Forbes has listed the most profitable sports teams in the world, cutting across the NFL, EPL, NBA and the Bundesliga. The publication detailed 25 teams as the most profitable across the leagues.
The NFL has 13 teams on the list while the EPL has five teams, and there are six NBA teams and one Bundesliga soccer team. Forbes measured the profitability by aggregating their operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) in the last three years.
The NFL teams include the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos.
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The EPL teams include Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. The NBA teams are the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics. Bayern Munich is the only Bundesliga team on the list. In all, the Dallas Cowboys are the most profitable team, followed by the New England Patriots.
“The more profitable teams are those that run their stadiums in big markets. Consider this: the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots have combined operating income of $1.83 billion during the past three seasons through 2022 versus $1.76 billion in total for MLB for the three-year period ending 2023,” Forbes wrote.
The platform also noted that the average operating income for the 25 most profitable teams is $378 million, 7.7% more than last year.
Of the list of the most profitable teams in the world, Liverpool, which is in the 12th position with an operating income of $334 million, is backed by LeBron James. In April 2011, LeBron James acquired a 2% stake in Liverpool FC with his business partner Maverick Carter for $6.5 million. He acquired the shares when Fenway Sports Group (FSG) took ownership of the club.
The acquisition turned out to be a shrewd business move by the Los Angeles Lakers forward, translating into millions of dollars. The NBA great recently relinquished his shares for a stake in FSG, along with his business partner Carter and Paul Wachter. Liverpool.com reported in 2022 that James owns about one percent of FSG.
In November of that year, the NBA icon reportedly made an exceptional profit from his minority stake in Liverpool FC amid news that FSG is exploring the potential sale of the club. According to Mirror at the time, his stake in the team is worth around $44 million. Aside from Liverpool, James has stakes in the Boston Red Sox. The four-time NBA champion is also behind TV and movie studio SpringHill Entertainment. He has equity in brands like smart gym-maker Tonal and rideshare giant Lyft as well.
James, who has been with the LA Lakers since 2018, is worth north of $1 billion. This made him the first active NBA player to become a billionaire. Forbes has said that the big reason for his billionaire status is that he has been more than just a pitchman. “James has long structured deals to give him equity in brands he partners with, giving him a cut of the upside instead of a quick paycheck,” the platform wrote.
In 2015, James walked away from an endorsement agreement with McDonald’s, worth an estimated $15 million. Instead, he gambled on the fast-growing Blaze Pizza chain, where he became an investor. Born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, James started playing basketball in his infancy. Basketball soon became a way of life for him and when he joined his elementary school basketball team, he excelled.
His Nike endorsement deal came when he was only 18 years old. The basketball star’s partnership with Nike and his deals with brands like AT&T, PepsiCo and Walmart made him the second-highest-earning athlete in the world recently.
