On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams chat with Sportico‘s Kurt Badenhausen about his most recent NFL valuations. In the past year the average NFL franchise value jumped 18%, to $4.14 billion. There are now 16 NFL teams worth more than $4 billion.
The Dallas Cowboys remain the league’s most valuable team, at $7.64 billion, and are now the most valuable sports team on the planet, overtaking baseball’s New York Yankees. The growth comes in the wake of the Denver Broncos sale, which happened at a record price, and which demonstrated that despite incredibly high prices, there remains interest from numerous parties to own NFL franchises.
Badenhausen discusses the arguments for and against prices continuing to rise, and what to expect from the NFL moving forward. That includes a debate over when—and why—the NFL might join all the other major U.S. sports leagues in allowing private equity investments.
The trio also discusses the looming suspension of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Judge Sue Robinson chose this week to suspend Watson for six games amid roughly two dozen accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct. The NFL and Roger Goodell initially pushed for a harsher punishment, and now have to decide whether to accept Robinson’s decisions, or appeal it, which would give it the ability to increase the punishment while almost certainly creating friction with Watson and the players union.
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