Everyone knows that the Chicago White Sox are a mid-market team playing in a big market. They are the second city's second team and always have been. Winning changes a lot but nothing is ever as easy as it sounds when it comes to finances.
Forbes released their evaluations of each team financially on Thursday and the results might surprise some people. For the first time ever, the White Sox are worth more than two billion dollars. That makes them the 15th most valuable team in Major League Baseball.
Their crosstown foes in the Chicago Cubs are worth 4.1 billion which is the fourth most in the league. Clearly, Chicagoans love baseball (and sports in general).
Despite this, the White Sox were amongst the top five teams in terms of earnings lost in 2022 at 53.4 million dollars. That is a number that the organization would like to improve on. This is their third year in a row that was considered a lost season in terms of not turning a profit.
The Chicago White Sox are the 15th most valuable MLB franchise.
The New York Yankees are the most valuable franchise according to Forbes at 7.1 billion dollars. That won't surprise anyone. Neither will the fact that the Los Angeles Dodgers (4.8 billion) and Red Sox (4.5 billion) round out the top three. Those are some very financially successful teams.
If the White Sox want to get in that area, they just need to keep moving in the right direction but have fewer losses. They don't spend money on players as they should. They have a high payroll sometimes but it is a lot of money in the wrong places.
If they could find a way to win more and be in the playoffs regularly, that would increase their revenue right there. Make people want to spend their money on you. Now, the Forbes ranking isn't the end all be all but it does paint a picture.