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Reality Check: The Value Of The Vikes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- We don't have to tell you the Minnesota Vikings are not in the Super Bowl this year, but they don't need to be in the big game to be one of the most lucrative sports franchises in the country.

To Minnesota fans, the Vikings may be priceless -- but the team does have a value: $2.4 billion. That is four times the $600 million the Wilf family paid for the Purple. That's according to a Forbes Magazine ranking of every team in the National Football League.

RELATED: Reality Check: The Costly Golden Age Of Building Stadiums

In 2018, the Vikes rank 19th out of 32 NFL teams. Revenues of $408 million, and operating income of $90 million. A value that got supercharged by the taxpayer-funded U.S. Bank Stadium.

Actually, that has nothing to do with this Reality Check. I just never get tired of seeing it. So, anyway.

U.S. Bank Stadium Generic
(credit: CBS)

Taxpayer-funded stadiums are the key to how much a team is worth. The Vikings' value shot up 38 percent when it got U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Atlanta Falcons, where the Super Bowl will be played: a 19-percent bump.

And the Los Angeles Rams are now doubled in value ahead of a $5 billion stadium deal.

Unlike most NFL Stadiums, the Rams-San Diego Chargers stadium is privately financed and will include
retail space and a gambling casino.

The value of the Rams grew by $1 billion simply by relocating to Los Angeles, but the value of the Chargers did not grow significantly.

The Vikings are one of 15 NFL teams who did not see their value increase from 2017 to 2018. Analysts say it's because teams are now so expensive, there are very few people who could afford to buy them.

The Vikings have got a long way to go to match the most valuable franchise. Forbes estimates the Dallas Cowboys are worth $5 billion.

Here are some of the sources we used for this Reality Check:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2018/09/20/forbes-releases-21st-annual-nfl-team-valuations/#5e188aae7af4

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/09/18/the-dallas-cowboys-head-the-nfls-most-valuable-teams-at-4-8-billion/#749c018e243f

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/cowboys-top-forbes-2018-list-of-most-valuable-nfl-franchises-bills-ranked-dead-last/

https://www.forbes.com/nfl-valuations/list/#tab:overall

https://www.statista.com/statistics/194504/los-angeles-rams-franchise-value/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/194430/franchise-value-of-the-atlanta-falcons-since-2006/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/194480/franchise-value-of-the-minnesota-vikings-since-2006/

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