Author: wheelhousesports24

This is one of my favorite blogs to write all year. Based on Sportico’s NFL valuations, the total value of all NFL teams combined is a hair under $300 billion dollars. If the NFL were publicly traded, that would make it the 42nd most valuable public company in the country – ahead of IBM, Verizon, and Disney.

Truth be told, this is still wayyyyyyyy under what the actual value of the NFL would be when you factor in the league office and the league-wide assets like television contracts.

Spain just won the World Cup with a quiet dominance. They constantly possessed the ball and only gave up one goal in the entire tournament. They were a great team from top to bottom in all aspects of the game.

Their NFL comparison: the early 2000s Patriots. Those Pats teams were led by great defenses. In their Super Bowl-winning seasons of 2001, 2003, and 2004, those Pats teams ranked 6th, 2nd, and 1st, respectively, in points allowed.

Offensively, those Patriots teams weren’t dominant but were solid, did not make mistakes, and came through when they needed to.

Bonus NFL comparison: France was like the early 2000s Indianapolis Colts led by Peyton Manning. They were so much fun to watch and put up unreal numbers with their plethora of offensive superstars. But when France/the Colts faced Spain/the Patriots in the playoffs, the better team stifled the high-powered offense and won with great defense and timely scoring.

The Seattle Seahawks were recently sold for $9.6 billion, a record for an NFL franchise and the second-highest price ever paid for a professional sports team.

Below is how CNBC, Forbes, and Sportico most recently valued the Seahawks in their annual franchise rankings:

• CNBC: 19th most valuable team at $7 billion
• Forbes: 14th most valuable team at $6.7 billion
• Sportico: 14th most valuable team at $6.6 billion

As we’ve seen with other sports teams, the price a new owner actually pays for a franchise usually far exceeds the “book value” due to many factors.

First off, there are only 32 NFL franchises and they don’t come up for sale often. If you want to join the club, you need to pay up. In the Seahawks’ case, the buyer is a West Coast technology billionaire and his family. The opportunity to buy a premier West Coast NFL team that is close to home is rare.

Another big driver is the guaranteed hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that teams share every year, mainly from the TV contracts in place. Each team earned $432 million in national NFL revenue in 2024. This does not include the individual revenue that teams made on their own like concessions, parking, and team sponsorships. In 2024, the Seahawks made $624-$638 million in total revenue according to Forbes and CNBC. Luckily for NFL owners, the NFL can opt out of its current TV deal after the 2029 season and make even more money from new TV deals, which will continue to pit legacy networks like FOX and CBS versus streaming and tech giants like Netflix and Amazon. Not only is the NFL currently raking in money, but it looks like it will continue to do so and team valuations will keep going up.

Lastly, in an era dominated by AI and other technology trends, the NFL – and sports in general – remains a reliable safe haven. People genuinely love their NFL teams. Fans will continue to watch games, buy jerseys, and follow stars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Beyond that, the NFL is a uniting force for fans from across the country and the globe.

All of these factors push the true value of NFL teams to a much higher number than standard valuations can reflect.

I recently hit 100 episodes on my podcast 15 Minute Blitz. Over the nearly two years of doing the podcast, here are three of the biggest lessons I have learned firsthand. I think these can apply to almost anything in life.

1. You’ll never feel fully ready, but start anyway

One of the hardest parts of any new journey is simply starting. This is especially true if you are the one holding yourself responsible and don’t have a parent, boss, or mentor pushing you to start. You will always come up with reasons or excuses of why you aren’t ready yet but totally will be ready in a day, week, or month.

You’ll never be 100% ready. There will always be fear and doubt. Start anyway.

2. Show up consistently 

Sometimes a random wave of motivation will surge inside of you and help start a journey. On Monday, you work out for the first time in two years and feel really good about yourself. You tell yourself you are going to work out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the indefinite future. Wednesday comes in the blink of an eye. You’re sore from your workout Monday, your motivation is completely gone, and you’re finding every excuse to skip Wednesday’s workout. 

This is when you need to power through and build the mental stamina to chase your dreams and goals. Motivation is overrated. It is fleeting and unreliable. Being able to show up even when you aren’t “motivated” that day is invaluable. There is a reason an old saying in the NFL is that the best ability is availability. 

In life, showing up consistently and giving the best effort you can give that day puts you ahead of the majority of people.

3. Have passion for what you do

It is important to enjoy what you do in life, whether it be work or a hobby. Being passionate about what you do leads to loving what you do so much that you need to start the journey and show up consistently. It pushes you through tough times, feeling under the weather, and moments of self-doubt that everyone experiences.

Passion doesn’t mean you will always feel motivated or love what you are doing every moment. But it keeps fuel in the tank to push you forward.

Two-Minute Drill

Beyond these lessons, I just want to say thank you. Whether you constantly listen to the podcast because you enjoy the show or listen once and think it’s the worst thing you’ve ever heard, I appreciate you.