Cardinals don’t make list of most profitable sports franchises
The NFL brings big money. NFL franchises are all profitable.
In fact, 13 NFL teams are among the top-25 most profitable sports franchises in the world, according to Forbes.
These teams “generated the most operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) during the past three years.”
The Arizona Cardinals did not make the list.
That doesn’t mean the team is not profitable and does not generate a significant amount of operating income. It just means it doesn’t make the top 25.
Each year, when Forbes releases its list of the most valuable sports franchises, the Cardinals always make the top 50 (as all NFL teams make the list every year), but they are always ranked near the bottom of NFL teams.
Forbes ranks them 30th in the NFL in team valuations. They made $112 million in operating income in 2021.
According to Statista, Arizona had an operating loss of $16 million in 2020 and operating income of $78 million in 2019, giving them a three-year total of $174 million, well below the 25th-ranked team on Forbes’ list with $2335 million.
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