Eagles Worth Pegged at $2.4 Billion

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Philadelphia Eagles are the 17th most valuable sports franchise in the world, according to Forbes Magazine.

The business magazine of record released its annual list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world Wednesday and pegged the Eagles worth at a gaudy $2.4 billion, a 37 percent increase from the prior year.

On the NFL List, Jeffrey Lurie's team came in at No. 9 overall but took last place in the financially powerful NFC East as the Cowboys came in at No. 1 overall with an estimated worth of $4 billion, and the the Redskins (No. 8) and Giants (No. 9) both made the top 10 with values estimated at more than $2.8 billion.

The Cowboys took the top spot overall on Forbes' list away from previous pace-setter, Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid, which spent the prior three years at No. 1. Dallas in fact is the first non-soccer team to hold the top spot since 2011.

Real Madrid took second this time with an estimated value at $3.65 billion. Another Spanish soccer side, Barcelona, the New York Yankees and Manchester United complete the top five.

NFL teams, meanwhile, take up 27 of the 50 positions  on the list.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen