A model of this text first appeared within the CNBC Sport publication with Alex Sherman, which brings you the most important information and unique interviews from the worlds of sports activities enterprise and media. Sign as much as obtain future editions, straight to your inbox. It’s the unofficial one-year anniversary of CNBC Sport! We soft-launched final yr with the discharge of NFL crew valuations, and right here we’re a yr later with an up to date record – our first annual replace for any sport. So, earlier than we transfer on, I simply needed to say a fast “thank you” for studying the publication, watching our weekly videocasts, listening to our podcast and for supporting CNBC Sport. OK, now that the sentimental a part of our program is over, let’s get to the highlights of this yr’s record – as at all times, put collectively by my colleague Mike Ozanian . It’s no shock the Dallas Cowboys preserve their high place as the most costly franchise in all of American sports activities – now valued at a whopping $12.5 billion. A yr in the past, the Cowboys had an $11 billion valuation. Dallas is proof that successful is not every part in the case of being profitable. For the second yr in a row, the Cowboys have been the one crew to generate greater than $1 billion in income final yr. Owner Jerry Jones ‘ crew earned $577 million in EBITDA, because of profitable sponsorship and naming rights offers. And this is a plug for you: Later in the present day, at 4:30 pm ET on “Closing Bell: Overtime,” Mike will communicate with Jones stay on CNBC – concerning the crew’s valuation, his choice to commerce star go rusher Micah Parsons final yr, and far more. I’ll hyperlink to the complete interview in subsequent week’s publication. The Los Angeles Rams jumped from an $8 billion valuation to $10.7 billion – a 34% improve – and maintained the No. 2 spot. At No. 3, we had our first change from 2024: The New York Giants have vaulted from the fourth-most beneficial franchise to the third-most beneficial, clocking in at $10.5 billion – additionally a 34% improve from final yr. The Giants have been helped by a development that boosted crew valuations across the league – the introduction of personal equity money. But what’s fascinating is the personal equity impact hasn’t been direct. Rather, the opportunity of personal equity investment has boosted valuations for minority stakes throughout the league. That’s pushed groups to get aggressive about promoting minority stakes – and it is led rich people to develop into bolder about paying as much as beat out institutional capital. The Giants are in talks to promote a ten% stake within the crew for $10.5 billion, sources instructed Ozanian. The purchaser doubtless will not be a non-public equity fund. CNBC beforehand reported Julia Koch was excited by shopping for a minority stake. Bloomberg reported Wednesday she and members of the Koch household had reached a cope with the crew. There have solely been three personal equity offers for minority stakes in NFL groups up to now 12 months. Arctos Partners purchased a ten% stake within the Buffalo Bills, and Ares Management took a ten% stake within the Miami Dolphins together with Hard Rock Stadium and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. Both offers have been accredited in December. Arctos additionally purchased an 8% stake within the Los Angeles Chargers in May. Still, minority stake gross sales to non-private equity consumers have despatched groups’ valuations skyrocketing this yr. Take the Chicago Bears: A deal pending NFL approval would have the present house owners of the crew, the McCaskey and Ryan households, buy a 2.3% stake owned by the property of Andrew McKenna Sr . at an NFL report $8.9 billion valuation, a supply instructed Ozanian. That pushed the crew’s valuation up practically 40% from final yr, making it the most important year-over-year gainer. The San Francisco 49ers bought a 6.2% stake within the crew in May for about $8.6 billion to a few Bay Area households, pushing its valuation up from $7.4 billion final yr. The Philadelphia Eagles bought an 8% stake to 2 household investment teams for $8.3 billion in December, including 21% to that crew’s valuation year-over-year. I do not know if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell foresaw a run on minority stake gross sales to people and households when the league accredited personal equity minority possession of as much as 10%, nevertheless it’s definitely labored to the league’s profit. Minority gross sales used to return with a steep low cost of about 25% due to the dearth of voting rights related to the transactions. That low cost seems to have utterly evaporated. The mixture of personal equity curiosity, persistently rising valuations, and the NFL’s impending opt-out clause on its media rights deal after the 2029-30 season has given traders religion that proudly owning small stakes in groups shall be good buys. The NFL is primed to money in once more with a slew of latest deep-pocketed media companions – doubtless together with Netflix and YouTube – when it could actually renew its rights offers in 5 years. You can see the complete record of NFL crew valuations right here. On the report With NFL CrimsonZone host Scott Hanson … For our CNBC Sport podcast this week, I spoke with Mike about his valuations record. That chat then leads into this week’s On The Record visitor: NFL CrimsonZone host Scott Hanson . You can hear right here and observe the CNBC Sport podcast for those who favor the audio model. NFL CrimsonZone was an concept forward of its time, and it is hitting its stride 16 years after its 2009 debut. Legacy media corporations are more and more brainstorming methods to enchantment to youthful sports activities followers who haven’t got the eye spans (or need to take a seat by means of commercials) to observe a three-hour sporting occasion and like to observe highlights on YouTube and TikTookay. CrimsonZone – on each Sunday through the NFL season – has develop into a must-watch program for avid fantasy soccer gamers and gamblers who wish to watch a number of out-of-market video games on the similar time. It’s additionally interesting to these youthful viewers who merely haven’t got the persistence to observe an NFL recreation begin to end. Since 2009, Hanson has hosted the present, and it has been an exquisite marriage. Hanson instructed me this week