Professional sports leagues are some of the most lucrative markets in the world. Each year, teams and leagues rake in hundreds of millions in revenue from things like television broadcasting deals, season ticket sales and memorabilia retail.

Unsurprisingly, Forbes’ 2021 list of the world’s most valuable sports teams saw the first three teams rake in over $5 billion in revenue. Despite an uncertain year for live events in 2020, the net worth of the world’s top 50 teams actually jumped by a rate of 9.9%.

North American teams have benefitted hugely from the rise in sports betting, which has been going live in more and more US states since 2018. While pro sports franchises aren’t directly getting in on the action, they’ve benefitted from renewed interest in sports. 

For example, casual NFL fans who wouldn’t normally wager on an event like the Super Bowl might take advantage of a FanDuel promo code to bet on their first game. Whether or not they wager on sports, the NFL and its 32 teams stand to gain from the uptick in interest. 

Not all global markets have been so fortunate—and still, there’s been incremental growth for European association soccer in both La Liga and the Premier League. Let’s take a closer look at how the top three wealthiest privately owned sports teams are leveraging their popularity into other investment opportunities.

Dallas Cowboys, NFL

$5.7 billion, Owned by Jerry Jones

There’s one huge difference between North American sports teams and those in other parts of the world, such as Europe’s association club football domestic leagues, and that is they’re owned by billionaires who pour their wealth into the team expecting huge returns. Jerry Jones is a prime example of the intersection of private American wealth and pro sports.

Since purchasing the team in 1989, Jones has increased his wealth by optimizing the Cowboys’ stadium, known as the AT&T Stadium or, for locals, ‘Jerry World’. It’s got some of the leading amenities for stadiums, from luxury suites to a massive jumbotron.

Additionally, Jones has increased his private wealth by leveraging the Cowboys' success with Yankee Global Enterprises (owning group of the New York Yankees, below). Jones and the company launched a stadium operations company called Legends Hospitality, which provides food, beverage, and merchandise to stadiums across the country.

New York Yankees, MLB

$5.25 billion, Owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (Steinbrenner Family)

Yankee Global Enterprises which have majority ownership by the Steinbrenner Family owns the New York Yankees and as mentioned above, Legends Hospitality. However, the group also has a 20% stake in New York’s MLS NYC FC team.

However, Yankee Global Enterprise’s primary venture beyond baseball is its multiple stakes in the YES Network. The YES Network is the major sports broadcasting group for the New York City metropolitan region, of which Yankee Global Enterprises owns 26%.

Interestingly enough, another 20% is owned by Diamond Sports Groups, a spinoff of FOX Sports Networks before it was rebranded as Bally Sports as part of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. FOX is one of the biggest sports broadcasting groups in the US and was once owned by a media conglomerate, The Walt Disney Company.

New York Knicks, NBA

$5 billion, Owned by Madison Square Garden Group

The New York Knicks are a prime example of just how lucrative broadcasting rights can be for North American sports teams. Despite being the NBA’s poorest performing team in the last two decades, Madison Square Garden Group has managed to pull a consistent profit.

Similar to the Yankees' owners, the Knicks' parent company benefits from a long reach in the NYC area. The group also owns the Knicks’ G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, the NHL’s New York Rangers, and their minor league affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. 

Aside from lucrative broadcasting contracts, the Madison Square Garden Group also invests in entertainment opportunities. On their list of investments, they’ve helped fund venues in Las Vegas and are currently working on a London venue.

The group also owns minority stakes in Townsquare Media, a radio broadcasting group, a majority stake in the nightlife company Tao Group, and a majority stake in eSports team Counter Logic Gaming.

Author Bio:

Elvia Damet, 29 years is a sportswoman, curious and writer. She studied in Italy and lived in different countries. She spends her days writing and translating so that the planet can read the latest news.