Forbes magazine ranked the world’s 50 most valuable sports franchises, and your Dallas Cowboys came in tied at No. 3 with the New York Yankees, both teams valued at $1.85 billion. Â Â Two of those European clubs that play that sport where matches are allowed to end in scoreless ties finished on top.
Much of the praise for the Cowboys from the Forbes staff was directed the team’s Cash-Cow-Death-Star:
Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones is a master salesman and has attracted the NBA All-Star game, the Super Bowl, a Manny Pacquiao fight, soccer matches, concerts and more to Cowboys Stadium since the $1.2 billion venue opened in 2009.
Mayor Robert Cluck of Arlington may be sending a correction letter to Forbes staffer Kurt Badenhausen, who says in the video above (skip to the 1:51 mark) that Jerry Jones financed the building of Cowboys Stadium “almost entirely himself.”
I realize that the stadium cost about $1.2 billion and the city of Arlington kicked in only $325 million, but that’s still about 27% of the cost.
Also making the list, at No. 50, are the Texas Rangers, whose recent increase in value (to a more modest $674 million) is tied both to record attendance this season and last, but especially a hell of a sweet TV deal with Fox Sports Southwest.