Since relocating to Baltimore from Cleveland in 1996, the Baltimore Ravens have become a stalwart franchise in the NFL.



BALTIMORE, Md.- The Ravens have been ranked the 27th most valuable franchise in sports by Forbes’ Kurt Badenhausen. Valued at $2.3 billion, Baltimore is the 14th ranked NFL franchise.



“No sports league is as profitable as the NFL where the average team earned an operating profit (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $91 million and no one banked less than $26 million,” said Badenhausen. “The boffo profits helped 29 NFL teams rank among the 50 most valuable franchises (only the Bengals, Lions and Bills missed the cut). Other sports include eight MLB clubs and seven each from the NBA and European soccer.”



Baltimore is among giants, ranking ahead of Chelsea F.C. (ranked 46th in sports, valued at $1.845 billion), Arsenal F.C. (ranked 43rd in sports, valued at $1.93 billion) and even the Boston Celtics (ranked 30th in sports, valued at $2.2 billion).



Also impressive is the fact that the Ravens are ranked higher than the Pittsburgh Steelers (ranked 28th in sports, valued at $2.25 billion), a franchise that has been around since 1933 and a critical rival in the AFC North.



Baltimore’s franchise has continued to grow in value, especially since the purchase of the team by Steve Bisciotti. In 2007, the Ravens were valued at $965 million. They have more than doubled that value, becoming one of the most profitable franchises in sports over that time.



The Dallas Cowboys topped the list of sports franchises, valued at $4.2 billion. They were followed up by the New York Yankees at $3.7 billion and Manchester United at $3.69 billion.





Here is the full list of the top-50 sports franchises in worth ranked by Forbes:



1. Dallas Cowboys, $4.2 billion (NFL)

2. New York Yankees, $3.7 billion (MLB)

3. Manchester United, $3.69 billion (Premier League)

4. Barcelona, $3.64 billion (La Liga)

5. Real Madrid, $3.58 billion (La Liga)

6. New England Patriots, $3.4 billion (NFL)

7. New York Knicks, $3.3 billion (NBA)

8. New York Giants, $3.1 billion (NFL)

9. San Francisco 49ers, $3 billion (NFL)

9. Los Angeles Lakers, $3 billion (NBA)

11. Washington Redskins, $2.95 billion (NFL)

12. Los Angeles Rams, $2.9 billion (NFL)

13. New York Jets, $2.75 billion (NFL)

13. Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.75 billion (MLB)

15. Bayern Munich, $2.71 billion (Bundesliga)

16. Chicago Bears, $2.7 billion (NFL)

16. Boston Red Sox, $2.7 billion (MLB)

18. Chicago Cubs, $2.68 billion (MLB)

19. San Francisco Giants, $2.65 billion (MLB)

20. Houston Texans, $2.6 billion (NFL)

20. Golden State Warriors, $2.6 billion (NBA)

22. Philadelphia Eagles, $2.5 billion (NFL)

22. Chicago Bulls, $2.5 billion (NBA)

24. Denver Broncos, $2.4 billion (NFL)

25. Miami Dolphins, $2.38 billion (NFL)

26. Green Bay Packers, $2.35 billion (NFL)

27. Baltimore Ravens, $2.3 billion (NFL)

28. Pittsburgh Steelers, $2.25 billion (NFL)

29. Seattle Seahawks, $2.25 billion (NFL)

30. Minnesota Vikings, $2.2 billion (NFL)

30. Boston Celtics, $2.2 billion (NBA)

32. Indianapolis Colts, $2.18 billion (NFL)

33. Atlanta Falcons, $2.13 billion (NFL)

34. Oakland Raiders, $2.1 billion (NFL)

35. Manchester City, $2.083 billion (Premier Leauge)

36. Los Angeles Chargers, $2.08 billion (NFL)

37. Carolina Panthers, $2.075 billion (NFL)

38. Arizona Cardinals, $2.025 billion (NFL)

39. Tennessee Titans, $2 billion (NFL)

39. Los Angeles Clippers, $2 billion (NBA)

39. New York Mets, $2 billion (MLB)

42. Jacksonville Jaguars, $1.95 billion (NFL)

43. Arsenal, $1.93 billion (Premier League)

44. Kansas City Chiefs, $1.88 billion (NFL)

45. Cleveland Browns, $1.85 billion (NFL)

46. Chelsea, $1.845 billion (Premier League)

47. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $1.8 billion (NFL)

47. Brooklyn Nets, $1.8 billion (NBA)

47. St Louis Cardinals, $1.8 billion (MLB)

50. New Orleans Saints, $1.75 billion (NFL)

50. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, $1.75 billion (MLB)