History has shown that professional sports can drastically change your life’s fortunes, overnight. This is probably true considering the amount of money teams, players and leagues generate. While you watch it for entertainment, those who’ve invested seek to reap big.
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This begs the question, which is the richest sports league in the world? We present the details including revenues.
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National Football League – $18.6 billion
The NFL is the richest sports league in the world, with a total revenue of $18.6 billion as of 2022. This is a significant change since its inception in 1920. Technological advancement and media coverage have contributed to the immense growth.
The Dallas Cowboys produced the highest revenue of 1.14 billion. The league hopes to reach an annual valuation of $25 billion by 2027. Most of the NFL’s revenue comes from lucrative broadcasting rights (ESPN, NBC, FOX, CBS), stadium attendance and sponsorship.
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Major League Baseball – $11.6 billion
The MLB’s revenue increased from $10.8 billion in 2022 to $11.6 billion in 2023. Despite baseball not being the most popular sports globally. The ticket revenue contributed the largest share with $3.8 billion and then sponsorship, media and merchandise sales.
The league saw a record attendance of over 70,700,000, higher than pre-pandemic numbers. Sponsorship revenues are estimated to bring in around $548 million. Some of the brands the league works with include Nike and T-Mobile.
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Indian Premier League – $11.2 billion
India is a cricket-crazy country, a phenomenon that reflects in the revenues. It’s also one of the richest sports leagues. In 2023, the Indian Premier League (IPL) made $11.2 billion, which made it one of the most valuable sports leagues. The TV and streaming rights are worth $6.02 billion for the next five years since 2022. Some of the sponsorship deals the IPL has include Tata Group, Saudi Aramco, and RuPay.
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National Basketball Association – $10.5 billion
It isn’t surprising that the NBA ranks third in the richest sports leagues in the world. As of 2022, it made $10.5 billion in revenue. The league attracts lucrative deals in media and sponsorship together with huge audiences.
According to Global Data, the NBA generated about $1 billion in sponsorship in 2023. Its deal with Take-Two Solutions is the biggest at $157.14 million. Broadcasting rights within the United States contributed to $2.66 billion and international attracted $500 million.
The Golden State Warriors was the most valuable team with a revenue of $7.7 billion.
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English Premier League – $6.9 billion
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The English Premier League ranks fifth in the richest sports league in the world. In 2022, it cashed in $6.9 billion. Out of the top 20 biggest earners in Europe, English teams dominated with nine teams, meaning it’s also the most popular soccer league. The average revenue of clubs was $347 million.
The league makes $2.15 billion from commercial revenue, which includes merchandise, endorsements and stadium use. Manchester City had the highest revenue with $897 million.
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National Hockey League – $5.93 billion
The National Hockey League (NHL) revenues have been steadily increasing demonstrating that it provides value to its partners. Global Data approximates its sponsorship deals amount to $480.05 million. Its media partners include ESPN, Turner and Rogers. Others are Adidas, Apple and Sportradar.
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La Liga – $5.69 billion
Commercial and matchday revenues largely contributed to the total rise in La Liga revenue. Throughout the 2022/23 season, it drew more than 15 million fans, the biggest in Spanish football history. Commercial revenue from ticket sales, broadcast deals, merchandising and other forms reached $1 billion.
Transfer revenues rose to $723 million from $428 million, so the league is moving in the right direction. Real Madrid and Barcelona are the most valuable sports teams in the league with €831.4 million and €800.1 million respectively.
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Bundesliga – $3.8 billion
The German league attained the projected revenue targets of $3.8 billion. The league consists of 18 team, though it’s below the Premier League and La Liga. That said, its market position is driven by lucrative sponsorships and television rights.
Bayern Munich is the most valuable club, ranking sixth in Deloitte’s money league with a valuation of $792 million. Germany’s league is criticized for being boring, particularly with the title race, but the Bundesliga is competitive. Bayer Leverkusen won its first league title and broke Bayern’s 11-year winning streak.
UEFA Champions League – $3.2 billion
Europe’s elite competition ranks ninth in the richest sports league in the world. Its revenues overshadow that of its counterpart tournaments, the Europa League and Conference League. It generates such amounts from:
- TV Broadcasting rights (25%)
- UEFA Coefficients (30%)
- Prize money (30%)
- Participation fee (25%)
Russian Premier League – $1.2 billion
Who would have thought that the Russian Premier League would get to the top 10 most profitable sports leagues worldwide? Although Europe dominates world football, Russia isn’t part of the so-called ‘big leagues’. Though, some of its teams have featured in European competitions. These are Zenit Saint Petersburg and CSKA Moscow.
Sponsorship deals, broadcast revenue, merchandise and ticket sales are the backbone of the richest sports leagues in the world. These competitions continuously invest vast resources to keep fans engaged and excited to follow the storylines.
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