There are many reasons why people love sports — they are fun, exciting, healthy, unpredictable, and they make us feel alive. But for sports executives, the most profitable sports leagues are primarily a profitable business.
Today, sports have become one of the most lucrative parts of the entertainment industry, earning billions of dollars from various sources. Sports leagues and sports teams profit from sponsorships, ticket revenues, transfers, stadium rentals, broadcasting deals, merchandise, and much more.
Sports teams are usually owned by billionaires who invest huge amounts of money into new players, new stadiums and arenas, and brand management. However, these are profitable investments that pay off quickly.
Below, you can find out what the 11 most valuable sports leagues in the world are, ranked by their average yearly revenues.
Contents show
Most profitable sports leagues:
1. National Football League (NFL) — $13 Billion
2. Major League Baseball (MLB) — $10 Billion
3. National Basketball Association (NBA) — $7.4 Billion
4. Indian Premier League (Cricket) — $6.3 Billion
5. English Premier League — $5.3 Billion
6. National Hockey League (NHL) — $4.43 Billion
7. Australian Rules Football — $2.5 Billion
8. La Liga (Spanish Football League) — $2.2 Billion
9. Serie A (Italian Football League) — $1.9 Billion
10. Ligue 1 (France/Monaco Football League) — $1.5 Billion
11. Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese Baseball league) — $1.1 Billion
1. National Football League (NFL) — $13 Billion
(Source: Market Watch)
European football is by far the most popular sport in the world. However, American football is the most profitable. The National Football League (NFL) is valued at $13 billion, which is how much they generate every year.
That should not come as a surprise to anyone, considering that the NFL has 29 out of the 50 richest franchises, including the most valuable sports franchise in the world. According to Forbes, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports team in the whole league.
The majority of the NFL’s revenue is generated by its TV contracts. The league sells broadcasting rights for billions of dollars to the biggest media companies in the world, such as FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and so on.
The largest part of the NFL’s audience comes from the USA and Canada, which is why the NFL has the most expensive contracts with North American media outlets.
The biggest American football league also earns billions from different brand endorsements and sponsorships from financial enterprises, sports brands, health companies, and so on. This significantly increases its sports franchises’ values.
2. Major League Baseball (MLB) — $10 Billion
(Source: LWO Sports)
Major League Baseball is another sports league that is not popular globally. Its fan base is mostly centered in the United States. However, that does not stop the MLB from taking the second position on our list of the most profitable sports leagues in the world.
The MLB earns around $10 billion annually, which means that each of the participating teams brings in a profit of more than $300 million. A large portion of the MLB’s profits come from lucrative deals with regional sports networks. Each year, the most popular baseball teams rake in millions of dollars from these contracts.
For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed a 25-year-deal with Spectrum Sportsnet LA in 2014, worth $8.35 billion. The team made a profit of $204 million in 2016 alone from this deal.
However, the MLB is not a match to the NFL when it comes to the number of most valuable sports franchises in the world. Just 6 out of 50 most valuable teams come from this sports league.
Attendance is another major source of funding for Major League Baseball. That explains why the price of an average MLB ticket has risen consistently every year since 2006.
3. National Basketball Association (NBA) — $7.4 Billion
(Source: NEX Change Now)
Contrary to the two highest-grossing sports above, the National Basketball Association enjoys worldwide popularity and fame. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world in general, so it’s natural that the NBA is followed in North America and other parts of the world.
The NBA, just like the other leagues on this list, has valuable deals signed with national TV broadcasters. They’ll be in place until 2024/25 and bring in more than $2.6 billion every year.
Are you asking “How much revenue does the NBA generate?” here’s your answer. According to Forbes, for the first time in NBA history, every NBA franchise is worth at least $1 billion. As a matter of fact, the average value of an NBA team in 2019 was $1.87 billion.
The most valuable of them all is the New York Knicks, who are worth $3.6 billion. Close behind them are Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Chicago Bulls.
When it comes to attendance and ticket revenues, there’s nothing NBA can complain about. Ticket sales are higher than ever and ticket prices are on a consistent rise as well.
4. Indian Premier League (Cricket) — $6.3 Billion
(Source: Medium INC)
Cricket is one of the least popular sports on our list of the most profitable sports leagues. But the Indian Premier League is the fastest-growing sports league in the world. That makes a lot of sense considering that India is home to 1.339 billion people and cricket is their favorite sport.
