Revenue of Major League Baseball teams in the U.S. 2020

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most famous sports teams in the world. It is therefore unsurprising that the baseball team, based at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, generated revenue of 185 million U.S. dollars in 2020, though this was a decrease over the previous year due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Hot on the Yankees' tail were the Chicago Cubs, who raked in revenue of 163 million U.S. dollars in the same year.

MLB revenue

Major League Baseball (MLB), with its 30 teams, generated around 3.66 billion U.S. dollars in total revenue in the 2020 season, less than half the revenue generated the year prior to COVID-19, when total revenue was at 10.37 billion U.S. dollars. On average, each team generated almost 122 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2020. Another indicator of the MLB's and, by extension, each team's success, is the average revenue multiple which compares the value of a franchise to its revenue. In 2021, the average revenue multiple per MLB franchise was 5.19, more than twice the figure from 2011.

Revenue streams

Almost 30 percent of the MLB's total league-wide revenue was earned from gate receipts (ticket sales) in 2017. Television and media rights constitute another important stream of revenue. In November 2018, the league and Fox Sports announced an extension of their national television rights agreement. This deal was worth 5.1 billion U.S. dollars and extends the relationship through the 2028 season. The MLB also has further deals with Facebook, ESPN, and Turner Sports. Moreover, the league and its teams generated 994 million U.S. dollars in revenue from sponsorships in the 2019 season, marking a steady increase in revenue over the past decade.