The Dodgers are one of the world’s biggest sports brands: Here’s how their numbers stack up

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — This year’s World Series proved to be more than a battle between two baseball teams – it was a contest between MLB’s highest-powered franchises.

Both the Yankees and Dodgers boast brand recognition and sales that have spread far and wide, well beyond the confines of Southern California and New York.

“They’ve become a presence in pop culture,” says Jim Andrews, senior consultant at marketing firm TicketManager. “They’ve transcended baseball.”

At $7.6 billion, the Yankees are the highest-valued team in baseball, according to a Forbes ranking issued in March. The Dodgers are second at $5.45 billion.

And across all the sports franchises worldwide, the Dodgers are the 25th most valued brand. The Yankees come in at No. 2. They are led only by the Dallas Cowboys, who are worth a whopping $9 billion.

So how do the two teams stack up by other financial metrics?

The Dodgers made annual revenue of $549 million last season, while the Yankees made $679 million. That revenue comes from ticket sales, merchandise and – the biggest portion of the pie – broadcast rights.

The Dodgers boasted the highest game attendance in all of baseball this year, totaling 3.9 million people for home games. The Yankees came in second with 3.3 million ballpark visitors.

The Dodgers’ payroll was the fifth-largest in Major League Baseball this year at $241 million, while the Yankees ranked in second place with $309 million spent on salaries, according to Dow Jones. The Dodgers can chalk that lower figure up to the deal they made with superstar Shohei Ohtani, who agreed to defer most of his $700 million, 10-year contract and only collect $2 million per year until 2034.

Ohtani has been a huge boost for the team’s brand since the club signed him in December. Despite only collecting that $2 million paycheck, the Japanese-born player has rung in at least $65 million from endorsement deals with at least 20 brands, making him the 13th highest-paid athlete in the world this year.

It’s no surprise that this year’s World Series viewership numbers jumped from last year’s contest between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Andrews says it’s to be expected when two of the biggest brands in sports face off.