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Forbes released their annual most valuable sports franchise list for 2019 and the Denver Broncos made the list. They ranked 26th overall across all sports and 11th within the NFL.
26 | Denver Broncos (NFL)
Value: $2.65 billion
1-Year % Change: 2%
Owners: Pat Bowlen Trust
Operating Income: $106 million
That puts the Broncos above all other AFC West teams as well. The Oakland Raiders were 34th overall and 18th in the NFL, the Los Angeles Chargers were 41st overall and 22nd in the NFL, then way down near the bottom to barely make the list here was the Kansas City Chiefs. They were 47th overall and 24th in the NFL.
Do these rankings matter? Not in the context of how I just talked trash towards the AFC West, but they do matter in terms of how well the organizations are run. Case in point would be the operating income section. Combining all of the other AFC West teams adds up to $134 million, just edging out the Broncos alone on that front.
Somehow the Broncos are able to compete with the bigger market teams despite being a small market city. That might have something to do with the mania of its fanbase and ability to sellout every home game at well above average ticket prices.