When Art Rooney Sr. paid a $2,500 franchise fee in 1933 ($49,576.35 today) to found a Pittsburgh football club, it was a considerable amount of money. Now, the Steelers are valued at $2.8 billion. That’s a hefty $2,799,997,500 billion return on investment.
The value of the Steelers ranks them No. 28 among most profitable sports teams (14th in the NFL). By comparison, the Green Bay Packers were purchased for $100 and are now worth $2.85 billion.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)
Value: $2.8 billion
Owner: Daniel Rooney Trust, Arthur Rooney II
Year Purchased: 1933
Price Paid: $2,500
A year ago, Forbes listed the Steelers’ overall value at $2.58 billion — good for 30th in the world and 10th in the NFL.
Despite the team’s value, current owner Art Rooney II and family are one of the NFL’s least wealthy owners with a net worth of $1.2 billion. Imagine that.
