Cowboys extend reign as NFL's most valuable team: Forbes

[August 21, 2014]  (Reuters) - The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable National Football League (NFL) team for an eighth consecutive year, more than double the average league value, according to an annual survey by business magazine Forbes

The Cowboys, whose total revenue during the 2013 season was $560 million, are worth $3.2 billion, a whopping rise of 39 percent over last year, Forbes said in a statement on Wednesday.

Dallas, who two years ago became the first North American sports franchise to top the $2 billion mark, have missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons and have not won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season.

Yet the only sports franchise in the world worth more than the Cowboys is Spanish soccer club Real Madrid, valued at $3.4 billion, Forbes said.

The New England Patriots ($2.6 billion), Washington Redskins ($2.4 billion), New York Giants ($2.1 billion) and Houston Texans ($1.85 billion) completed the top five.
 

Forbes said the average value of the NFL's 32 teams rose 23 percent last year to $1.43 billion, with each team taking in a record $170 million of national revenue, mainly from league-wide broadcasting and licensing fees.

The Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, were ranked 15th with a value of $1.33 billion, a 23 percent jump over last year.

The 10 most valuable NFL teams for 2014:

1. Dallas Cowboys, $3.2 billion

2. New England Patriots, $2.6 billion

3. Washington Redskins, $2.4 billion

4. New York Giants, $2.1 billion

5. Houston Texans, $1.85 billion

6. New York Jets, $1.8 billion

7. Philadelphia Eagles, $1.75 billion

8. Chicago Bears, $1.7 billion

9. San Francisco 49ers, $1.6 billion

10. Baltimore Ravens, $1.5 billion

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)

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