To put things into perspective, the top-10 most-watched TV broadcasts ever in India are major cricket matches. When there is an important match, everything stops in India.
Even though the Indian Premier League consists of just 8 teams that play during a 47-day period, the league has reached a value of $6.3 billion. However, none of these is on the list of the richest sports teams in the world.
A big part of IPL’s annual revenue comes from the broadcasting deal with Star India, worth $2.55 billion.
IPL’s match attendance is on the rise as well. For example, in 2015, the average number of spectators per match was 32,000, which is much more than MLB.
5. English Premier League — $5.3 Billion
(Source: Medium)
The Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, at least when it comes to football. It is restricted only to teams only from England and Wales, but it is followed by people around the world.
The Premier League is one of the most valuable leagues because it is home to some of the most expensive football clubs in the world, such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and so on.
The Premier League makes around $5.3 billion a year in revenues, largely coming from TV broadcasting rights, as is the case with almost all other most valuable sports leagues on this list.
For example, the Premier League signed a 3-year TV contract in 2016, which was worth $13.6 billion. This money was distributed evenly to the 20 major clubs in the league.
6. National Hockey League (NHL) — $4.43 Billion
(Source: Ultimate Corporate League)
The National Hockey League is on the sixth position of our list of sports leagues ranked by revenue even though ice hockey is not in the top 10 most popular sports in the world. How is this possible, you might ask?
The reason is that ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in North America and the northern, richest countries in Europe. Therefore, there are a lot of fans out there who are willing and capable of pouring tons of money into the biggest ice hockey league in the world.
At the end of the 2017/2018 season, the NHL generated around $4.43 billion in revenues. Not much has changed in the following season, but the numbers still rose slightly.
Interestingly, even though the NHL is this high on our list, none of its 31 teams has entered the top 50 list of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. Moreover, only four NHL clubs are valued at higher than $1 billion.
7. Australian Rules Football — $2.5 Billion
(Source: Global Sport Matters)
Australian Rules Football is far less popular than its American rival, the National Football League. However, AFL attracts some of the biggest crowds at its events, averaging around 36,700 spectators per match.
In 2018, the AFL ended the year with a revenue of $2.5 billion. The biggest teams, such as Collingwood Football Club and Hawthorne Football Club profited the most from it. The least valuable sports teams in the league include Melbourne and Gold Coast Suns.
The league has a signed TV deal that’s valid until 2022 and worth roughly $2.5 billion. That’s a 67% increase compared to the previous deal, which tells us that Australian Rules Football is on a good path to rise in the ranks in the following years.
Melbourne is the capital of the AFL, with 9 out of 18 teams residing there. The biggest AFL stadium in Australia is the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a 100,000 capacity, which is often used to the fullest. That makes the AFL the most attended sports league in Australia.
8. La Liga (Spanish Football League) — $2.2 Billion
(Source: NEX Change Now)
La Liga is the biggest Spanish football league and the 8th on our list of the most profitable sports leagues. La Liga does not enjoy the popularity of the English Premier League, but it is still home to some of the most expensive and most popular sports franchises in the world.
When we think of La Liga, the first clubs that come to our mind are FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, and many others.
As a matter of fact, according to Euronews, Real Madrid has surpassed Manchester United and topped the list of the most valuable football teams in the world in 2019. Their estimates show that it has a value of $3.22 billion, which is more than some leagues on this list.
Two big factors that influence La Liga’s profits include commercial revenues and revenues from transfers. However, there are also ticket sales and broadcasting revenues, which are key for every league.
Moreover, as we all know, big Spanish clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona are incredibly attractive for sponsors thanks to some of the best football players playing there, such as Lionel Messi.
9. Serie A (Italian Football League) — $1.9 Billion
(Source: Money INC)
The Italian Serie A football league used to be much more popular and profitable than today, home to some of the most valuable football teams. However, it is still one of the most favorite sports leagues in the world, especially when it comes to true football fans.
Serie A is doing much better now than in previous years. This might be thanks to some of the most popular footballers in the world transferring to Italy, such as Cristiano Ronaldo. He moved to Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018.
