Patriots fans will love spot on Forbes’ Most Valuable Teams list
By Jerry Trotta
We hate to bring up such a sensitive subject, but the New England Patriots finished with their worst record in two decades last season.
They also failed to qualify for the postseason and conceded the division crown for the first time since 2008.
Despite those on-field shortcomings, however, the Patriots’ value off the field remained as influential as ever.
According to Forbes, New England is once again the second-most valuable franchise in the NFL and the eight-most valuable team in the world for 2021.
As expected, the Dallas Cowboys nabbed the top spot with a value of $5.7 billion, about $1.3 million more than that of the Patriots, which is astonishing to think about considering owner Robert Kraft purchased them for a measly $172 million in 1994.
While fans would obviously prefer it if the Patriots ranked higher on this exclusive list, there wasn’t much ground separating them and global soccer juggernaut Real Madrid, which Forbes ranked at No. 5 with a reported value of $4.75 billion.
The World's Most Valuable Teams, per @Forbes
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 7, 2021
1️⃣ Dallas Cowboys: $5.7B
2️⃣ NY Yankees: $5.25B
3️⃣ NY Knicks: $5B
4️⃣ Barcelona: $4.76B
5️⃣ Real Madrid: $4.75B
6️⃣ Golden St Warriors: $4.7B
7️⃣ LA Lakers: $4.6B
8️⃣ New England Patriots: $4.4B
9️⃣ NY Giants: $4.3B
🔟 Bayern Munich: $4.21B pic.twitter.com/XR10kS3Qyd
Fans will love the Patriots’ ranking on Forbes’ Most Valuable Teams list.
For obvious reasons, the Patriots’ value has skyrocketed over the last 20 years. During that span, they formed one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, rattling off six championships, appearing in a total of nine Super Bowls and winning 17 AFC East titles.
It also shouldn’t be a coincidence that the Patriots’ net worth took off after they drafted quarterback Tom Brady back in 2000. Though he wasn’t always destined to become the consensus greatest player in league history, he’s helped the organization notch a catalog of off-field endorsements.
The six world championships and perennial dominance certainly helps, but it speaks volumes that the Patriots were the league’s 10th-most valuable team at $464 million when Brady was drafted in the sixth round (No. 199 overall) out of Michigan. Flash forward over two decades later and the franchise is now worth almost 10 times that.
As far as the local teams are concerned, the Patriots, albeit unintentionally, made an absolute mockery of the Boston Red Sox, who came in 12 spots behind New England at No. 20 with an estimated value of $3.47 billion.
The Patriots Rank 8th On Forbes' List of Most Valuable Sports Teams In World -- And 2nd Among NFL Teams https://t.co/UNm0GIon4r
— WBZ Boston Sports (@wbzsports) May 9, 2021
Next up was the Boston Celtics, who ranked 25th at $3.2 billion. Though they’re one of the most successful franchises in NBA history, they’re clearly suffering the consequences of winning just one championship (2007-08) over the last 34 years.
Bottom line? The Patriots are the kings of the Boston area, and if not for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, they’d reign supreme in the NFL as well. However, we’d take winning six Super Bowls in a two-decade span over having gone 25 years without a title while still being considered the most valuable sports franchise in the world.
That’s just us, though.
