In a few nights the Minnesota Vikings will play their first regular season game in their new stadium.
And even before that kickoff against the Packers, U.S. Bank Stadium has already given the host team a new financial standing.
According to the annual estimate made by Forbes, the Vikings are worth 38 percent more than they were a year ago. The magazine puts the value of the team at $2.2 billion, which is about $600 million more than in 2015.
One way to put that in perspective: the one-year jump of $600 million is equal to what brothers Zygi and Mark Wilf reportedly paid to purchase the Vikings 11 years ago, the Pioneer Press reports.
Middle of the pack among NFL teams
According to Forbes, the Vikings’ $2.2 billion value puts them 17th among the National Football League’s 32 teams.
For the 10th straight year, the Dallas Cowboys topped the list. The team is now estimated to be worth $4.2 billion. Forbes says the Cowboys brought in $700 million in revenue last year.
Avg. NFL team value up 19% to $2.34B. Biggest gainers: Rams +100% ($2.9B), Raiders +47% (2.1B), Vikings +38% ($2.2B).
— Kurt Badenhausen (@kbadenhausen) September 14, 2016
The Vikings collected $300 million but you can expect that to rise now that U.S. Bank Stadium is open.
In order to buy season tickets fans had to first purchase a license, which cost anywhere from $500 to $9,500 depending on the seat.
All of the seats for every 2016 game are sold out, the team announced last month. And the demand for tickets has not let up, leading to prices of $10,000 on the secondary market this week.