Some time ago, Napoli was the most expensive sports team in Serie A. However, with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus is now holding that position.
According to Statista, the largest percent of Serie A income comes from broadcasting rights. Commercial and sponsorship incomes are second, which makes sense considering the success of Serie A teams in major competitions.
10. Ligue 1 (France/Monaco Football League) — $1.5 Billion
(Source: Ultimate Corporate League)
After checking out Italy, it’s time to take a trip to France and talk about Ligue 1. It is also one of the world’s most valuable sports leagues. The league consists of 20 teams, which, granted, are not as popular as those coming from La Liga or the Premier League, for example.
However, there are still some quite popular clubs in Ligue 1, such as Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco FC, Lille OSC, and others.
At the moment, PSG is the most expensive sports team in Ligue 1, with a total market value of just over $1 billion, according to Transfermarkt.
Ligue 1 is still not dominating the world’s football revenues, but that will change for the better in the 2020/2021 season when a new TV broadcasting deal is going to come into action. This deal will stay in place until the 2023/2024 season, which ensures some financial certainty for France’s biggest league.
11. Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese Baseball league) — $1.1 Billion
(Source: NEX Change Now)
Nippon Professional Baseball might be an unlikely contender, but the biggest Japanese baseball league has made it on our list of the world’s most valuable sports leagues with annual revenues of $1.1 billion.
Baseball is big in Japan and the Nippon Professional Baseball league will mark its 70th season in 2020. It consists of just 12 professional teams that play upwards of 143 games in a season. Therefore, a big chunk of NPB’s revenues comes from tickets, since tens of thousands of spectators come to watch every major game.
The richest NPB team is Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, which pays its players an average salary of $1.77 million. The second is Yomiuri Giants with a $1.42 million average, and Hanshin Tigers are in the third position with $980,000.
The biggest Japanese baseball league also earns sports revenue from endorsements and sponsorships. The biggest one is SoftBank which sponsors the league champions.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that sports are big business. Hopefully, after taking a look at our list of the most profitable sports leagues and reading the article, you now understand what we were implying.
Thanks to the number of fans the biggest sports leagues in the world have, they are able to sell tens of thousands of tickets, sign lucrative broadcasting deals, as well as billion-dollar worth endorsement deals.
What do you think about this list and the leagues on it? Do you think the order will change in the future or that we will see some other players enter the playground? Let us know in the comments!
Sources:
1. Market Watch
2. LWO Sports
3. NEX Change Now
4. Money INC
5. Medium
6. Ultimate Corporate League
7. Global Sport Matters
8. NEX Change Now
9. Money INC
10. Ultimate Corporate League
11. NEX Change Now
FAQs
Which sport is the most profitable? ›
As per revenue, the NFL is the wealthiest professional sports league. In 2018, the NFL was the most profitable sports league, with US$16 billion in revenue. The NBA, founded in 1946, is an American professional basketball league. It consists of 30 teams, with two conferences of 15 teams each.
What sport is the most Profitable for owners? ›- NFL – American Football. From a purely financial standpoint, the NFL is the king. ...
- MLB – Baseball. ...
- NBA – Basketball. ...
- IPL – Cricket. ...
- EPL – Football (Soccer)
English Premier League
The most popular sport in the world deserves the most popular league. Composed of 20 teams, the season runs from August to May. The Premier League has the most lucrative sports television contract, reaching fans worldwide. Also, it draws the best sport odds betting globally from various bookies.
| League | Sport | Revenue (€ mil) |
|---|---|---|
| National Football League (NFL) | American football | 17,035 |
| Major League Baseball (MLB) | Baseball | 9,780 |
| National Basketball Association (NBA) | Basketball | 7,707 |
| Premier League (EPL) | Association football | 6,100 |
- Football. In terms of what is the best sport to bet on, where else could we possibly start? ...
- Horse Racing. Based on another one of the most popular sports in the world, horse racing betting frequently offers great odds. ...
- Tennis. ...
- Cricket. ...
- Rugby. ...
- Boxing. ...
- MMA/UFC. ...
- Esports.
While it may not be apparent in the United States, association football—also known as soccer—is the most popular sport in the world by a vast margin. Soccer is king in virtually all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.
