When Robert Kraft purchased the New England Patriots for a then-NFL record of $175 million in 1994, he probably never expected that his NFL franchise would take off in the right direction so quickly.
Since Kraft took ownership of the club, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and have become on of the best NFL teams year in and year out. Because of their amazing success led by the Brady-Belichick duo, Kraft's purchase price seemed like a steal. Well, according to Forbes.com, it was an absolute steal.
In ranking it's Top 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams, Forbes ranks Kraft's Patriots sixth, with an estimated worth of $1.4 billion. The Patriots are actually tied for the position with the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers. More from Forbes:
The Patriots are one of the NFL's best-run teams on and off the field. The Patriots have sold out every game at Gillette Stadium since it opened in 2002 and made the playoffs eight of the past nine years. Quarterback Tom Brady (above) is just the second quarterback, after John Elway, to lead his team to the Super Bowl five times. Brady's last trip to the Super Bowl ended in disappointment when the Pats lost to the New York Giants for the second time in five seasons in the big game.
It's the third most valuable NFL franchise behind the Cowboys ($1.85 billion) and Redskins ($1.56 billion) and the most valuable Boston/New England-Based sports franchise. Manchester United of the English Premier League was ranked No. 1--worth an astounding $2.23 billion.