Thanks in part to the Super Bowl LI comeback you may have heard about, the Patriots now rank as the second most valuable franchise in sports.
According to Forbes' 2017 list of most valuable NFL teams, the Patriots are worth a whopping $3.7 billion. That's an increase of nine percent since the historic Super Bowl victory over the Falcons, tying the Patriots with the Yankees as runner ups to the Cowboys, who topped the list once again at $4.2 billion.
Per Forbes:
The Patriots merchandise revenue increased by over 50% and the legacy value of the team's winning brand will be felt with long-terms sponsorships for years. The team has a paid ($100 deposit) season ticket waiting list of over 70,000.
The fourth and fifth most valuable sports franchises listed were soccer clubs Manchester United ($3.69 billion) and FC Barcelona ($3.64 billion).
The New York Giants ($3.3 billion), Washington Redskins ($3.1 billion) and San Francisco 49ers ($3.05 billion) rounded out the top five most valuable franchises in the NFL.