What pro sport makes the least money? ›Despite being the most popular sport in the United States, football remains one of the lowest-paying professional sports in the country. Players in the NFL earn an average of $2 million annually—significantly less than professional basketball- and baseball-players.
What is the most profitable sports business in the United States? ›National Football League Average Franchise Value
The NFL now brings in more than $2 billion in annual sponsorship revenue.
Basketball is the most lucrative sport globally, which is not surprising. The finest basketball players in the NBA not only make millions of dollars in payments each year, but they also receive more endorsements and sponsorship money than any other athlete in any other sport.
What sport sells the most? ›
FIFA allows you to control and play as all your favorite teams, create your own player to play as, and make an ultimate team (play with current and past players on a fantasy team you make). The FIFA franchise has sold the most copies of any sports video game ever, with over 250 million copies.
Who is the best league in the world? ›1. English Premier League. Based on the criteria laid out to determine the best statistical league in the world, the English Premier League has it all. The EPL ranked fifth overall in goals per game, second in discipline, second in continental victories and fourth in point differential.
Which is the No 1 sports country in the world? ›The country that has come in top in our study as the sportiest country in the world is, the USA. The USA has an incredible 367 sports stadiums scattered around its 9 million km2 of land, and has won an average of 56.54 medals in each Olympic Game, across 27 summer games and 23 winter games.
What is the number 1 most watched sport? ›Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and the UEFA Champions League Final is one of its biggest events.
Which trophy has the highest money in the world? ›What is the most expensive trophy in sports? The answer is the FIFA World Cup trophy. The trophy was created in 1974 by renowned Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga and is awarded to the winning team at the World Cup tournament that takes place every four years.
Which team is the richest in the world 2022? ›1. Real Madrid - $5.1 billion. Real Madrid is the richest football club in the world in 2022.
Which league is the best in the world 2022? ›- Ligue 1.
- Serie A.
- Bundesliga.
- La Liga.
- Premier League.
- BTTS: BTTS bet demands the punters to predict if both teams will score a goal or not. ...
- Over/Under: This bet can work in your favor when you have chosen a smaller figure as reference. ...
- Double chance bet: In this bet, you win money when any two from the three outcomes are obtained.
Make bets based on the odds.
Betting with your head instead of your heart is all about making smart bets based on odds rather than emotions. Sometimes it's a good idea to bet on the numbers rather than who you think will win, because this can represent a better value if the odds are in your favor.
- College Basketball – Easiest Sport for Beating the Book.
- NFL Football – Most Accessible Sport to Bet On.
- MLB Baseball – Best Sport for Beginning Sports Bettors.
- Conclusion.
What sport is the hardest? ›
| Degree of Difficulty: Sport Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|
| SPORT | END | RANK |
| Boxing | 8.63 | 1 |
| Ice Hockey | 7.25 | 2 |
| Football | 5.38 | 3 |
Unicycle Hockey, Chess Boxing, Indoor Kabaddi least popular sports among the fans around the world.
Which sport is hardest to become pro? ›- Ice Hockey. If you enjoy the majesty of gliding over the ice and the thrill of smashing into other adults, you might want to pursue a career in hockey. ...
- Baseball. ...
- Soccer. ...
- Basketball.
Men's ice hockey has the easiest path with 11.2% going from high school to college. Meanwhile, 8.6% of draft-eligible baseball players are drafted while only 0.9% of women's basketball players are drafted professionally. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.
What are the 5 most profitable businesses in the US? ›- Business Consulting. If you're an expert in your industry and have been working at it for years, you should consider consulting. ...
- IT Support, Technology Consulting, and Repair. ...
- Cleaning Services. ...
- Accounting and Tax Preparation. ...
- Auto Repair. ...
- Real Estate.
- Identify & Define. ...
- Market Research. ...
- Be Creative. ...
- Check out the Competition. ...
- Hire the Right Employees. ...
- Social Media is Your Friend. ...
- Service with a Smile! ...
- Timing.
Sponsorships & Licensing Deals
Besides large media contracts and more tangible items like tickets and concessions, professional sports leagues and teams also make a large sum of money by selling companies the rights to sell items that represent their league or team.
Golf. The world's businessmen and other wealthy elite tend to gravitate towards the county club for a round of golf on the weekends. Known as “the gentleman's sport,” golf is one of the sports for rich people that they use to expand their circles and conduct business deals.
