Ever been watching a Ravens game and idly thought, “Gosh, the Ravens are so great. I wonder how much would it cost to buy them?” Well, we imagine that owner Stephen Bisciotti isn’t selling anytime soon, but you may as well start saving your pennies anyway: According to Forbes’ annual sports franchise survey, the Ravens are valued at $1.157 billion, making them the 19th most-valuable sports franchise in the world.
A sports team gets value from numerous sources: ticket sales, merchandise, lucrative sponsorships, and branding deals. Big-market franchises have an advantage, which is why teams that the Ravens soundly defeated last year (like the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers) are still considered more “valuable.” (Hmph.) Even the tepid Washington Redskins, who won their first division title since 1999 last year, are worth more than our beloved birds — a cool $1.6 billion, in fact. And despite winning a Super Bowl, our team managed to become less valuable over the past year; in 2012, the Ravens were ranked 18th, and this year they dropped one spot.
Of course, the most valuable sports franchises play an entirely different kind of football — you know, that European kind where you can’t use your hands? Anyway, Spain’s Real Madrid is the priciest ($3.3 billion!), with England’s Manchester United ($3.1 billion) and Barcelona ($2.6 billion) following. Those damn Yankees came in fourth at $2.3 billion, but who cares because the Orioles are better for less money.
