Power Ranking NBA Markets based on Valuation of each Franchise in the “Big Four” Sports Leagues in North America
First of all, I wrote this a year ago, just haven’t posted it on here. So forgive me if my data is a little outdated. It’s still recent enough though and that there weren’t big changes that truly moved the needle. So this is still somewhat relevant. I am posting it here in this form so I can hear suggestions for what to do or how to better the output once I compile the data for the 2026 franchise valuations.
Here is the straight-up list:
|Market|NBA|NFL|MLB|NHL|Average|
| San Francisco | Golden State Warriors ($9.4B) | San Francisco 49ers ($7.4B) | San Francisco Giants ($3.8B) | San Jose Sharks ($1.4B) | $5.5B | |
| Boston | Boston Celtics ($5.5B) | New England Patriots ($7.9B) | Boston Red Sox ($4.5B) | Boston Bruins ($2.75B) | $5.16B | |
| New York | New York Knicks ($7.5B), Brooklyn Nets ($5.6B) | New York Giants ($7.85B), New York Jets ($7.35B) | New York Yankees ($7.55B), New York Mets ($3.0B) | New York Rangers ($3.5B), New Jersey Devils ($2.0B), New York Islanders ($1.77B) | $5.12B | |
| Dallas | Dallas Mavericks ($5.0B) | Dallas Cowboys ($11.0B) | Texas Rangers ($2.4B) | Dallas Stars ($1.9B) | $5.08B | |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Lakers ($7.0B), LA Clippers ($5.4B) | Los Angeles Rams ($8.0B), Los Angeles Chargers ($5.83B) | Los Angeles Dodgers ($5.45B), Los Angeles Angels ($2.7B) | Los Angeles Kings ($2.85B), Anaheim Ducks ($1.43B) | $4.83B | |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia 76ers ($4.9B) | Philadelphia Eagles ($7.0B) | Philadelphia Phillies ($2.92B) | Philadelphia Flyers ($2.25B) | $4.27B | |
| Chicago | Chicago Bulls ($5.8B) | Chicago Bears ($6.4B) | Chicago Cubs ($4.22B), Chicago White Sox ($2.05B) | Chicago Blackhawks ($2.6B) | $4.21B | |
| Washington, DC | Washington Wizards ($4.25B) | Washington Commanders ($6.25B) | Washington Nationals ($2.0B) | Washington Capitals ($2.1B) | $3.65B | |
| Miami | Miami Heat ($5.1B) | Miami Dolphins ($7.1B) | Miami Marlins ($1.0B) | Florida Panthers ($1.35B) | $3.64B | |
| Denver | Denver Nuggets ($4.2B) | Denver Broncos ($6.2B) | Colorado Rockies ($1.48B) | Colorado Avalanche ($1.65B) | $3.38B | |
| Detroit | Detroit Pistons ($3.45B) | Detroit Lions ($5.4B) | Detroit Tigers ($1.45B) | Detroit Red Wings ($2.05B) | $3.09B | |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Timberwolves ($3.25B) | Minnesota Vikings ($6.06B) | Minnesota Twins ($1.46B) | Minnesota Wild ($1.55B) | $3.08B | |
| Houston | Houston Rockets ($5.7B) | Houston Texans ($6.35B) | Houston Astros ($2.42B) | $4.82B | ||
| Atlanta | Atlanta Hawks ($4.3B) | Atlanta Falcons ($6.1B) | Atlanta Braves ($2.8B) | $4.4B | ||
| Milwaukee | Milwaukee Bucks ($4.1B) | Green Bay Packers ($6.3B) | Milwaukee Brewers ($1.6B) | $4.0B | ||
| Cleveland | Cleveland Cavaliers ($4.35B) | Cleveland Browns ($6.02B) | Cleveland Guardians ($1.35B) | $3.91B | ||
| Phoenix | Phoenix Suns ($4.6B) | Arizona Cardinals ($5.3B) | Arizona Diamondbacks ($1.43B) | $3.78B | ||
| Las Vegas | Las Vegas Raiders ($7.8B) | Athletics ($1.2B) | Vegas Golden Knights ($1.85B) | $3.62B | ||
