The 2017 NFL season hasn't even begun yet, and the Dallas Cowboys are already number one--just not on the field.Forbes magazine has named the Cowboys the most valuable franchise in professional sports anywhere in the world, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Forbes editor Kurt Badenhausen tells News Radio 1200 WOAI you can credit much of the team's financial success to Jerry Jones
."They have by far the highest sponsorship revenue in the sport, highest premium seating revenue in the sport," He said. "And Jerry has always had an entrepreneurial flair to him, by opting out of the league's licensing agreement."
He says that has allowed the Cowboys to dominate when it comes to selling branded merchandise.
"He is out there selling merchandise on his own, and nobody sells more merchandise than the Cowboys."
Forbes puts the value of the Dallas Cowboys at $4.2 billion, up 5% in the past year, one of the highest increases in value of any pro sports franchise in the world. That muscles out number two New York Yankees at $3.7 billion, and Manchester United of English Premier League Soccer at $3.69 billion.
The only other Texas pro sports franchise in the top fifty is the Houston Texans at number 20, valued at $2.6 billion.
The San Antonio Spurs did not make the list of the fifty most valuable pro sports franchises.
The list is very heavy toward the NFL, which is by far the most successful pro sports league in the world. European soccer teams also are heavy on the list, as is Major League Baseball. Only five NBA teams made the list, and no NHL, F1 or NASCAR teams made the list.