Eagles fastest-growing brand in NFL, says Forbes

Want to boost your team's money-making potential?

Phase 1: Ditch Terrell Owens.

Phase 2: Keep Donovan McNabb.

Those moves helped propel the Philadelphia Eagles to become the fastest-growing brand in pro football, according to Forbes magazine.

Over the last three years, the Eagles more than doubled their brand value, according to Forbes.

Only baseball's Toronto Blue Jays did better, percentage-wise.

A team's brand value is different from its overall worth or total revenue stream, explain Forbes.

It's how much a team's "image and prestige - the constitution of a brand" helps bring more revenue, from tickets, merchandise, sponsorships, local media and other sources.

Forbes calculated the brand value of all the teams in the four biggest pro leagues: the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major-League Baseball.

Overall, nobody compares to the Yankees, whose brand is worth $217 million, according to Forbes. That compares to a total value of $1.2 billion.

But the Yankees' 44 percent rise in brand value over the past three years fell short of other teams that turned around their images.

In the NFL, the worth of the Eagles brand gained 113 percent, rising to $90 million.

Why? To quote Forbes:

"Bad-boy receiver Terrell Owens was shipped out to the Dallas Cowboys before last season, allowing the fans and media to focus on quarterback and team leader Donovan McNabb, one of the league's best people and images. This was a smart business move by Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, because McNabb will continue to get the City of Brotherly Love plenty of positive media attention and help the team sell lots of merchandise.

"Meanwhile, Owens has been nothing short of an embarrassment to the Cowboys, and his selfish antics factored into the departure of future Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells after last season."

The Eagles are worth $1 billion, fifth in the NFL, says Forbes.

No other Philadelphia team finished in the Top 2 for its league, according to Forbes.com.

"It's a great credit to our organization," said team president Joe Banner. "There's a lot of hard work involved. It's a true indication of the passion the City of Philadelphia has, and the great fan support this team receives."

The fastest-growing brands in the other leagues:

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays, up 127 percent, to $33 million.

Hockey: Buffalo Sabres, up 53 percent, to $16 million.

Basketball: Cleveland Cavaliers, up 89 percent, to $42 million.