that his frenetic CrimsonZone broadcasting is not an act. Even when stress-free at dwelling, he watches 5 TVs directly. He spoke to me from his dwelling in L.A., and for those who watch the video, he even pans his Zoom display screen over to his lounge to point out us he is not mendacity. For just a few months this yr, Hanson did not know if he was changing into an ESPN worker. It appeared potential ESPN may purchase CrimsonZone as a part of its acquisition of NFL Media belongings. Alas, the NFL maintained possession of CrimsonZone, merely promoting the linear NFL Network to ESPN. That stated, ESPN’s relationship with CrimsonZone is changing into a lot nearer. CrimsonZone can now be bundled for a reduction with ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer product. And Hanson instructed me he is ready by the cellphone to listen to from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro to doubtlessly host a school soccer model of the present. As a part of that NFL Media deal, ESPN now has the rights to the CrimsonZone title if it wish to make variations of the present for different sports activities. ESPN already plans to debut such a present for subsequent yr’s U.S. Open. Hanson, who additionally hosts Gold Zone, a whip-around present for NBC’s Olympic sports activities, instructed me soccer is his favourite sport, however he is maintaining an open thoughts. “I’m open for business, open for suggestions, and the NFL has been decent with me in terms of allowing me to do outside projects, as long as it doesn’t disparage the NFL, conflict with my RedZone duties, or conflict with the NFL’s business interests,” stated Hanson. You can watch our complete dialog right here. CNBC Sport spotlight reel The better of CNBC Sport from the previous week: CNBC and Boardroom’s Game Plan is again for a 3rd yr on Sept. 16 in Los Angeles. The invite-only gathering will convene sports activities and tradition leaders to discover the intersection of enterprise, sports activities, music and leisure. I’ll be there, moderating a panel on the way forward for faculty sports activities with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman , Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips and Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. There are nonetheless some tickets accessible – click on right here to hitch us in L.A. on Sept. 16. If you’ve got been watching the U.S. Open this week, you might have seen a patch on some gamers’ jerseys for an organization known as Blue Owl. CNBC’s Leslie Picker explains why Blue Owl Capital – another asset administration firm – is backing about 100 totally different tennis gamers in tournaments world wide this yr. Pickleball’s reputation is surging in China. CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng profiles the game’s rise in China right here . Cryptocurrency buying and selling platform Crypto.com and Underdog Sports, a fantasy sports activities and gaming firm, are partnering to supply sports activities prediction markets in 16 states, focusing largely on areas the place sports activities betting hasn’t but been legalized, studies CNBC’s Contessa Brewer . The massive quantity: $7.65 billion The NFL has widened its lead as essentially the most beneficial and worthwhile sports activities league on this planet, with the common franchise now value $7.65 billion, in line with CNBC’s Official NFL Team Valuations. That determine marks an 18% bounce from final yr. Quote of the week “I’ve heard every joke in the book, from, ‘Oh yeah, the seat that they give Hanson on set is actually a toilet.’ There’s some more crude options that I will spare the audience from. The truth is, I dehydrate myself, use the men’s room right before I go in on the air. And then the willpower of a ninja and the desire to serve the audience over my own biological requirements.” — Scott Hanson telling me how he hasn’t had a toilet break in additional than a decade doing CrimsonZone. He credit the cooks at NFL Network in Inglewood, California, for feeding him “the same exact breakfast they’ve been making me for 10 years, which is dense proteins and salty, salty, dense proteins so I can retain water.” Around the league Media corporations have lengthy been prepared to talk sick of the rankings firm Nielsen. It’s at all times straightforward responsible poor knowledge assortment strategies for decrease viewership than one hopes. But the NFL definitely would not have a rankings downside, so it is notable the league is airing its grievances about Nielsen’s methodology. Specifically, Paul Ballew , the league’s world chief knowledge and analytics officer, questioned this week if Nielsen’s Super Bowl rankings might be trusted. In an interview with a small group of reporters, Ballew stated the league’s inner surveying and “[common] sense check” has led NFL executives to imagine Nielsen is undercounting “co-viewing” of the Super Bowl, or the quantity of individuals which might be watching the sport on a similar display screen. Ballew stated a poor Nielsen assumption could also be underestimating the Big Game’s viewers by tens of hundreds of thousands. To be truthful, the NFL is additionally giving Nielsen some credit score. The rankings firm is rolling out a brand new “Big Data + Panel” approach of calculating rankings that mixes Nielsen’s conventional “panel” measurements with knowledge from set-top bins and good TVs. Ballew known as the brand new approach “a big step forward.” Formula 1’s McLaren Racing is now valued at greater than $5 billion after a latest stake sale, Axios reported . Podcast host Pablo Torre could have busted the L.A. Clippers and its proprietor Steve Ballmer on circumventing the NBA wage cap by paying star Kawhi Leonard hundreds of thousands off the books by means of a now-bankrupted firm. The Clippers have denied the allegation. “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary-cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration,” the Clippers stated. “Any contrary assertion is provably false.” NBA spokesman Mike Bass stated in an announcement, “We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.” You can watch Torre’s podcast episode right here. The rapper Drake has positioned a $300,000 wager on Jannik Sinner to win the U.S. Open. Given the shared dominance of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz just lately, he in all probability has a 50-50 likelihood!