The Dallas Cowboys might not have the silverware you might expect but the value of the NFL side continues to soar to $8billion (£6.7bn), according to the annual figures published by Forbes.
The world's most valuable sports franchise has only made the play-offs four times in the last 12 seasons, but are worth far more than Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid $5.1bn (£4.2bn) and Barcelona $5bn (£4.1bn) while Manchester United are the third ranked football team on Forbes list valued at $4.6bn (£3.8bn).
The gap between the Cowboys and England's most valuable football club is still increasing with the American giants increasing in value by 23 per-cent on last year while the United rose by just 10 per-cent, while neither side dazzled on the sports field.
The Cowboys were bought by owner Jerry Jones for $140m (£118m) in 1989 (the equivalent of $330m (£278m) in 2022) and they have grown into the world's biggest sports franchise, but they passed hands a number of times before then.
Jones, unlike the Glazer Family at Old Trafford, is an immensely popular figure in Dallas, having helped the Cowboys become 'America's Team' and building them a new state-of-the-art stadium dubbed 'Jerry World' by fans. But things could have been extremely different for the franchise.
Back in 1984, the Cowboys' founding owner Clint Murchison Jr was in talks with Donald Trump to buy the team for $50m (£43m). Trump declined, instead buying the New Jersey Generals for $10m(£8.4m).
During an interview with the New York Times in 1984, Trump said: "I feel sorry for the poor guy who is going to buy the Dallas Cowboys. It's a no-win situation for him, because if he wins, well, so what, they've won through the years, and if he loses, which seems likely because they're having troubles, he'll be known to the world as a loser. I could have bought an NFL club for $40m or $50m, but it's established and you would just see it move laterally. There's not enough to create there."
While success has come for the Cowboys off the field, it hasn't followed on it. They've won the NFC East just six times in the last 20 years, and haven't made a Super Bowl since 1995.
But despite their woes, Jones is still reaping the benefits in the board room. CBS estimated in 2018 that Jones had enjoyed a 3,328 per-cent return on his investment in the team, back when the franchise was only valued at $4.8bn (£4bn), showing the American billionaire's enormous gamble had paid off.
Trump's New Jersey Generals, however, were part of the USFL for two years under his ownership before the league folded.
