The Most Valuable Sports Empires — And the Teams That Make Them Rich

The word “empire” might seem grandiose when discussing the richest enterprises in sports until you look at the list of the most valuable.

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This list gathered from information from Forbes shows that each of the entries holds multiple franchises (with the notable exception of Jerry Jones, who owns the most valuable team of them all, the Dallas Cowboys), and they span a variety of sports, leagues and even continents.

Read on to see the top five world’s most valuable sports empires for 2021.

• Properties: New York Yankees, Legends*, YES Network*, New York City FC*, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

The crown jewel of this group is the Yankees franchise, which is worth an estimated $5 billion and has an MLB record 27 World Series titles. The group also owns 20% of the YES Network, which is worth around $875 million and is considered one of the top regional sports networks in the country.

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*Indicates ownership of less than 50%

• Properties: Boston Red Sox, Liverpool, NESN, Roush-Fenway Racing, Fenway Sports Management

The Yankees’ rival organization, the Boston Red Sox, is worth $3.3 billion. And the NESN network, which was valued at around $650 million in 2018, broadcasts the Red Sox and Boston Bruins games. The other gem of this holding is the Premier League soccer club, Liverpool, which is worth nearly $2.2 billion. This sports empire also has plenty of championships to its credit. The Red Sox have nine World Series crowns, Liverpool has won 19 League titles, and Roush-Fenway won back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in the early 2000s.

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• Properties: Dallas Cowboys, Legends*, The Star, CompLexity Gaming

When you have the world’s most valuable sports franchise, you’re going to be high on this list. The Cowboys, also known as “America’s Team,” is worth $5.7 billion. The team hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1996 but is still immensely popular. Another successful investment is Legends, which is a food, beverage, retail and stadium operations company co-owned with the Yankee Group. Jones’ business savvy shows through here, as he wants to own every aspect of the operation.

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*Indicate ownership of less than 50%

• Properties: Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Altitude Sports & Entertainment, Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Guerrillas

Stan Kroenke owns a staggering array of sports franchises across the top leagues: NFL (Rams), Premier League (Arsenal), NBA (Nuggets), NHL (Avalanche), MLS (Rapids), eSports (Gladiators and Guerrillas).  The Nuggets and Avalanche are actually technically owned by his wife, Ann, because NFL ownership rules prevent team owners from having teams in other markets.

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• Properties: Formula One, Atlanta Braves, Drone Racing League*, Ball Arena*

Liberty Media is controlled by billionaire John Malone. Malone, who was the CEO of cable company TCI, is estimated to be the largest private landowner in the United States, with holdings of more than 2.2 million acres, which is twice the size of Rhode Island. The Formula One racing circuit is extremely popular outside the United States, and the Braves are perennial contenders since Liberty Media acquired the team in 2007, going 1,036-967 with six playoff berths.

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*Indicates ownership of less than 50%