The financial business of sports is murky, likely only rivaled by Hollywood in terms of creative accountancy. That’s what makes the annual Forbes assessment of team value so interesting: they do the legwork, and offer a glimpse behind the curtain of what has become an extremely profitable business. It’s particularly profitable in the sense of value gained. When Ken Kendrick and his associates bought the Diamondbacks in 2004, they paid $238 million, so only about thirty-five million more than Zack Greinke’s contract. Today, Forbes estimates the franchise’s value at $1,150 million, an increase in just one year of $225 million - almost the cost paid to buy the team.
The Billion-dollar ‘Backs