| Toronto | Toronto Raptors ($4.5B) | Toronto Blue Jays ($2.1B) | Toronto Maple Leafs ($4.0B) | $3.53B | ||
| Charlotte | Charlotte Hornets ($3.35B) | Carolina Panthers ($5.9B) | Carolina Hurricanes ($1.3B) | $3.52B | ||
| Seattle | Seattle Seahawks ($6.11B) | Seattle Mariners ($2.2B) | Seattle Kraken ($1.6B) | $3.3B | ||
| Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Steelers ($6.08B) | Pittsburgh Pirates ($1.32B) | Pittsburgh Penguins ($1.75B) | $3.05B | ||
| Tampa | Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($6.05B) | Tampa Bay Rays ($1.25B) | Tampa Bay Lightning ($1.8B) | $3.03B | ||
| Indiana | Indiana Pacers ($3.4B) | Indianapolis Colts ($5.8B) | $4.6B | |||
| New Orleans | New Orleans Pelicans ($3.3B) | New Orleans Saints ($5.5B) | $4.4B | |||
| Baltimore | Baltimore Ravens ($6.03B) | Baltimore Orioles ($1.73B) | $3.88B | |||
| Nashville | Tennessee Titans ($6.01B) | Nashville Predators ($1.5B) | 3.76B | |||
| Kansas City | Kansas City Chiefs ($6.07B) | Kansas City Royals ($1.23B) | $3.65B | |||
| Cincinnati | Cincinnati Bengals ($5.25B) | Cincinnati Reds ($1.26B) | 3.26B | |||
| Buffalo | Buffalo Bills ($5.35B) | Buffalo Sabres ($1.15B) | $3.25B | |||
| Sacramento | Sacramento Kings ($4.45B) | Athletics ($1.2B) | $2.83B | |||
| Utah | Utah Jazz ($3.75B) | Utah Hockey Club ($1.2B) | $2.48B | |||
| St. Louis | St. Louis Cardinals ($2.55B) | St. Louis Blues ($1.47B) | $2.01B | |||
| Jacksonville | Jacksonville Jaguars ($6.0B) | $6.0B | ||||
| San Antonio | San Antonio Spurs ($3.7B) | $3.7B | ||||
| Portland | Portland Trail Blazers ($3.65B) | $3.65B | ||||
| Orlando | Orlando Magic ($3.55B) | $3.55B | ||||
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City Thunder ($3.5B) | $3.5B | ||||
| Memphis | Memphis Grizzlies ($3.2B) | $3.2B | ||||
| Montreal | Montreal Canadiens ($3.1B) | $3.1B | ||||
| Edmonton | Edmonton Oilers ($2.65B) | $2.65B | ||||
| Vancouver | Vancouver Canucks ($1.95B) | $1.95B | ||||
| San Diego | San Diego Padres ($1.78B) | $1.78B | ||||
| Calgary | Calgary Flames ($1.7B) | $1.7B | ||||
| Ottawa | Ottawa Senators ($1.18B) | $1.18B | ||||
| Winnipeg | Winnipeg Jets ($1.1B) | $1.1B | ||||
| Columbus | Columbus Blue Jackets ($1.0B) | $1.0B |
Sources:
NBA - CNBC
NFL - CNBC
MLB - Forbes
NHL - CNBC
Well it doesn’t seem right because a market with an NFL franchise is bound to have its average spiked up. While a market with an NHL team tends to have a lower valuation.
So I tried to level the playing field by creating coefficients. Since this is an NBA sub, the coefficients will be based on the average NBA franchise, contrasted to the averages of the other leagues. Here’s what I came up with:
| League | Average | Coefficient |
|---|---|---|
| NBA | 4.65833333333 | 1 |
| NFL | 6.4925 | 0.71749454498 |
| MLB | 2.44666666667 | 1.90395095367 |
| NHL | 1.9203125 | 2.42582045023 |
One thing I’d also change for the final power ranking is I’d separate the primary and secondary teams for markets with more than one franchise. Since the main one will tend to be bigger than the secondary franchise.
