Forbes.com released their list of the most valuable teams in the NFL, ranking them 1-32. The magazine provides all kinds of information, from the net revenue of the team ($248 million) to the overall value of owner Jim Irsay ($1.4 billion). Basically, if the Colts ever cry poverty in the near future, pull this article out, shove it in their face, and laugh.
The Colts reached the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons in February, but were denied a second Lombardi trophy when the Saints upset them 31-17. The small market Colts have turned into one of the NFL's premier franchises thanks to the team's success and the $719 million taxpayer financed Lucas Oil Stadium. The team has made the playoffs seven straight years, winning at least 12 games each season.
The overall value of the team is $1 billion dollars, making them the 11th most valuable club in the NFL. It's worth noting that the Houston Texans are ranked 5th, proving that 'winning' does not always equal dollars. As the Texans have shown, you can lose a ton of games and still make $1.2 billion. Same with the Redskins. The franchise has been irrelevant on the football field since the early 1990s, yet they are the second most valuable team in the NFL at $1.6 billion. The Cowboys are worth the most at $1.8 billion even though they've only won one playoff game since 1996.
This article really seems to fly in the face of NFL owners who are crying poverty as the eventual 2011 labor situation looms. When small market teams like the Colts and Packers are worth billions, and with a team like the Colts bringing in a massive $248 million dollar revenue in 2009, the owners are most certainly not poor.