The Chicago Bears Are the NFL’s Sixth-Most Valuable Franchise (And Rising!)

On the one hand, putting a dollar amount in terms of value on a professional sports team is kinda weird. It’s not as if these valuations go hand-in-hand with how much teams go for when they are up for sale. But on the other hand, doing so gives us an idea as to the type of cash cows American professional sports franchises have become over the years — and what they could be moving forward.

And when it comes to the NFL, few teams have it as good as the Chicago Bears.

Sportico’s estimated valuation of the NFL’s 32 teams has the Bears as the league’s sixth-most valuable franchise with an estimated $5 billion valuation. That’s billion … with a ‘B’ at the front. It almost makes you wonder how valuable the Bears would be if they consistently put a winning product on the field and won a few Super Bowls. Just sayin’…

The Bears checking in as the sixth-most-valuable franchise is impressive. They are topped by only the Cowboys ($7.64B), Rams ($5.91B), Patriots ($5.88B), Giants ($5.73B), and 49ers ($5.18B). That is good company to keep, especially when it comes to the financial heavy hitters. For a more detailed look into Sportico’s findings, I’d strongly encourage checking out this data viz graphic. It is one of the most unique ways to give a proper perspective into this type of valuation.

In the meantime, here are some of the most notable highlights:

• The average NFL franchise is worth $4.14 billion, which is up 18 percent when comparing lat year’s calculations.
• Here’s a sentence that blew me away: “Collectively, the value of NFL franchises, including team-related businesses and real estate held by owners, is $132 billion.”
• For the Bears, their valuation marks a 25 percent increase from last year, when they were eighth while being valued at $4 billion.
• This marks the second consecutive year in which the Bears’ value saw a mark-up. When Sportico did this exercise in 2020, the valuation was at $3.41 billion.
• 2021 revenue is up to $525 million after checking in at $364 million in 2020. Seems pretty healthy, even though Chicago’s football team ranks 14th of 32 teams.

And to think, we could see the valuation go up in the years to come. The Bears are missing out on opportunities to bring in more cash, as they don’t get to cash checks for stadium naming rights. Heck, the Bears don’t even own their own stadium. But with a move to Arlington Heights looking more realistic as the days go on, there appears to be another level for this franchise to reach.