Where Do Cubs Rank Among Most Valuable MLB Franchises?

The Chicago Cubs are an extremely old franchise, dating back to 1903 officially as the Cubs, but back to 1876 when you look at the franchise history itself.

This long tenure in the MLB has allowed them to build a substantial fanbase of strong fans and a substantial monetary valuation that has kept the club going for over a century now.

When it comes to the financial side of things, Chicago has always been one of the highly valued teams due to their long history and strong fanbase backing them, but it has always been somewhat difficult to place just where they rank among the league's best.

While many have tried to determine valuations for each franchise in sports, they often end up coming short or missing specific items on the books.

In a recent study conducted by CNBC's Michael Ozanian, some light was shed on the true net worth of these teams, as well as where they all rank in respect to each other on a list.

This would go in-depth quite a bit, including sponsorships, media revenue, online ticketing, sports betting, licensing agreements, and the MLB investment fund. It is one of the strongest lists that has been published in quite some time regarding team valuations and where they stand currently with their financials.

The Cubs would come in at No. 4 on the list, behind only the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox, three of the biggest brands in sports as a whole. The average team would be appraised at $2.62 billion, and Chicago was up from that by quite a bit with $4.5 billion.

Additionally, their revenue would come in at $528 million, their earnings before deductions would be $38 million, and their debt as a percentage of the value is 10%.

When it comes to the rest of the National League Central teams, the St. Louis Cardinals had a value of $2.55 billion (No. 12), the Milwaukee Brewers were $1.7 billion (No. 21), the Cincinnati Reds sit at $1.5 billion (No. 26), and the Pittsburgh Pirates have $1.47 billion (No. 27). Overall, a relatively tough division in terms of value outside Chicago and the Cardinals.

While the debt figure for the Cubs is a little bit concerning, given they are only one of four teams in the top ten with a double-digit debt percentage, it is not as bad as some others. The Texas Rangers come in at 25% at No. 10, which is substantial given the ratio of value to percentage.

Overall, this is a good sign for Chicago, as they are making money and being able to retain the large majority of it. Their revenue is good, and despite their costs being somewhat high, it is sustainable long term.

Recommended Articles