So here is what I came up with:
|Market|NBA|NFL|MLB|NHL|Average|
| New York (Primary) | New York Knicks ($7.5B) | New York Giants ($5.63B) | New York Yankees ($14.38B) | New York Rangers ($8.49B) | $9.0B | A |
| Los Angeles (Primary) | Los Angeles Lakers ($7.0B) | Los Angeles Rams ($5.74B) | Los Angeles Dodgers ($10.38B) | Los Angeles Kings ($6.91B) | $7.51B | A |
| Boston | Boston Celtics ($5.5B) | New England Patriots ($5.67B) | Boston Red Sox ($8.57B) | Boston Bruins ($6.67B) | $6.6B | B |
| San Francisco | Golden State Warriors ($9.4B) | San Francisco 49ers ($5.31B) | San Francisco Giants ($7.24B) | San Jose Sharks ($3.4B) | $6.34B | B |
| Chicago (Primary) | Chicago Bulls ($5.8B) | Chicago Bears ($4.59B) | Chicago Cubs ($8.03B) | Chicago Blackhawks ($6.31B) | $6.18B | B |
| Toronto | Toronto Raptors ($4.5B) | Toronto Blue Jays ($4.0B) | Toronto Maple Leafs ($9.7B) | $6.07B | B | |
| Dallas | Dallas Mavericks ($5.0B) | Dallas Cowboys ($7.89B) | Texas Rangers ($4.57B) | Dallas Stars ($4.61B) | $5.52B | |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia 76ers ($4.9B) | Philadelphia Eagles ($5.02B) | Philadelphia Phillies ($5.56B) | Philadelphia Flyers ($5.46B) | $5.24B | B |
| New York (Secondary) | Brooklyn Nets ($5.6B) | New York Jets ($5.27B) | New York Mets ($5.71B) | New Jersey Devils ($4.85B), New York Islanders ($4.29B) | $5.14B | C |
| Houston | Houston Rockets ($5.7B) | Houston Texans ($4.56B) | Houston Astros ($4.61B) | $4.96B | C | |
| Atlanta | Atlanta Hawks ($4.3B) | Atlanta Falcons ($4.38B) | Atlanta Braves ($5.33B) | $4.67B | ||
| Los Angeles (Secondary) | LA Clippers ($5.4B) | Los Angeles Chargers ($4.18B) | Los Angeles Angels ($5.14B) | Anaheim Ducks ($3.47B) | $4.55B | |
| Washington, DC | Washington Wizards ($4.25B) | Washington Commanders ($4.48B) | Washington Nationals ($3.81B) | Washington Capitals ($5.09B) | $4.41B | |
| Seattle | Seattle Seahawks ($4.38B) | Seattle Mariners ($4.19B) | Seattle Kraken ($3.88B) | $4.15B | ||
| Las Vegas | Las Vegas Raiders ($5.6B) | Athletics ($2.28B) | Vegas Golden Knights ($4.49B) | $4.12B | ||
| Chicago (Secondary) | Chicago White Sox ($3.9B) | $3.9B | ||||
| Milwaukee | Milwaukee Bucks ($4.1B) | Green Bay Packers ($4.52B) | Milwaukee Brewers ($3.05B) | $3.89B | ||
| Denver | Denver Nuggets ($4.2B) | Denver Broncos ($4.45B) | Colorado Rockies ($2.82B) | Colorado Avalanche ($4.0B) | $3.87B | |
| Miami | Miami Heat ($5.1B) | Miami Dolphins ($5.09B) | Miami Marlins ($1.9B) | Florida Panthers ($3.27B) | $3.84B | |
| Detroit | Detroit Pistons ($3.45B) | Detroit Lions ($3.87B) | Detroit Tigers ($2.76B) | Detroit Red Wings ($4.97B) | $3.76B | |
| Cleveland | Cleveland Cavaliers ($4.35B) | Cleveland Browns ($4.32B) | Cleveland Guardians ($2.57B) | $3.75B | ||
| Phoenix | Phoenix Suns ($4.6B) | Arizona Cardinals ($3.8B) | Arizona Diamondbacks ($2.72B) | $3.71B | ||
| Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Steelers ($4.36B) | Pittsburgh Pirates ($2.51B) | Pittsburgh Penguins ($4.25B) | $3.71B | ||
