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July 22 (UPI) -- The Dallas Cowboys are valued at $5 billion by Forbes, making them the most valuable sports franchise in the world. Forbes released its annual list of the world's most valuable teams Monday, with the Cowboys topping the list for the fourth consecutive year.
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The Cowboys, purchased by current owner Jerry Jones for $140 million in 1989, had a four percent year-to-year leap in value. The NFL team became the first franchise to reach the $5 billion valuation mark since Forbes began releasing public values for sports franchises in 2010.
The NFL remained the most dominant sports league in overall value of its teams, with over half of the top 50 coming from the league. Of the 32 NFL franchises, 26 teams made the list.
The New York Yankees ranked second with a value of $4.6 billion after a huge 15 percent year-to-year jump, which was the largest of any sports team in the top 30. MLB had nine franchises that made the list, including the Los Angeles Dodgers with a $3.3 billion valuation that tied the NFL's New York Giants for 10th.
Soccer clubs Real Madrid ($4.24 billion) and FC Barcelona ($4.02 billion) and the NBA's New York Knicks ($4 billion) were the only other teams to reach the $4 billion valuation mark.
Premier League soccer club Chelsea, which saw a 25 percent increase in value from last year, had the largest one-year jump among the top 50. Soccer clubs Manchester United (eight percent), Barcelona (one percent) and Bayern Munich (one percent) were the only teams that dropped in year-to-year value.
Top 10 Most Valuable Sports Franchises:
1. Dallas Cowboys ($5 billion)
2. New York Yankees ($4.6 billion)
3. Real Madrid ($4.24 billion)
4. FC Barcelona ($4.02 billion)
5. New York Knicks ($4 billion)
6. Manchester United ($3.81 billion)
7. New England Patriots ($3.8 billion)
8. Los Angeles Lakers ($3.7 billion)
9. Golden State Warriors ($3.5 billion)
t-10. Los Angeles Dodgers ($3.3 billion)
t-10. New York Giants ($3.3 billion)