What sport has the most injuries? ›Football. Football is the sport that causes the most injuries, with an estimated 455,449 annually.
What is the most popular sport in the world 2022? ›- Soccer (Football) Soccer Football – Rank 1 Most Popular Sports in the World 2022. ...
- Cricket. Cricket – Rank 2 in the list of Popular Sports in the World 2022. ...
- Basketball. Basketball – Rank 3 in list of Popular Sports in the World 2022. ...
- Field Hockey. ...
- Tennis. ...
- Volleyball. ...
- Table Tennis. ...
- Baseball.
What is the number 1 growing sport? ›
America's fastest-growing sport is a cross of tennis, pingpong and badminton. Freida Yueh (right) says of the increasingly popular sport of pickleball: "It's addictive so we just started playing and now with our other friends and relatives—actually everybody we know now plays pickleball."
What sport uses the most strategy? ›...
Top Ranked Analytic / Tactical Sports.
| Ranking | Sport | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fencing | 84.6 |
| 2 | Orienteering | 83.4 |
| 3 | Lawn Bowls | 83.0 |
| 4 | Ultimate | 82.9 |
The Big Five consists of the Premier League in England, the Bundesliga in Germany, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy, and Ligue 1 in France. Following an overview with comparisons of the leagues, a chapter on each league is included, providing information about revenues, market values, attendance, and more.
What is the hardest leagues in the world? ›1. Premier League (England)
What is the number 1 league? ›The Bundesliga is the number one football league in the world in terms of average attendance; out of all sports. Fifty-six clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its founding. Bayern Munich has won the title 30 times, the most among Bundesliga clubs.
Which country is best for sports career? ›- The United Kingdom.
- The United States.
- Australia.
- Germany.
- Spain.
The correct answer is the USA.
Which country is best in games? ›South Korea. As South Korea is widely regarded as being the country that kickstarted the whole esports phenomenon, it's no surprise that this nation has routinely given us many of the best competitive gaming stars.
What are the top 5 most popular sports in America? ›The most popular team sports in the United States are American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer.
What is the 2nd most popular sport in America? ›2. Baseball. Known as “America's pastime,” baseball is the second most popular sport in the United States and is the 7th most popular sport in the world. Professional baseball in the United States is played by the teams that make up the Major League Baseball (MLB).
Why are sports so popular? ›
People like sports because they need an escape from real-world troubles. People like sports because it provides a sense of belonging, a connection to a wider world. In other words: There is no single answer to why people watch sports, because the answer doesn't lie in the game, it lies inside the individual.
Which league is worth more NFL or NBA? ›The NFL makes more money than NBA players. NFL players average about $14 million a year, almost twice what NBA players make.
Is IPL bigger than NBA? ›Making the announcement, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said that IPL had emerged as the second-most valuable sports league in the world, after the American National Football League (NFL), also having surpassed the English Premier League (EPL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Basketball Association league (NBA).
What is the highest paying sport in USA? ›Lovers of the National Football League (NFL) will have something to smile about as American Football earns its rightful place on the list of highest paid sports in 2022.
Is NFL harder than NBA? ›But which league is the tougher to win? Since the NFL has 32 teams competing every season. It's much more difficult to win a championship compared with only 30 NBA teams. This makes winning an international title in American football seem like mission impossible!
Who is the richest NFL player? ›He also led the Cowboys to victories in Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII. Staubach was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI. As of October 2022, Roger Staubach's net worth is $600 million, making him the richest NFL player in the world.
Is IPL losing its popularity? ›As per the latest numbers from BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), the IPL is losing television viewership drastically. Among the ones who are 15-21 years young, the viewership has reduced to almost 40 per cent in IPL 2022 than last year. It is alarming, without any doubt.
Is IPL popular outside India? ›The Indian Premier League (IPL) and T20 cricket world cup are two of the most popular cricket tournaments in India, and indeed, across the world.
Why IPL is so popular? ›There is always a huge crowd of people watching the matches live. The IPL has always been popular in India because of its huge fan following. There are millions of cricket fans in India, but most of them don't have the ability to watch the matches live. So, it is not possible for them to watch the matches live.