Dayton Business Journal...
Bengals, Browns among top 50 valuable sports franchises
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 

The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns both are among the 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world. 

That’s according to Forbes magazine, which released its annual rankings Monday afternoon. 

The Browns rank No. 30 on the list with a value of $977 million. And the Bengals rank No. 37 with a value of $875 million. 

The magazine’s list includes franchises from North America’s major team sports, as well as soccer and auto-racing teams from around the world. 

Forbes cited that the Bengals made the playoffs for the only the third time in the last 20 years during 2011. 

“The Bengals continue to post big profits thanks to a lean front office and a sweetheart lease with Hamilton County at Paul Brown Stadium,” Forbes said in a write-up. 

As for the Browns, “The Browns have lost 67% of their games and made the playoffs just once since the franchise was reborn in Cleveland in 1999. The only team that has lost more games since is the Detroit Lions. Browns fans remain among the most loyal supporters in the NFL, allowing the team to charge one of the highest radio rights fees in football. “ 

Britain’s Manchester United soccer team is No. 1 in the world rankings, with an estimated value of $2.23 billion. 

Man U is followed by another European soccer franchise, Real Madrid, at $1.88 billion, Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees at $1.85 billion, and two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys at $1.85 billion and the Washington Redskins at $1.56 billion. 

Read this and other articles at the Dayton Business Journal