Forbes Ranks Patriots Atop Most Profitable Sports Franchises

Though they've fallen on some hard times on the field, the New England are keeping their championship tradition alive in a financial sense.

What the New England Patriots have recently lacked on the scoreboard they have in excess on the financial ledger.

A study from American business publication Forbes placed the Patriots second on a list of the most profitable professional sports franchise from the last three years. Under the continued ownership of Robert Kraft, the Patriots amassed $623 million in profit, second in sports to only Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys ($1.171 billion). 

The study took NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and international soccer teams into consideration, with the NFL's tallies accurate through the 2021 season (all others through 2022). Dallas and New England are the leaders amongst 13 NFL teams, who dominate the list thanks in part to massive television deals with CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC. The operating income figures were determined by "earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization." 

Despite the Patriots relative lack of success in the new decade (no playoff wins since Tom Brady's departure after the 2019 season), their appeal lingers. They have six scheduled national television appearances which includes an international game in Frankfurt against the Indianapolis Colts. 

New England continues to feature the prominent names of Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick (the latter closing on the NFL's record for victories as a head coach) on their masthead and interest should only increase with Brady's successor Mac Jones entering a make-or-break season and the pass rush retaining the services of sack master Matt Judon. Even if they don't resemble the championship editions that were equally loved and hated at the turn-of-the-century, it's easy to see how the Patriots have remained profitable in an era of relative stress.

English soccer teams Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United respectively rank third and fifth, sandwiching the top NBA team on the list, the New York Knicks.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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