The Atlanta Braves have a championship-contending team on the rise, a fervent fan base, market penetration covering multiple states and one of the best new stadiums in all of baseball (SunTrust Park).
They also have one of the most valuable sports properties in American sports.
This week, as part of its annual survey of sports leagues, Forbes.com listed the Braves as having the 12th most valuable franchise among the Major League Baseball clubs – at $1.7 billion.
According to Forbes, the Braves had a revenue intake of $344 million during the 2018 season (ranking No. 9 for that period) ... and a value bump of 5 percent from last year's survey.
As expected, the Yankees ($4.6 billion), Dodgers ($3.3 billion) and Red Sox ($3.2 billion) possess the three highest valuations of MLB's 30 franchises.
MORE BRAVES STORIES
- All-Star Ozzie Albies, Braves come to terms on $35 million extension
- Atlanta Braves, Ronald Acuna Jr. agree to landmark $100M extension
- Opening Night: The 10 most infamous celebrity first pitches in recorded MLB history
- Police report: Outfielder Nick Markakis' Atlanta home burglarized during Braves' opening road trip
All three clubs play in major media markets, and New York ($668 million), Los Angeles ($549 million) and Boston ($516 million) reportedly collected the three highest revenue tallies in 2018.
One cannot underestimate the impact/benefits of market size.
Of the top 14 franchises in Forbes' annual survey, the Yankees (1st), Mets (6th), Dodgers (2nd), Angels (8th), Giants (5th), Phillies (9th), Astros (10th), Nationals (11th), Braves (12th), Rangers (13th) and White Sox (14th) ... only the Cardinals (7th overall) hail from a middle-of-the-pack-sized media market.
(St. Louis has the 21st-largest media market in the United States, according to one survey.)
The five lowest values, among Forbes' survey:
#26 Oakland Athletics ($1.1B)
#27 Cincinnati Reds ($1.05B)
#28 Kansas City Royals ($1.025B)
#29 Tampa Bay Rays ($1.01B)
#30 Miami Marlins ($1B)