| Tampa | Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($4.34B) | Tampa Bay Rays ($2.38B) | Tampa Bay Lightning ($4.37B) | $3.7B | ||
| Charlotte | Charlotte Hornets ($3.35B) | Carolina Panthers ($4.23B) | Carolina Hurricanes ($3.15B) | $3.58B | ||
| Minnesota | Minnesota Timberwolves ($3.25B) | Minnesota Vikings ($4.35B) | Minnesota Twins ($2.78B) | Minnesota Wild ($3.76B) | $3.54B | |
| | ||||||
| St. Louis | St. Louis Cardinals ($4.86B) | St. Louis Blues ($3.57B) | $4.22B | C | ||
| Nashville | Tennessee Titans ($4.31B) | Nashville Predators ($3.64B) | $3.98B | C | ||
| Baltimore | Baltimore Ravens ($4.33B) | Baltimore Orioles ($3.29B) | $3.81B | C | ||
| Indiana | Indiana Pacers ($3.4B) | Indianapolis Colts ($4.16B) | $3.78B | C | ||
| New Orleans | New Orleans Pelicans ($3.3B) | New Orleans Saints ($3.95B) | $3.63B | C | ||
| Sacramento | Sacramento Kings ($4.45B) | Athletics ($2.28B) | $3.37B | D | ||
| Kansas City | Kansas City Chiefs ($4.36B) | Kansas City Royals ($2.34B) | $3.35B | D | ||
| Utah | Utah Jazz ($3.75B) | Utah Hockey Club ($2.91B) | $3.33B | D | ||
| Buffalo | Buffalo Bills ($3.84B) | Buffalo Sabres ($2.79B) | $3.32B | D | ||
| Cincinnati | Cincinnati Bengals ($3.77B) | Cincinnati Reds ($2.4B) | $3.09B | D | ||
| | ||||||
| Montreal | Montreal Canadiens ($7.52B) | $7.52B | C | |||
| Edmonton | Edmonton Oilers ($6.43B) | $6.43B | C | |||
| Vancouver | Vancouver Canucks ($4.73B) | $4.73B | D | |||
| Jacksonville | Jacksonville Jaguars ($4.31B) | $4.31B | D | |||
| Calgary | Calgary Flames ($4.12B) | $4.12B | D | |||
| San Antonio | San Antonio Spurs ($3.7B) | $3.7B | E | |||
| Portland | Portland Trail Blazers ($3.65B) | $3.65B | E | |||
| Orlando | Orlando Magic ($3.55B) | $3.55B | E | |||
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City Thunder ($3.5B) | $3.5B | E | |||
| San Diego | San Diego Padres ($3.39B) | $3.39B | E | |||
| Memphis | Memphis Grizzlies ($3.2B) | $3.2B | F | |||
| Ottawa | Ottawa Senators ($2.86B) | $2.86B | F | |||
| Winnipeg | Winnipeg Jets ($2.67B) | $2.67B | F | |||
| Columbus | Columbus Blue Jackets ($2.43B) | $2.43B | F |
Sources:
NBA - CNBC
NFL - CNBC
MLB - Forbes
NHL - CNBC
So what did we learn from this?
If Dictator Dundon will move the Blazers, he can check which markets are good.
Drop in the comments your thoughts.
Mine is that Boston is not really considered a “big market” but it is a huge sports city considering they have success across all sports. As well as the fandom doesn’t end in Boston but extends to other states in New England. Cooper Flagg who grew up in Maine for example, is a lifelong Celtics fan.
Also, Stephen Curry is as much the face of the NBA as LeBron is. The valuation jump of the Golden State Warriors during his tenure is crazy. The San Francisco Bay Area was a market with an untapped potential and Steph, KD & the rest of the crew tapepd all of it.