KC Chiefs news: Forbes lists franchise at $2.3 billion

Forbes has the Chiefs listed as the 45th most valuable sports franchise.

The annual list of valuations for sports franchises is out from Forbes Magazine, and the Kansas City Chiefs have ended up at No. 45 overall.

Last year, the Chiefs were ranked at No. 47 overall, so it’s good for Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and his family that they are now worth even more money. However it’s interesting to note that the Chiefs didn’t move up that much in value compared to other NFL teams. In fact, comparing lists brings up some head-scratching facts here on Forbes’ part.

Kurt Badenhausen is responsible for putting out the annual list and the Chiefs were at No. 43 in 2018 with a $2.1 billion valuation. In 2019, they dropped two spots to No. 47 with the same value of $2.1 billion for the franchise. One year later, after finally winning their first Super Bowl in a half century, the Chiefs were valued at $2.3 billion, which placed them at No. 45.

But take a look at one of the National Football League’s more pitiful teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are stuck in the basement of their division in a state with numerous teams and have no real legacy of winning anything. Yet in both 2019 and 2020, they are ranked ahead of the Chiefs after being listed directly behind them in 2018.

Essentially somehow the Jaguars have somehow built more value into their brand by trading away assets like Jalen Ramsey and winning 4 to 6 games each year than the Chiefs have with the game’s most popular player and a Super Bowl dynasty in the making. There are other such listings which bring the whole Forbes valuation into question. The bottom line: how are the Chiefs not worth significantly more than ever? How are they not rocketing in these rankings given the position of the franchise?

Of course, these are beyond first-world problems. They’re billionaire complaints and nothing we should be worried about. Still it’s just hard to put much into a list in which the valuations are so off compared to what’s actually happening in and around those franchises.