New list of most valuable sports teams has Blue Jays in surprising spot

As Canada's lone MLB team, the Blue Jays are one of the country's biggest names in sports. And, according to a new story by Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen, they're also one of the most valuable franchises in all of sports.

Earlier this week Sportico put out its list of the top 100 most valuable sports teams in the world, with the Blue Jays coming in 97th place. They're the 13th-most valuable MLB team with a 2024 valuation of $2.27 billion along with a revenue of $383 million, per Sportico.

Blue Jays named one of MLB's most valuable franchises

The rankings were determined based off Sportico's published valuations over the past 12 months, and includes teams from the NBA, MLB, NFL, international soccer and Formula 1. There are no MLS, WNBA or NWSL teams on the list. The revenues listed for each MLB team were from the 2023 season.

It should come as no surprise that the Yankees ranked as the top MLB franchise with a total value of $7.93 billion. They're the No. 5 team on the list behind the Dallas Cowboys ($10.32 billion), Golden State Warriors ($9.14 billion), New York Knicks ($8.3 billion) and Los Angeles Lakers ($8.07 billion).

The Dodgers were the second-most valuable MLB team at $6.3 billion, which was good for 14th in the top 100. The Red Sox came in third among MLB teams ($5.69 billion), meaning the American League East had three teams in the top 15.

The other teams in the division were further down the list. The Baltimore Orioles came in 18th among MLB teams ($1.73 billion) while the Rays were in 28th ($1.33 billion). The Miami Marlins were in last place at $1.23 billion.

The Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications since 2000, and are one of two MLB teams under corporate ownership. The Blue Jays were sandwiched between the Philadelphia Flyers ($2.29 billion) and the Washington Nationals ($2.2 billion) on the top 100 list.

Per Sportico, the following three metrics were the major determining factors in the rankings:

Total Value: The sum of the market value of the franchise combined with the value of team-related businesses and real estate holdings.

Team Value: Franchise valuations are derived from metrics by which basketball-team transactions occur, including aggregating local and national revenues and factoring in a team-specific multiplier. This represents the market value of the team itself, excluding related businesses held by its owners.

Team-Related Businesses and Real Estate Holdings: The value of a franchise or franchise owner’s equity in team-related businesses—that is, both those on the team’s balance sheet and held in distinct corporate entities—as well as government-assessed real estate related to venue, practice facilities and adjacent developments.