In 1989, Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys for $ 140 million.
The sale marked the first time anybody had ever paid more than $ 100 million for a sports team and it came just five years after the previous owner, H. R. (Bum) Bright, had purchased the Cowboys for $ 60 million. But if there was any thought at the time that Jones overpaid for a team that went 3-13 the year before, that has since been erased, several-fold.
In the 2000s, the value of the Cowboys franchise hovered around 30-60% more than that of the average NFL franchise. However, over the last decade, the Cowboys valuation has grown 220% from $ 1.50 billion to $ 4.80 billion, according to the latest valuations by Forbes, while the average franchise has increased 161% from $ 960 million to $ 2.50 billion.
Mike Nudelman/Business Insider
This post has been updated from its original form.
