Image Credit: Artro Pardavila (CC BY-SA 2.0)
According to Forbes magazine, the average Major League Baseball team now carries an average net worth of $1.5 billion, an increase of 19% over the 2016 MLB season. The main culprits for the surging revenue increases are brand new local television deals as well as the growth of MLB Advanced Media. The broadcasting deal signed with ESPN, Fox and TBS in 2014 is expected to net Major League Baseball $12.4 billion through 2022.
Image Credit: KA Sports Photos (CC BY-SA 2.0)
As usual, the New York Yankees are the highest valued Major League Baseball organization with a net worth of $3.7 Billion. The Yankees have been the highest valuated team in Major League Baseball by Forbes for 20 straight seasons. In 1973, the Steinbrenner family purchased the New York Yankees for only $8.8 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest payroll in Major League Baseball; a feat that often belonged to the New York Yankees in the past.
Forbes magazine used the following criteria to determine the valuation for each Major League team.
- Total equity plus net debt.
- Revenue and expenses of the real estate owned by each team (stadiums, parking lots and other assets).
- Total rights fees paid to the team by regional sports networks (Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports South, etc).
The team with highest increase in valuation from 2016 to 2017 was the Toronto Blue Jays with a whopping 44% increase. 23 of the league’s 30 teams are now worth more than $1 billion. The net worth for all 30 Major League Baseball teams are as follows.
- New York Yankees - $3.7B
- Los Angeles Dodgers - $2.75B
- Boston Red Sox - $2.7B
- Chicago Cubs - $2.68B
- San Francisco Giants - $2.65B
- New York Mets - $2B
- Louis Cardinals - $1.8B
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - $1.75B
- Philadelphia Phillies - $1.65B
- Washington Nationals - $1.6B
- Texas Rangers - $1.55B
- Atlanta Braves - $1.5B
- Houston Astros - $1.45B
- Seattle Mariners - $1.4B
- Chicago White Sox - $1.35B
- Toronto Blue Jays - $1.3B
- Pittsburgh Pirates - $1.25B
- Detroit Tigers - $1.2B
- Baltimore Orioles - $1.18B
- Arizona Diamondbacks - $1.15B
- San Diego Padres - $1.13B
- Minnesota Twins - $1.03B
- Colorado Rockies - $1B
- Kansas City Royals - $950M
- Miami Marlins - $940M
- Milwaukee Brewers - $925M
- Cleveland Indians - $920M
- Cincinnati Reds - $915M
- Oakland Athletics - $880M
- Tampa Bay Rays - $825M
Make sure you show these statistics to any naysayer that suggests Major League Baseball is “dead” or “boring”. The game is alive and well and will forever be known as America’s favorite pastime. Numbers don't lie.
Reference:
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