Featured Post from Southern Utah University

Billion dollar business - does winning matter anymore in the NFL?

Despite average stats - the Cowboys surpassed a worth of over 10 billion dollars

Aug 20, 2024

2 min

David Berri

A recent rankings released by Sportco earlier this month showed that the Dallas Cowboys have come the first sports franchise to hit the 10 billion dollar mark.


It was announcement that took the sports media by storm.


The Cowboys, owned by Jerry Jones, were valued at $10.32 billion, far and away the most valuable franchise in the league and an increase of over a billion dollars on the previous estimate of $9.2 billion in February.

Jones, 81, purchased ‘America’s Team’ in 1989 for an estimated $140 million (roughly $355 million in 2024) and has turned the organization into a financial powerhouse. Also serving as the team’s general manager, he oversaw initial success and helped create one of the 90s’ most dominant teams, winning the Super Bowl in the 1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons.

However, the Cowboys have struggled to replicate that magic in recent years and have only mustered five playoff wins in the 28 years since they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Most recently, Dallas suffered an embarrassing loss in the Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 postseason, despite finishing as the second seed in the NFC and having MVP runner-up Dak Prescott on the roster.  August 14 - CNN




Professional sports is big business. No longer are legacy teams family-owned but most franchises are now conglomerates or essentially companies that operate like any other in corporate America.


As franchises continue to evolve - what's changed?


  • Does winning championships matter anymore?
  • Have TV and streaming deals made seats sales less relevant?
  • Does location matter anymore for local fanbases?
  • Will this bubble one day burst?


There are a lot of questions out there and if you're looking for an expert to help with your coverage - we can help.


Dr. David Berri has spent the last two decades researching sports and economics, while publishing works on a variety of topics including the evaluation of players and coaches, competitive balance, the drafting of players, labor disputes, the NCAA, gender wage gap in sports, and distribution of wealth and power.


Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.





Connect with:
David Berri

David Berri

Department Chair and Professor of Economics

Specializing in evaluations of players and coaches in sports, gender issues in sports, and competitive balance in sports

Distrubution of Wealth and PowerUnpaid Athletes in the NCAANBA Salary CapsSports EconomicsNCAA

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