Forbes' List of 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams Dropped, Can You Guess How Many NHL Clubs Made the List?

Each year Forbes releases a ranking of the 50 most valuable sports franchises by total value, and 2021-22 was a great year across the business. Per Forbes' rankings, the 50 most valuable clubs grew in value by 30% last year, the biggest increase in half a decade. The NFL reigns supreme, with 30 of its 32 teams represented in the top-50. Care to guess how many NHL teams are on the list?

You can start with the Original Six teams and work your way down. Or you could go by conference and do it that way. The answer would be the same no matter what. Zero. Not one NHL club lies in the world's 50 most valuable sports organizations. Pretends to be shocked.

Per Forbes, the New York Rangers are the NHL's most valuable club, with an estimated worth of $2 billion, a cool $1 billion behind #50 in the official rankings. Yikes. Jersey ads don't sound too bad right about now, do they?

( Forbes )

Without further ado, here are Forbes' 50 Most Valuable Sports Franchises:

1. Dallas Cowboys - $8 billion
2. New England Patriots - $6.4 billion
3. Los Angeles Rams - $6.2 billion
4. New York Yankees - $6 billion
4. New York Giants - $6 billion
6. New York Knicks - $5.8 billion
6. Chicago Bears - $5.8 billion
8. Golden State Warriors - $5.6 billion
8. Washington Commanders $5.6 billion
10. Los Angeles Lakers - $5.5 billion
11. New York Jets - $5.4 billion
12. San Francisco 49ers - $5.2 billion
13. Real Madrid - $5.1 billion
13. Las Vegas Raiders - $5.1 billion
15. FC Barcelona - $5 billion
16. Philadelphia Eagles - $4.9 billion
17. Houston Texans - $4.7 billion
18. Denver Broncos - $4.65 billion
19. Manchester United FC - $4.6 billion
19. Miami Dolphins - $4.6 billion
21. Seattle Seahawks - $4.5 billion
22. Liverpool FC - $4.45 billion
23. Bayern Munich FC - $4.28 billion
24. Manchester City FC - $4.25 billion
24. Green Bay Packers - $4.25 billion
26. Los Angeles Dodgers - $4.08 billion
27. Atlanta Falcons - $4 billion
28. Pittsburgh Steelers - $3.98 billion
29. Minnesota Vikings - $3.93 billion
30. Boston Red Sox - $3.9 billion
30. Baltimore Ravens - $3.9 billion
32. Los Angeles Chargers - $3.99 billion
33. Cleveland Browns - $3.85 billion
34. Chicago Cubs - $3.8 billion
34. Indianapolis Colts - $3.8 billion
36. Kansas City Chiefs - $3.7 billion
37. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $3.68 billion
38. Chicago Bulls - $3.65 billion
39. Carolina Panthers - $3.6 billion
40. New Orleans Saints - $3.58 billion
41. Boston Celtics - $3.55 billion
42. San Francisco Giants - $3.5 billion
42. Tennessee Titans - $3.5 billion
44. Jacksonville Jaguars - $3.48 billion
45. Buffalo Bills - $3.4 billion
46. Los Angeles Clippers - $3.3 billion
47. Arizona Cardinals - $3.27 billion
48. Brooklyn Nets - $3.2 billion
48. Paris Saint-Germain FC - $3.2 billion
50. Chelsea FC - $3.1 billion

( Forbes )

Ice hockey is still a growing sport in most parts of the world, so comparing it side-by-side to games like football (American), football (European) and baseball paints an ugly picture for hockey. Gary Bettman and company have repeatedly stated the importance of generating new sources of revenue, which ought to pan out in the long-term, but he holds a lot of the blame for the NHL's lack of growth in the last ~30 years.

Under Bettman, the NHL has had three lockouts, and the hard salary cap is proving to be detrimental to the quality of the league's end-product. We all know how great hockey is to watch and play, but drawing in casual fans is difficult when every transaction is 10% hockey implications and 90% salary cap implications. Furthermore, the NHL should be launching grassroots 'learn-to-play' programs all over the country by providing gear and ice-time for kids. That is the best way to grow future generations of hockey players and fans.

While the NHL has no teams in the 50 most valuable, we all know which sport is the most entertaining to watch and most impressive to play. We do not need some fancy-shmancy list to tell us which sports league is the best.

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