams seeing substantial growth. These graphs also serve as the visual representation for the escalation in purchase price of franchises and the interest of Private Equity investors for minority ownership. As these values rise, and broadcasting increases, owners are able to capitalize on the possibility of a large return with minimal risk. The same is not true for other entities, the regional sports networks who broadcast in local markets have suffered from the rising cost of doing business.

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