The Jaguars made the annual Forbes’ top 50 list for the world’s most valuable sports franchises, ranking 45th with an estimated value of $2.075 billion.
Article courtesy of the Florida Times-Union.
In 2017, the Jaguars ranked 42nd with an estimated value of $1.95 billion.
Both estimates are a significant rise considering owner Shad Khan bought the team from Wayne Weaver in December 2011 for $760 million.
Twenty nine NFL teams made the Forbes list, the most among any professional sports league. Eight teams from the NBA and six Major League baseball teams made the top 50. The NHL did not have a team on the list.
The Dallas Cowboys ranked No. 1 as the most valuable franchise in the world ($4.8 billion), a five percent increase from last year. The Manchester United soccer team ranked second ($4.123 billion), 12 percent increase from last year. The next highest ranked NFL team on the list behind the Cowboys were the New England Patriots, who ranked sixth ($3.7 billion). The Miami Dolphins ranked 25th ($2.575 billion).
According to Forbes, each NFL team received $255 million from its shared league revenue from the league’s TV rights deals from CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and DirecTV.
Also, the NFL’s salary camp restricts player cost to 50 percent of the league revenue.
Still, the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions were the only NFL teams not to make the top 50 list.
The Top 10 most valuable sports franchises in the world, according to Forbes.
Rank|Team|Value|
1. Dallas Cowboys|$4.8 billion
2. Manchester United|$4.123 billion
3. Real Madrid|$4.09 billion
4. Barcelona|$4.064 billion
5. New York Yankees|$4 billion
6. New England Patriots|$3.7 billion
7. New York Knicks|$3.6 billion
8. Los Angeles Lakers|$3.3 billion
8. New York Giants|$3.3 billion
10. Golden State Warriors|$3.1 billion
10. Washington Redskins| $3.1 billion
The Jaguars ranked ahead of the Tennessee Titans ($2.05 billion), New Orleans Saints ($2 billion), Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($1.97 billion) and Cleveland Browns ($1.95 billion).
Jaguars president Mark Lamping said during their state of franchise event in April that last season’s London game represented 11 percent of the Jaguars’ local revenue, slightly down from 2016 and below the high mark of 15 percent in 2013.
In June, Lamping said the franchise had sold more than 10,000 new season-ticket holders and more than 90 percent of season ticket-holders have renewed for the upcoming season. The franchise also announced its lead the NFL in new season-ticket sales last month. Last season, the Jaguars (12-7) advanced to the AFC Championship game for the first time in 18 years but lost to New England 24-20.