(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Despite the NFL’s revenue dropping 20 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic-impacted 2020 season, the value of the average team is still up 14 percent, to $3.48 billion, which is the biggest gain in five years. This is all because of the mega $112.6 billion media rights deal that the NFL signed with the networks in March.
According to Forbes, the national media rights payout to each of the league’s 32 teams is going to increase from $220 million this season to $377 million in 2032. And that’s not even counting the NFL Sunday Ticket deal with DirecTV, worth an average of $1.5 billion annually through 2022.
The value of the Steelers went up 14 percent compared to last year, and they are worth $3.43 billion with an operating income of $24.5 million, per Forbes. The Steelers' value ranks 14th in the NFL, while the Cowboys are the most valuable team at $6.5 billion, which tops Forbes' rankings for the 15th consecutive year.
With NFL stadiums not at full capacity last year because of the pandemic, the operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) decreased to an average of $7.1 million a team, from $109 million the previous season.
In 2020, Forbes listed the Steelers' value at $3 billion, which ranked 15th in the league and they had an operating income of $86 million.