Dallas Cowboys top Forbes’ World’s Most Valuable Sports Teams list for fifth straight year

DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys are, once again, the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

It’s the fifth year in a row America’s Team tops the annual list compiled by Forbes, who values the Cowboys at $5.5 billion.

The Cowboys are followed by the New York Yankees ($5 billion), New York Knicks ($4.6 billion), Los Angeles Lakers ($4.4 billion) and Golden State Warriors ($4.3 billion). The first non-U.S. team is at No. 6, soccer’s Real Madrid ($4.2 billion)

One of the reasons the Cowboys are the most-valued is the amount of money generated each year. Forbes said for the most recent season data was available, the Cowboys had operating profits of $420 million. The NFL average for a franchise is around $100 million.

The Dallas Mavericks cracked the Forbes top 50, landing in a tie for 41st at a value of $2.4 billion. Owner Mark Cuban bought the team for $280 million twenty years ago.

No teams from the NHL, NASCAR or MLS made the top 50.