New York (AFP) - The New York Yankees remained atop the list of Major League Baseball's most valuable franchises, it's $7.1 billion price tag an 18% jump from last year, Forbes magazine reported Thursday.
The annual list of MLB team values came a week before the start of the 2023 campaign and showed the Yankees atop MLB's 30 clubs as they have been every year since Forbes began the ratings in December 1998.
The new figures boost the Yankees above a $6 billion valuation that was fourth overall last September in the Forbes list of all richest sports teams.The new mark would trail only the NFL Dallas Cowboys at $8 billion from six months ago.
Manchester United was listed 19th overall last September by Forbes at $4.6 billion with current bids for the English Premier League side said to be in the $5.5 billion range -- what would be a record price paid for a sports team.
The average MLB team rose 12% in value according to Forbes to $2.32 billion after league revenue jumped 7.8% to a record $10.3 billion in 2022.
Ticket revenue jumped 64% to $2.4 billion while operating income was down 20% from the previous season to an average of $17.7 million per team as player costs rose 135 to $5.2 billion, Forbes reported.
The Yankees benefit from having the largest regional sports television network in the United States.
A dispute over regional sports network rights fees for the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles has hindered a potential sale of the Nationals, valued at $2 billion by Forbes -- 16th overall.
The Los Angeles Dodgers rank second on the MLB franchise value list at $4.8 billion followed in order by the Boston Red Sox at $4.5 billion, the Chicago Cubs at $4.1 billion, the San Francisco Giants at $3.7 billion, the New York Mets at $2.9 billion and the Los Angeles Angels at $2.7 billion.
At the bottom of the 30-team list were the Miami Marlins at $1 billion with the Oakland A's, considering a move to Las Vegas, 29th overall at $1.18 billion.The Cincinnati Reds were at $1.19 billion with the Kansas City Royals at $1.2 billion.
