[Forbes]The Texans are the fourth most valuable NFL Franchise

This is an eye-popper. The Texans are worth 1.043 BILLION dollars, fourth behind the redskins, patriots, and cowboys, respectively.

Espn.com's link to Forbes' findings

Forbes: Five NFL franchises worth over $1 billion eachAssociated Press


NEW YORK -- Five teams, led by the Washington Redskins, have franchise values above $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine's annual survey.


The Redskins have led the list for seven straight years and are worth $1.423 billion, an increase of 13 percent over last year. They have an operating income of $108.4 million, more than double every other NFL team except Houston and Tampa Bay.

The New England Patriots rank second in Forbes' calculations at $1.176 billion. They are followed by the Dallas Cowboys at $1.173 billion, the Texans at $1.043 billion, and the Philadelphia Eagles at $1.024 billion.

That means three of the five most valuable teams are in the NFC East. The other division member, the New York Giants, are 15th at $890 million.

The Texans stand second in operating income with $57.6 million, followed by the Bucs at $56.9 million.

On the other end of the chart is the Minnesota Vikings, who were purchased last year by Zygi Wilf. They are worth only $720 million -- although that would rank second in major league baseball behind only the Yankees.

And the Yankees, valued at $1.026 billion, would be fifth among NFL franchises.

Minnesota plays in one of the league's oldest stadiums, which pushes down its value. Wilf is busily negotiating for a new ballpark.

But don't fret for Wilf, who purchased the team for $600 million a year ago. He's already made a profit.

Only one team, the New Orleans Saints (27th at $738 million), has a negative operating income, $4.1 million. The Saints, of course, were displaced by Hurricane Katrina last season, playing home games in San Antonio and Baton Rouge.

Yet the Vikings and four others -- Oakland ($736 million), San Francisco ($734 million), San Diego ($731 million) and Atlanta ($730 million) -- are valued below the Saints.

The Raiders, 49ers, Chargers and Falcons all are planning or seeking upgrades in their stadiums, too.

Rounding out the top 10 are the Denver Broncos ($975 million), Cleveland Browns ($970 million), Bucs ($955 million), Baltimore Ravens ($946 million) and Chicago Bears ($945 million).

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

 

I guess it wasn't so much an eye popper that we were fifth, but it was more of an eye-popper that we were worth over a billion dollars. We're actually worth more than the Yankees, for crying out loud!


I guess that kind of goes to show that football has taken over as America's favorite sport.


Anyways, if this team consistently starts winning, we could potentially edge the Redskins as number one.

 

My bad. I looked, but saw nothing.

Shut 'er down if need be.