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Forbes Magazine recently released a list compiling the 40 Most Valuable Sports Brands in the world.  The list values the top 10 brands among four distinct categories:  business, events, athletes, and teams.  Here are some key takeaways and interesting thoughts:

- According to Forbes, Nike is the most valuable sports brand in the world.  Not necessarily breaking news.  But what is interesting is that six of the top 10 most valuable athlete brands hold Nike endorsements:  Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo and Maria Sharapova.

- Yes, despite Tiger Woods being ranked No. 51 in the world, he still has the most valuable brand of ALL athletes.  However, it is worth noting over the past year, the Woods brand has considerably decreased in value, from $82 million to $55 million.  When Woods was at the top of his game, his brand’s strength was so untouchable that a $27 million decrease hasn’t removed him from the No. 1 spot.   Roger Federer is ranked No. 2 at $29 million.

- The TV network business is big business.  Four of the top 10 most valuable business brands are TV networks.  ESPN is ranked No. 2., in large part because of their hefty $4.08 subscriber fee, which is the highest among basic cable channels.  And although ESPN’s tagline is the Worldwide Leader in Sports, truth is they don’t have a major presence in Europe. Sky Sports, ranked No. 4, is the dominant network over there.  YES Network and MSG, both serving the tri-state area, are the only two regional sports networks (RSN) that made the list.  YES Network is the most-watched RSN and has the second-highest subscriber fee at $2.80.

- Considering Under Armour is less than 20 years old and began selling a niche product, it’s rather impressive that they rank among the Top 10.  Major props to Under Armour founder Kevin Plank.  Brands are always trying to create that “it” factor that will propel it to the next level.  Under Armour not only captured that in a short while, but they’re closing the gap on Reebok, a brand that’s existed since 1895. Speaking of Reebok, remember they’re owned by Adidas, so that’s also something to consider when comparing the sports apparel brands.

- While the NFL (Super Bowl) and MLB (World Series and All Star Events) both have events ranked among the Top 10, the NBA is noticeably absent.  This is interesting because the NBA’s global footprint is the largest compared to other American sports leagues, yet, they’ve failed to capitalize off the globalization of the brand when it comes to the NBA Finals and NBA All-Star Game Weekend. Major fail.

- The New England Patriots made the list for the first time, with a brand value of $146 million.  Forbes credited their local media revenue and ancillary events at Gillette Stadium for the boost.  The Pats replaced the NY Mets.  Mounting debt due to ponzi scheme struggles is the cause of the Mets falling off the list.

- Six of the top 10 most valuable team brands are soccer and I predict that over time this number will continue to grow as European soccer receives more airtime on the major networks over here in the States.

10 Most Valuable Business Brands

1. Nike, $15 Billion
2. ESPN, $11.5 Billion
3. Adidas, $5 Billion
4. Sky Sports, $3 Billion
5. Gatorade, $2.5 Billion
6. Reebok, $1.5 Billion
7. Under Armour, $1 Billion
8. EA Sports, $625 Million
9. YES Network, $600 Million
10. MSG, $500 Million

10 Most Valuable Event Brands

1. Super Bowl, $425 Million
2. Summer Olympic Games, $230 Million
3. FIFA World Cup, $147 Million
4. MLB World Series, $140 Million
5. UEFA Champion League, $132 Million
6. Winter Olympic Games, $123 Million
7. Daytona 500, $112 Million
8. NCAA Men’s Final Four, $92 Million
9. MLB All-Star Week, $76 Million
10. Kentucky Derby $70 Million

10 Most Valuable Athlete Brands

1. Tiger Woods, $55 Million
2. Roger Federer, $26 Million
3. Phil Mickelson, $24 Million
4. David Beckham, $20 Million
5. LeBron James $20 Million
6. Kobe Bryant, $14 Million
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr, $9 Million
8. Maria Sharapova, $9 Million
9. Cristiano Ronaldo, $8 Million
10. Shaun White, $7 Million

10 Most Valuable Team Brands

1. NY Yankees, $340 Million
2. Manchester United, $269 Million
3. Real Madrid, $264 Million
4. Dallas Cowboys, $193 Million
5. Bayern Munich, $179 Million
6. Boston Red Sox, $173 Million
7. Barcelona, $172 Million
8. Arsenal, $158 Million
9. AC Milan, $147 Million
10. New England Patriots, $146 Million

If you’d like to read more about these brands and more specifically, why they made the list, go here and here.

-S. Renee