The NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL each have their own versions of the MVP: Most Valuable Player.
Forbes Magazine has the MVF: Most Valuable Franchise.
Forbes has unveiled its 2013 list of the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams, and there is no small change among the lot.
Soccer giant Real Madrid is the No. 1 MVF in the world, worth $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.
Real Madrid is so well off that its owners are in the process of building a theme park and resort venture on a man-made island in the Persian Gulf at the cost of more than $1 billion (US), which is expected to open in 2015.
Soccer team Manchester United comes in at No. 2 with a value of $3.17 billion and Barcelona ranks No. 3 with a value of $2.6 billion.
The first non-soccer and first US-based team on the list is the New York Yankees at No. 4, valued at $2.3 billion. The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, worth $2.1 billion, round out the top five.
The remainder of the top ten includes the New England Patriots ($1.64 billion), Los Angeles Dodgers ($1.6 billion), Washington Redskins ($1.6 billion), New York Giants ($1.47 billion) and soccer team Arsenal ($1.33 billion).
The NBA’s most valuable franchise is the New York Knicks at No. 23 ($1.1 billion). the NHL’s MVF is the Toronto Maple Leafs at No. 31 ($1 billion).
The NFL has 30 teams in the top 50, with the other two franchises, the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, ranked 51st and 52nd. The 20 non-NFL teams in the top 50 include seven each from MLB and international soccer and three from the NBA.
The average value of the top 50 teams is $1.24 billion, a 16% increase from last year, according to Forbes.
The list is based on Forbes valuations done in the past year for the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, soccer, Nascar and Formula 1.
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