Despite recent on-field performances, Floridas three National Football League teams are among the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world.
Meanwhile, an NBA championship failed to lift the Miami Heat into the most valuable realm which is topped by Manchester United ($2.23 billion), Real Madrid ($1.88 billion), the New York Yankees ($1.85 billion) and the Dallas Cowboys ($1.85 billion), according to Forbes.
Nor did a new stadium elevate the Miami Marlins into the Forbes 50.In fact, none of the Sunshine States other Major League baseball, basketball or hockey teams cracked the top 50.
In 50th place, the Texas Rangers were valued at $674 million.
The lists release was timed with the opening of the NFL season.
The Miami Dolphins, valued at $1.01 billion, were listed No. 22 despite what fans have witnessed the past few years.
The Dolphins' brand has been damaged in recent years after three straight losing seasons and only one playoff appearance in the last decade, Forbes wrote. The team lost its first seven games of the 2011 season and struggled to sell tickets. The Dolphins, team sponsors and the local TV station often bought unsold tickets to prevent home games from being blacked out. The Dolphins' roster of investors reads like a who's who of pop culture: Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Fergie, and Serena and Venus Williams.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owned by Malcolm Glazer, whose family also owns Manchester United in the English Premier League, was valued at $981 million. And as with the Dolphins, the Bucs were so priced despite their on-field play and ticket sales.
The Buccaneers have struggled with attendance issues at Raymond James Stadium during the past two seasons, with only two home games selling out and the rest being blacked out on local television, Forbes reported. The Bucs are taking advantage of a new NFL rule in 2012 that allows games to be broadcast on TV if at least 85 percent of general admission tickets are sold. The team cut ticket prices on 80 percent of seats for the 2012 season with the rest of prices remaining flat for a fourth straight season.
Among the teams both the Dolphins and Buccaneers placed ahead of included the iconic Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Cubs. The Boston Red Sox were 24th.
However, for Dolphin fans, the New York Jets were ranked 12th.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, with new owner Shahid Khan plucking down $760 million for the team in January, landed at 47th place.
The Pakistani-born American made his fortune with auto parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate, which generates $3 billion in annual revenue, Forbes reported. Khan has vowed to keep the team in Jacksonville, despite attendance woes in recent seasons that led to nearly 10,000 upper deck seats being tarped over to encourage sellouts and satisfy the NFL's blackout policy.
The Top 10:
No. 1 Manchester United ($2.23 billion)
No. 2 Real Madrid ($1.88 billion)
No. 3 New York Yankees ($1.85 billion)
No.3 Dallas Cowboys ($1.85 billion)
No. 5 Washington Redskins ($1.56 billion)
No. 6 Los Angeles Dodgers ($1.4 billion)
No. 6 New England Patriots ($1.4 billion)
No. 8 Barcelona ($1.31 billion)
No. 9 New York Giants ($1.3 billion)
No. 10 Arsenal ($1.29 billion).
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
