NFL TEAM VALUES 2026: COWBOYS LEAD AT $15.5B, AVERAGE UP 31%

Sportacope ^

[BusterDog]

Yet there are only six sports franchises on the planet outside the NFL that are worth more than the Bengals. The list includes three from the NBA, two in MLB and LaLiga’s Real Madrid. The NFL’s least valuable team is worth $7.4 billion, by Sportico’s count, and all 32 teams land among the world’s 40 most valuable sports franchises.

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[BusterDog]

Cowboys at 15 billion, up 21% from last year. Why?

Very few young people watch these games. They don't care. They like Tik Tok. So do I.

I don't want to sit for 3 hours to watch something. I need to be able to stream it in chunks. Movies and tv shows are good for that. I might watch the movie in two blocks across four days, or the tv show (45 minutes) in a full block. When I want. Pause when I want. No commercials. On demand.

I don't like that they play their games on certain days at certain times. I'm not adjusting my schedule for them. I may not feel like watching tv at that time, and if I did feel like watching tv, I might not feel like watching sports. They are asking me for a commitment. If I really care about it, why not watch the 20 minute YouTube clip of the game? It will contain all the relevant plays and then some.

I have no emotional attachment to them. The Cowboys never call to see how I am doing. All they want is money and attention. I don't do toxic, one-sided relationships.

They try to make it seem like something important is happening. I've seen the greatest play every, catch every, come back every, game ever, and every years new dynasty. It happens every year.

The immigrants don't care about the NFL. A lot of the Mexicans do, but that is about it. The Indians don't. They won't need to install foot washing stations at AT&T stadium anytime soon.

I just don't see the reason for these values, and certainly not for any increase. I think it is smoke and mirrors.

[Red Badger]

Ping!.......................

[Resolute Conservative]

I find disturbing/disgusting the whole cottage industry that talks non-stop all day about how much each player’s contract BS and their struggles yada yada yada... The youngsters eat that crap up.

[Emcane]

How is the alternative lifestyle? Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[nickcarraway]

How do you explain that an Indian-born man, who came to the U.S. when he was 21 just purchased the Seattle Seahawks for over $9.6 billion. This guy was a founder of Sun Microsystems and has been ranked the top venture capitalist before. You think he’s a fool? (He is part owner of the 49ers, but will have to divest before he finalizes taking over the Seahawks.)

[lonestar67]

You’ve answered your own question.

Dallas cowboys are huge in Mexico.

They’ve always been ahead of the media curve. Dallas is also one of the fastest growing metros in the world.

I think it is crazy too. I also think it proves the nfl is rigged because no team could be so simultaneously good and bad at the same time. Cowboys win a lot of games on average but rarely get anywhere in playoffs. NFL uses them to spread the wealth.

Dallas games are always among the most watched. The stats are clear answers to your questions.

[maro]

What else are very, very rich men going to spend their money on?

[Dr. Sivana]

Very few young people watch these games. They don't care. They like Tik Tok. So do I.

Not true. Go to a sports bar, and you will see plenty of young people watching the game.

Sports betting is attracting gamblers right down into high school.

You are not the customer the advertisers are aiming for, and the people they are aiming at have different values and tastes than you.

Young people buy a lot of the overpriced NFL merchandise/clothing, and that is part of the team's value. It certainly increases the value of the Cowboys and Raiders.

The Rams have a four billion sports complex. That is why they are ranked so high, NOT because of a national following or even high merchandise sales. (I am a Rams fan)

The Lakers sold for $10 billion last year, and is being flipped for $12 billion. I suspect that many of the NFL franchises are worth more than the posted estimates, as football is a bigger deal (base and basketball have more games, so that is a bit of an offset).

I don't like that they play their games on certain days at certain times. I'm not adjusting my schedule for them.

How could they NOT play their games on certain days at certain times? ALL activities happen on certain days at certain times.

