Liverpool’s value over the last five years has jumped up by a remarkable 165%, second only to PSG, in the footballing world, at 207% and the Los Angeles Rams, across sport, at 176%, as part of Forbes’ ‘World’s Most Valuable Sports Teams 2021 list.
The Reds made 12th in the list behind Manchester, an impressive position considering that the incumbent Premier League champions hadn’t featured at all the prior year.
“Three soccer clubs rank among the six teams that have more than doubled in value the past five years: Paris Saint-Germain (207%), Liverpool (165%) and Manchester City (108%),” Mike Ozanian wrote.
Such growth is particularly important in light of the continuing financial ramifications of COVID-19, with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid – both of whom make the top five – struggling to come to terms with piling mountains of debt.
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Even more understandable (as far as motivation goes) are such clubs’ involvement in the formation of a breakaway Super League, which promised to help bridge the gap between football and American sports franchises.
“The NHL, meanwhile, inked media deals that will pay it just $625 million a year beginning with the 2021-22 season and has no teams in the top 50. All of the U.S. leagues share that revenue equally among their franchises,” the Forbes writer continued.
“That kind of economic security was at the heart of the plans for the Super League, which had owners eliminating soccer’s tradition of making clubs compete every season for league placement, something U.S. leagues do not do.
“With that guarantee—and the media spoils that would flow from it—the 12 founding clubs of the Super League would have jumped in value by a collective $12.7 billion, according to Forbes’ analysis, and Barcelona would have knocked the Cowboys out of the No. 1 spot for the first time in six years.”
While we can clearly work out the rationale, however, it’s not something we at the EOTK could excuse, as was certainly a feeling shared by much of the footballing world, from fans to pundits.
As our own growth has proven, financial success is not necessarily contingent on forming a breakaway league, nor would it have been worth the cost to the sport’s soul.
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