Rams #45 on Forbes most valuable sports teams list

[Prime Time]

Real Madrid, Barcelona top 'Forbes' value list; NFL well represented
By Brian Stubits | CBSSports.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
St. Louis Rams at #45, worth $875 million. LINK
----------------------------------------------------------------
Spanish soccer rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are arguably the top two club teams in the world. They're also the most valuable.

In the 2014 edition of Forbes' annual list of the world's most valuable sports franchises, Real tops Barcelona followed by English Premier League power Manchester United at No. 3, showing once again just how big professional soccer is across the globe.

The two teams from La Liga have routinely been competing for the right to be named the best team in the world over the last few years with Real Madrid taking home the Champions League crown this past season (though Atletico Madrid beat both to the La Liga crown), led by Cristiano Ronaldo. Barcelona, meanwhile, is loaded with international star power up front with an unrivaled trio of strikers in Lionel Messi, Neymar and now Luis Suarez.

The top North American team to crack the list is, of course, the New York Yankees, who check in at fourth with an estimated valuation of $2.5 billion. Here are the top 10 (you can see the entire list here):

1. Real Madrid
2. FC Barcelona
3. Manchester United
4. New York Yankees
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. LA Dodgers
7. Bayern Munich
8. New England Patriots
9. Washington Redskins
10. New York Giants

After the top soccer clubs you're probably noticing a trend developing of big-market baseball teams and any NFL teams on the list. In fact all but two of the 32 NFL teams (Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders) crack the top 50 on the list. In case you need reminding, football remains pretty popular.

Once you get through the NFL taking up 60 percent of the list, soccer is next with eight representatives. If the summer of transfers hasn't reminded you, soccer is awfully big business across the globe.

In the other North American leagues, MLB is next with six teams, the NBA has four and the NHL one.

 

[Selassie I]

Not sure how they left the marvelous LA Clippers off that top 10 list. Once the old bastard finishes his clown show in the courtroom... that team is selling for (in my Dr Evil voice) 2 BILLION DOLLARS.

 

[Boffo97]

#9? So much for any plans of settling the Washington name argument by buying the team and naming it anything you wanted.

 

[Athos]

Wow. Really? The Brown Turds come in at #35? That's a lot dough into a team that's never won anything, made the paper bag wearing popular, and a city that generally sucks at life when it comes to sports.

 

[Ramrasta]

Not sure how they left the marvelous LA Clippers off that top 10 list. Once the old bastard finishes his clown show in the courtroom... that team is selling for (in my Dr Evil voice) 2 BILLION DOLLARS.

Yeah, it makes zero sense. I would judge the value of a team on what someone is willing to pay for it and a 2 billion dollar offer should mean they make the top 10.

Wow. Really? The Brown Turds come in at #35? That's a lot dough into a team that's never won anything, made the paper bag wearing popular, and a city that generally sucks at life when it comes to sports.

The Browns should be the least valuable NFL team. They have no great historical moments, never won a Super Bowl or even went to one, they have sucked worse than any NFL team spanning their history, they won't sell out their games, they are in a city with no real sports success, they haven't had a decent starting QB in over a decade, their uniforms/helmets are the most bland and poorly designed in the league, their merchandise can't be flying off the selves I would imagine, they have been plagued with poor management constantly, etc. You brought up a valid point man, how are they so valuable? If the Browns and the Jaguars were on the market, I'm buying the Jags because at least they have proved themselves at some points in history.

 

[Selassie I]

@Ramrasta

A little hard on the Factory Of Sadness weren't you?

J Football has got to have added some value. LOL

 

[LesBaker]

Wow. Really? The Brown Turds come in at #35? That's a lot dough into a team that's never won anything, made the paper bag wearing popular, and a city that generally sucks at life when it comes to sports.

A rams fan throwing stones?

LOL ok.

 

[LesBaker]

Yeah, it makes zero sense. I would judge the value of a team on what someone is willing to pay for it and a 2 billion dollar offer should mean they make the top 10.



The Browns should be the least valuable NFL team. They have no great historical moments, never won a Super Bowl or even went to one, they have sucked worse than any NFL team spanning their history, they won't sell out their games, they are in a city with no real sports success, they haven't had a decent starting QB in over a decade, their uniforms/helmets are the most bland and poorly designed in the league, their merchandise can't be flying off the selves I would imagine, they have been plagued with poor management constantly, etc. You brought up a valid point man, how are they so valuable? If the Browns and the Jaguars were on the market, I'm buying the Jags because at least they have proved themselves at some points in history.

The Browns were winning titles when you were not yet a twinkle in your Daddy's eye. Know your history youngster........that franchise has more titles than most and plenty of great moments in it's past.

To answer the question of how they are so valuable I'll point to the fan base. It's arguably the best in the NFL (only Green Bay is in the conversation) and one of the best in the world. It enjoys fantastic corporate support as well. So it's a big money maker in a market that has lower than average operating costs.

So you buy the Jags, I'll buy the Browns.......guess who comes out ahead?

 

[Ramrasta]

The Browns were winning titles when you were not yet a twinkle in your Daddy's eye. Know your history youngster........that franchise has more titles than most and plenty of great moments in it's past.

To answer the question of how they are so valuable I'll point to the fan base. It's arguably the best in the NFL (only Green Bay is in the conversation) and one of the best in the world. It enjoys fantastic corporate support as well. So it's a big money maker in a market that has lower than average operating costs.

So you buy the Jags, I'll buy the Browns.......guess who comes out ahead?

I was harsh on the Browns but honestly the Browns franchise has never won anything. The Cleveland Rams may have won some titles in the 1930s/1940s but that was back when there was 10 or less teams playing 10 or less games. The Browns fan base definitely has to be the best in the world to stand by their team through such tough times, something I know a lot about. Being such a "youngster", a majority of my life has been spent supporting an NFL record bad team over much of that span and it is very meaningful to have fans that show that type of devotion. However, the Browns themselves are realistically the worst NFL team in history as far as lack of success in all facets of the game and I was making the argument that they shouldn't be the 35th most valuable team considering that. I stand by the decision of taking the Jags given that they have had more success in less time and I trust their management to a greater extent. The city of Cleveland itself has had major struggles but they have a real shot at NBA success in the near future at least.

 

[LesBaker]

The Browns are far from the worst in NFL history....... Search the net....... You'll see.

Cleveland has one of the strongest fan bases in all of professional sports in the entire country and you would choose to own Jacksonville which is the weakest financial market in the NFL..... OK if you want to ignore the economics go ahead

 

[Ramrasta]

The Browns are far from the worst in NFL history....... Search the net....... You'll see.

Cleveland has one of the strongest fan bases in all of professional sports in the entire country and you would choose to own Jacksonville which is the weakest financial market in the NFL..... OK if you want to ignore the economics go ahead

Might not be an economic powerhouse but I will be chilling at the beach after games