[srmanuel]

The guy that owns the Jaguars came to the US from Pakistan with less than $100 dollar to attend school at the University of Illinois, got an engineering degree and a job while in school at a company that made auto parts, eventually the guy from Pakistan bought the company and turned it into a major parts supplier to auto companies all over the world.

Shad Kahn bought the Jaguars for around 700 million in 1995, according to this article it’s now worth 7.91 billion, not a bad ROI if you ask me.

[DFG]

The Cowboys are the only NFL team that operates outside the league’s shared merchandise system. They keep 100% of their own gear revenue rather than splitting it equally with the other 31 teams.

[alternatives?]

Are the teams worth more or are the dollars worth less?

[Hyman Roth]

Dallas still sucks.

[BusterDog]

“Not true. Go to a sports bar, and you will see plenty of young people watching the game.”

I didn’t know they still had sports bars.

[Texas resident]

The Texans fans are in Houston and the surrounding area.
The Cowboys fans are all over the rest of Texas.

except when they are losing, then you can’t find a cowboy’s fan.

[Dr. Sivana]

I didn’t know they still had sports bars.

There are two less than a mile from my house, next to each other. Both are successful. One is brand new (replaced a large Mexican restaurant).

Phoenix is a city of transplants. Not only are there scores of sports bars, but there are team specific bars for half the NFL. There's at least two sports bars for Steelers and Packers fans. I took my young adult daughter to see the Chiefs (she's a Chiefs fan) to see her team in the AFC Championship game on the big screen, and there must have been 600 people, mostly young, in the Chiefs sports bar.

[Dr. Sivana]

except when they are losing, then you can’t find a cowboy’s fan.

I run into Cowboys' fans from time to time. Even when losing, they tend to be blowhards.

[BusterDog]

“Phoenix is a city of transplants.”

We don’t see a lot of that in Dallas. We never had the restroom controversies that y’all had.

[whitney69]

“I just don’t see the reason for these values, and certainly not for any increase. I think it is smoke and mirrors.”

The Dallas Cowboys generate their massive revenue—topping $1.2 billion annually—by breaking league rules on sponsorships and merchandise to run a localized commercial empire out of AT&T Stadium.

Sponsorship: Raking in roughly $250 million a year from independent giant brand deals like AT&T, Pepsi, and Bank of America.Stadium Events: Controlling all operating rights and non-NFL events at AT&T Stadium, including massive concerts, college football, and soccer matches.

Merchandise: Opting out of the NFL’s shared licensing pool to run their own powerhouse merchandise and apparel sales.

Gate Receipts & Premium Seating: Generating over $130 million a year from high-priced luxury suites, club seats, and daily stadium tours.

National NFL Sharing: Equal splits of league-wide television contracts and media rights shared among all 32 teams. Dallas Cowboys receive more than $450 million annually from the NFL’s shared national media and broadcast rights. This national pool is part of the league’s massive multi-billion dollar TV contracts and the Cowboys operate a regional affiliate program called the Dallas Cowboys Television Network which features around 25 local TV station partners covering major markets in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico which generate massive local revenue, pushing their total yearly revenue to an unmatched $1.3 billion besides the national.. Dallas generate between $62 million and $77 million in total stadium-related revenue per home game at AT&T Stadium just for football. When looking strictly at ticket sales, the team brings in roughly $13.6 million to $16 million in raw gate receipts for a single game afternoon.

And since the Cowboys are projected to spend a total of $323.3 million on player salaries, there’s a lot of room to play the money game with sports teams. And the Dallas contract with the stadium goes to 2050. I’m not a Dallas fan, or these days nobody’s, but they make bank big time.

wy69

[Texas resident]

My brother in law is a huge Cowboys and Chiefs fan.

I tease him by reminding him that the Chiefs’ colors are the same as Ronald McDonald.

[oldplayer]

The only reason I am interested in the value of the teams and the salaries of the players is so I can bitch about tax-payer subsidized stadiums. Businesses should either own their business property outright or rent it from another private individual.