When it comes to net worth, the Cowboys, not the Steelers, are America’s Team

Every year on the cusp of a new NFL season, Forbes magazine released its 50 Most Valuable Sports Franchises list, and for a fourth straight season the Dallas Cowboys sit atop the list. On top of the 4th consecutive season the Cowboys were the wealthiest franchise in all of sports, but it marks the 13th straight season where the Cowboys were considered the top NFL franchise, when it comes to net value.

Forbes goes into greater detail surrounding not only the Cowboys’ worth, but their list in general:

The result: Dallas sits atop the globe’s richest sports league with profits, in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, of $365 million in 2017, a record for any sports team.

The cutoff to rank among the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams is $2.075 billion, up $125 million from last year and $1.2 billion from five years ago. The values of sports teams have skyrocketed on the backs of ballooning media rights deals and more owner-friendly collective bargaining agreements that restrain player costs. There are 52 teams across all sports worth at least $2 billion, up from one, Manchester United, in 2012.

The Cowboys have an estimated value of $5 billion, up 4 percent over last year. Who is behind Dallas? The Yankees ($4.6 billion), Real Madrid ($4.2 billion) and Barcelona ($4 billion) follow.

But what about other NFL franchises? Where do they rank? Especially, where do the Pittsburgh Steelers rank?

25 NFL teams were ranked in the top 50 by Forbes and their estimated value:

7. Patriots ($3.8 billion)
10. Giants ($3.3 billion)
12. Rams ($3.2 billion)
14. Redskins ($3.1 billion)
16. 49ers ($3.05 billion)
19. Bears ($2.9 billion)
21. Jets ($2.85 billion)
22. Texans ($2.8 billion)
24. Eagles ($2.75 billion)
26. Broncos ($2.65 billion)
27. Packers ($2.63 billion)
28. Falcons ($2.6 billion)
29. Ravens ($2.59 billion)
30. Steelers ($2.59 billion)
31. Seahawks ($2.58 billion)
33. Dolphins ($2.58 billion)
34. Raiders ($2.42 billion)
35. Vikings ($2.4 billion)
36. Colts ($2.38 billion)
38. Panthers ($2.3 billion)
41. Chargers ($2.28 billion)
46. Cardinals ($2.15 billion)
47. Chiefs ($2.1 billion)
49. Jaguars ($2.08 billion)
50. Saints ($2.08 billion)

While it has to make Pittsburgh Steelers fans angry to admit, the Cowboys are a marketers dream. Their brand is beyond national, and is one of the most recognizable images in all of sports. This doesn’t mean their financial success has resulted in on-field success. The Cowboys haven’t been to the Super Bowl since they won their 5th in Super Bowl 30.

I would imagine most organizations would trade financial success for on-field success, especially when on-field success directly benefits the financial standing of the organization.