New Study Reveals Yankees Still Lead MLB in Franchise Value

The New York Yankees have remained one of, if not the most well-known brand across American sports for much of their existence.

In recent years, things have changed up a bit, but the Dallas Cowboys remain on top, with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Knicks being among the other most valuable brands across sports in 2024. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen a bit, but when it comes to basketball, things rapidly change.

Baseball is not so similar, as the top brands in the sport have remained that way for quite some time, the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox being the three most notable over the years.

However, the numbers fluctuate a ton each year with new media deals being completed and all sorts of changes like sports betting and team revenue models. Spending towards players continues to rise as well, as has been seen in recent years with free agency, which continues to change the landscape.

When it comes down to it though, New York remains at the top, and in a recent analysis completed by Michael Ozanian of CNBC, some light was shed on truly how much money each club in the MLB is valued at.

This list includes essentially every factor that can be publicly accounted for, including media, sponsorships, sports betting, ticketing/online ticketing, MLB TV, licensing agreements, and the league investment fund.

This is one of the most comprehensive lists to ever be devised regarding MLB franchise valuations, and it is extremely intriguing to take a look through.

To no surprise though, the Yankees remain supreme at No. 1 on the list, receiving a valuation number of $8 billion, with $705 million in revenue, $7 million in earnings before deductions, and a 1% rate of debt as a percentage value.

When compared against the next best, the Dodgers, the margin is wide, with their valuation being marked at $5.8 billion, with $701 million in revenue, $10 million in earnings before deductions, and a 10% rate of debt as a percentage value.

While the Los Angeles ballclub has taken on more in debt, they are also making more before deductions than New York, which helps counteract the differential.

When looking at the rest of the American League East, the Red Sox have a $4.7 billion value (No. 3), the Toronto Blue Jays are at $2.2 billion (No. 14), the Baltimore Orioles are at $1.85 billion (No. 19), and the Tampa Bay Rays are second to last with $1.4 billion, ahead of only the Miami Marlins with $1.2 billion.

To many, the Yankees have just been seen as an enormously valuable franchise, without any context. But with this analysis and study that was completed, it provides some in-depth insight into the sporting world and how much the franchise is truly worth at this moment in time.