Which Sports Team Sells the Most Merchandise?
According to an article by ESPN, the University of Texas earned the most royalties of any NCAA team from its merchandise sales in 2013. For professional sports worldwide, the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball take the top spot followed by the English Premier League’s Manchester United, and the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League top the NFL in terms of merchandise sales.
College merchandising is a $4.6 billion business, and six Southeastern Conference schools ranked in the top 10 for 2013. For Canadian teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League rank first in merchandise sales followed by the rival Montreal Canadiens. In terms of overall value and not just merchandising sales, the New York Yankees was ranked as the most valuable sports franchise in the world according to Forbes. The Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Manchester United, Washington Redskins (NFL) and Real Madrid round out the top five. The Yankees are MLB’s most valuable team for the 17th consecutive year in 2014. The Cowboys opted out of the NFL’s merchandising program and control its own apparel rights. Other wealthy teams on Forbes’ list include Barcelona FC, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New England Patriots.