The value of the Springbok jersey has reportedly surged from R78m to R160m since 2019, while Brand Finance now ranks the Boks as South Africa’s top sports brand, valued at R2.2bn.
The new Brand Finance South Africa Sports Report ranks the Springboks as the strongest South African sports team in any sporting code, boasting a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91.9 out of 100. This is a significant lead over other prominent South African sporting teams such as Orlando Pirates (83.2) and Kaizer Chiefs (82.6), with cricket’s Proteas scoring 79.9.
Sponsorship revenue has outpaced TV rights for the first time, with news reports over teh weekend indicating that SA Rugby’s sponsorship income nearly doubled from R420m to R800m in the past year.
However, the Springboks still have a long way to go to catch up to the leading rugby brands, where the All Blacks lead the way. They Boks are also behind England, France and Ireland in a 2023 survey.
Here, we list five of the world’s richest sports brands, according to Forbes’ rich list. Unsurprisingly, the Top 10 most valuable sports teams are all America. Meanwhile, Real Madrid of La Liga top the list of the world’s wealthiest football clubs, but their $6.6bn is only good enough for 11th place on the Forbes list, just above Manchester United with $6bn.
Dallas Cowboys: NFL ($10.1bn)
According to the annual Forbes list, the NFL side became the first team in the world to be worth over $10bn. They became the first to cross the threshold and maintained their position at the top of the tree for the ninth consecutive year.
Golden State Warriors: NBA ($8.8bn)
The California-based basketball team’s value was roughly 17% higher than that of the second-placed NBA franchise on the list, the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, the average franchise value of NBA teams amounted to $4.4bn dollars in 2024, making the Warriors franchise double the value of the average team that year.
Los Angeles Rams: NFL ($7.6bn)
The franchise experienced an increase in value bewteen 2002 to 2024. The winners of two Super Bowl titles in 2000 and 2022 are owned by Stan Kroenke, a major Arsenal shareholder.
New York Yankees: MLB ($7.55bn)
The Yankees have topped the MLB valuations since 1998. Their revenue advantage can be partially attributed to having the league’s richest jersey contract with insurance brand Starr, which is reportedly worth $25m per season. The Yankees also have the most championships of all MLB teams, having won the World Series a total of 27 times.
New York Knicks: NBA ($7.55bn)
The Knicks continue to be the among the most lucrative franchises in professional basketball despite having only won two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. The revenue of the franchise reached $543m dollars in the 2023/24 season, according to Statista. This was an increase of about 8% over the previous season.
