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Sports teams generally are a license to print money, whatever kind you like best – Dollars, Euros, Pounds, whatever. And owning an NFL team is especially profitable, as the 2025 edition of the Forbes Most Profitable teams list suggests.

The three most profitable teams in the world, per Forbes, are NFL teams. Those are the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 28: A detail shot of an NFL shield logo painted on the field prior to an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 28, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

NFL A Money Making Machine

And that is not just American sports teams. We’re talking the Earth.

Five of the top 10 most profitable teams play in the NFL. 

The NBA has two teams in the top 10, England’s Premier League has two teams in the top 10 and the NHL has one team on the list.

The 20 most profitable sports teams feature nine NFL franchises, along with five from the NBA, three from the NHL and three from the Premier League. 

Forbes estimates that, together, those teams generated an estimated $3.9 billion in profit during the most recent season with available data, or an average of $195 million per team. That’s up 12 percent from the previous year’s top 20.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 28: A detail shot of the Dallas Cowboys logo painted at midfield prior to an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 28, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Winning And Profit A Priority

What economic downturn?

This is not a list of the most valuable teams. That’s a different list. 

These are the most profitable teams as determined by estimated operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) during the most recent season with available data.

That’s kind of a big deal because these teams are in business to make money.

(Yes, winning is also paramount, but you get it.)

You should also note there are two Texas teams in the top 10. That’s amazing and makes the point that Texas is almost a country of its own, with an economy that rivals other countries around the world.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 13: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans throws a pass against the New England Patriots during the second half of the game at Gillette Stadium on October 13, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)

Texas Boasts Two Profitable NFL Teams

The list:

  1. Dallas Cowboys (NFL): Value: $10.1 billion. Owner: Jerry Jones. Profit: $564 million.
  2. Los Angeles Rams (NFL):  Value: $7.6 billion. Owner: E. Stanley Kroenke. Profit: $286 million.
  3. New England Patriots (NFL): Value: $7.4 billion. Owner: Robert Kraft. Profit: $261 million.
  4. Edmonton Oilers (NHL):  Value: $2.65 billion. Owner: Daryl Katz. Profit: $213 million.
  5. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA): Value: $7.1 billion. Owners: Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Mark Walter, Todd Boehly. Profit: $199 million.
  6. New York Giants (NFL): Value: $7.3 billion. Owners: John Mara, Steven Tisch. Profit: $190 million.
  7. Manchester United (Premier League): Value: $6.55 billion. Owners: Glazer family, James Ratcliffe.  Profit: $187 million.
  8. New York Knicks (NBA). Value: $7.5 billion. Owner: Madison Square Garden Sports. Profit: $182 million.
  9. Houston Texans (NFL): Value: $6.1 billion. Owner: Cal McNair. Profit: $164 million
  10. Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League):  Value: $3.2 billion. Owners: Joseph Lewis Family Trust, Daniel Levy. Profit: $161 million.