When it comes to watching just matters in MLB, the Yankees and Red Sox are always deemed the titans of the league. But, according to Forbes’ ranking of the Top 50 Most Valuable franchises for 2011, baseball barely makes a dent, while the NFL is its own universe.

All told, six MLB clubs (6 percent of the total) rank in the Top 50, with the Yankees ranking #3 overall at $1.7 billion behind Manchester United of the English Premier League ($1.864 billion), and the NFL Dallas Cowboys at $1.805 billion. You have to drop all the way to #31 before you get to the next MLB club (Red Sox) who are valued at $912 million.

To place this in perspective, every NFL club – all 32 – are within the Top 50 accounting for 64 percent of the total. Going back to the Red Sox, deemed a perennial powerhouse in MLB, they rank behind the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, one the clubs ranked in the middle of the pack with its respective league.

Here’s something interesting to consider: the Dodgers are ranked 3rd highest ($800 million) is value of MLB’s clubs (ranked #38 in the top 50), but are currently in bankruptcy. The New York Mets are ranked #5 of the MLB clubs (44th overall), but have been on the verge of bankruptcy.

If it’s any consolation to baseball, it’s this: There are no NHL or MLS teams listed, and the top 2 NBA teams (Knicks and Lakers) rank 47th and 48 respectively.

Here’s how the MLB clubs rank:

• Yankees (#3) - $1.7 billion
• Red Sox (#31) - $912 million
• Dodgers (#38) - $800 million
• Cubs (#42) - $773 million
• Mets (#44) - $747 million
• Phillies (#50) - $609 million

Percentage by sport (Forbes Top 50 Most Valuable franchises)

• NFL (32) – 64%
• Soccer (8) – 16%
• MLB (6) – 6%
• F1 (2) – 4%
• NBA (2) – 4%

Select READ MORE to see the Forbes Top 50 Most Valuable franchises

Source: Forbes

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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12%, not 6%
written by whooops!, July 17, 2011

But I'm pretty sure that if there are 6 MLB teams, that means they make up 12% of the total.

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