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It seems as if these lists of the most valuable sports franchises are coming out every couple of months these days. In the latest list released in mid-July by Forbes magazine, Spanish La Liga soccer club Real Madrid is still king of the hill when it comes to being worth the most. However, things are getting a little closer in regards to the rest of the top 10 as there is a tie for second place between the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees. In addition, Spanish soccer giants Barcelona are right on their tail.

This is the third year in a row that Real Madrid has topped the list and they do so this time with a value of $3.26 billion. The Cowboys and Yankees are right behind them however as they’re both valued at $3.2 billion. Barcelona comes in next at $3.16 billion. Rounding out the top 10 are: English Premier League cub Manchester United with a worth of $3.1 billion. The Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team at $2.6 billion, the New England Patriots of the NFL at $2.6 billion, the NBA’s New York Knicks at $2.5 billion, the Los Angeles Dodgers MLB franchise at $2.4 billion and the NFL’s Washington Redskins at $2.4 billion.

There’s quite a gap between the fifth and sixth most valuable clubs as there’s a $500 million drop of from Manchester United to the Los Angeles Lakers. On average, the 50 most valuable franchises are worth $1.75 billion. This is a big 31 per cent increase from a year ago. The minimum value of the 50th place team is $1.15 billion this year whereas it was just $856 million 12 months ago. When it comes to the number of clubs from each league, the NFL seems to be doing the best business as 20 teams made the top-50 list.

Major League baseball is next as the league has a dozen representatives on the list and the NBA follows with an even 10. There are just seven soccer franchises in the top 50, but three of these are in the top five. Other franchises that made the list are Formula One team Ferrari and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. The Formula One team placed number 32 while the Maple Leafs came in at number 37 and are the only hockey team in the top 50. According to Forbes, there are now a total of 62 sports franchises across the globe that are worth a minimum of $1 billion.