Rushing to the bank

Value of Dallas Cowboys hustles to record-breaking $9 billion, says Forbes

Could this be their year?

How 'bout them dollars? The value of the Dallas Cowboys has rushed to a record-breaking $9 billion, says Forbes. The Cowboys are worth more than any other sports team in the world - still.

Forbes’2023 ranking of NFL team valuations, released August 30, puts the Cowboys at the top of the list for the 17th year in a row. For perspective, it's been 27 years since their last Super Bowl win.

World champions or not, Jerry Jones' Cowboys continue to have more success at the bank than any other NFL franchise. According to Forbes, their value rose 13 percent, year-over-year. In 2022, they were worth $8 billion; the year before that, $6.5 billion.

They're the first franchise ever to break the $9 billion mark.

"The Cowboys generate the most revenue ($1.1 billion) and operating income ($500 million) by far in the NFL," Forbes reports.

Breaking down the numbers, the Cowboys bring in $109 in gate receipts, $86 in revenue per fan, have $261 million in player expenses, and a wins-to-player cost ratio of 153.

The average NFL team is now worth $5.1 billion, up 14 percent from last year, Forbes says. The league was bolstered by the sale of the Washington Commanders, for $6.05 billion, in July.

Texas' only other pro football team, the Houston Texans, ranks 12th with a valuation of $5.5 billion, compared with $4.7 billion on last year’s list.

Forbes based its team valuations on revenue and operating income for the 2022 NFL season.

"During the 2022 season, average revenue for the league's 32 teams increased 8 percent, to $581 million, while operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) fell 14 percent, to an average of $126 million, due to a big year-over-year increase in player benefits that were deferred because of the pandemic," Forbes reports.

Teams will rake in even more cash this season, thanks in part to lucrative TV deals, including a Thursday Night Football deal with Amazon, the report says.

"These TV deals, when combined with the NFL’s salary cap ($208.6 million per team last season), make football the most scalable business in sports," Forbes says. "The master of scale is Jerry Jones."

The full report and breakdown of team valuations can be found on Forbes'website.

reports Dallas Cowboys Forbes celebrities sports

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

politics