The San Francisco 49ers have moved up a spot in Forbes' ranking of the most valuable NFL teams. The list of the most valuable sports teams was released on Friday, and the 49ers came in at No. 12 with an estimated value of $3.5 million and were the fifth-highest ranked NFL franchise. The team's worth is up from $3.05 billion last year.

The 49ers were purchased in 1977 for $13 million. That's quite a profit on the investment.

The Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Rams are the only NFL teams valued higher than the 49ers. San Francisco surpassed the Washington Football Team, which fell to No. 7 among NFL franchises.

The Cowboys remain the most valuable franchise in all of sports for the fifth consecutive year, with an estimated worth of $5.5 billion. The New York Yankees sit at No. 2 with a value of $5 billion.


"Football claims 27 spots on the ranking," notes Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes, "a reflection not only of its massive stadium draws but also its TV appeal. Of the 100 top broadcasts in 2019, 88 were sporting events and 73 were NFL games."

The other Bay Area teams on the list are the Golden State Warriors at No. 5 and the San Francisco Giants at No. 20.

Click here to view Forbes' entire top 50.

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