Fifteen years ago, or so, when Forbes began their valuations of major market sports teams, they probably wouldn’t have even tried to put a number on the Phillies. Now, they’re reaching for $1 billion in the near future.
Forbes says the Philadelphia Phillies franchise is worth $723 million, the fifth-highest valuation in Major League Baseball. Pretty amazing, given where they were at the beginning of the 2000’s.
The publication also says that with the expiring TV contract looming, the new one could push the team over $1 billion, where the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox currently stand. The Cubs are just ahead of the Phillies in 4th place on the Forbes list. That’s a staggering amount for a franchise that has really just took off as one of the big boys recently. With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why they have been spending so freely. In just one year, the value of the Phillies jumped 19 percent. That’s what winning with star players will do for a team.
As great as it is to see the Phillies doing so well, does it pain you to know that the Phillies are now more like the hated Yankees than ever before?
