HOUSTON – Forbes has released its list of most valuable sports teams of 2016, and the Houston Texans have moved up from last year.
According to Forbes, NFL franchises make up 27 of the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world.
The Texans are tied at 14 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both teams are valued at $2.5 billion.
That's a 35% increase from last year for the Texans. In 2015, the team ranked 16th at $1.8 billion.
The Dallas Cowboys are at the top of the list for the first time. The team is valued at $4 billion.
"Blockbuster TV contracts are fueling unprecedented increases in sports team values around the globe as the average value of a top 50 franchise has doubled over the past four years," Forbes Senior Editor Kurt Badenhausen said. "The NFL is still king on TV with contracts worth nearly $7 billion annually from its media partners."
Rounding out the top five are Real Madrid ($3.65B), Barcelona ($3.55B), New York Yankees ($3.4B) and Manchester United ($3.32B).
According to Forbes, the average current value of the top 50 most valuable teams is $2.2 billion, the highest ever and a 25 percent increase over last year.
You can see the entire list at Forbes.com.