Some of us watch the NBA finals and think that basketball is actually a game. Well, it's kind of a game, but not the game you might expect. It is a physical game, surely, but it is a corporate and monetary game, as well. The game is not to see who can win the most championships and score the most points. Instead, the game is about who can stack the most cash in their bank account at the end of the season.

In the United States, we watch the NBA Finals with intensity and barely pay attention to the World Cup. But guess what? The rest of the world is doing the opposite. In fact, the most valuable sports franchise in the world is not in the NBA or NFL; it is actually a soccer team. Manchester United, according to Forbes magazine, is worth $1.87 billion, three times more than the "measly" $607 million of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Don't get me wrong, L.A. is certainly holding it down. Given the size of the market and efficient managerial skills of Laker leadership, the team actually leads the NBA in both valuation and operating revenue, which is pretty impressive. What might surprise you, however, is that the second most highly valued team in the NBA is not the Boston Celtics (or anything like them), it's actually the Knicks. Yes, I'm talking the New York Knicks -- that sorry excuse for a basketball team that is probably not even the best team in its own city. So, some teams make big money without big wins, and they are just fine with that.


Just for the record, the Boston Celtics are eighth on the Forbes' NBA valuation list, at $433 million. NBA teams as a collective, tend to be dwarfed by football teams. While there isn't a single NBA team with a valuation above $607 million, there are at least five NFL teams (Cowboys, Redskins, Patriots, Giants and Jets) with valuations above a $1 billion. Also, there are three soccer teams that can boast the billion-dollar valuation mark.

So, as I said before, football rules the day. It doesn't matter if you're talking about European football or "real" American football, the money is far greater in those sports than in basketball. You can take that to the bank.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.