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TAMPA, Fla. -- The world’s most valuable sports franchise is held by the owners of an NFC South team.

But it’s not the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers that has the Glazer family sitting atop Forbes' list of the world’s top 50 sports franchises. It’s the Manchester United soccer team the Glazers also own. That franchise is worth an estimated $1.86 billion, which puts Manchester United slightly ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who are No. 2 on a list that’s dominated by NFL teams.

In terms of value, the Glazers also are doing well with the Buccaneers, the team they paid $192 million for in the mid-1990s. Forbes said the Bucs are now worth $1.03 billion. That puts them at No. 18 on the list and that’s almost the top spot among NFC South franchises.

The Carolina Panthers edged the Bucs by coming in at No. 17 with a $1.04 billion value. Those were the only two NFC South franchise to top the billion-dollar mark.

The New Orleans Saints are No. 28 at $955 million and the Atlanta Falcons are No. 35 at $831 million.

The folks at Forbes, who know a lot more about the business side of things than I do, have an interesting story on franchise debts and values.

This became more relevant than ever after District Court Judge David Doty ruled that the NFL can’t use the $4 billion it was counting on from television revenue as a cushion during a potential lockout. Without that money, owners could feel the lockout more than they expected and some could feel the financial heat more than others.

Overall, NFC South teams aren’t in as bad shape as some other franchises because most of them don’t have high debt/value ratios. In fact, the Atlanta Falcons are the only NFC South team that falls in a group of nine teams that has a debt/value ratio of at least 20 percent. The Falcons have the sixth-highest debt/value ratio at 33 percent.

The Saints, Panthers and Buccaneers are in much better shape when it comes to debt/value ratio. The Saints are tied for No. 9 in the league with a 13-percent ratio, while the Buccaneers are tied for No. 11 at 14 percent. The Panthers are at 18 percent.

They might be coming off a 3-13 season and fearing a tough year at the ticket office, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the 12th most valuable professional sports franchise in the world. That’s according to Forbes Magazine, which says the Bucs are valued at $1.09 billion. For the record, the No. 1 franchise on the list is soccer’s Manchester United ($1.84 billion), which also is owned by Tampa Bay owner Malcolm Glazer.

Forbes also ranked the Carolina Panthers No. 17 with a value of $1.05 billion. The Falcons came in at No. 39 on that list with an $856 million value.

Carolina rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to signing. The Panthers historically have been good at avoiding holdouts under general manager Marty Hurney, and there still is plenty of time to get this done. The Panthers are going to camp with Matt Moore as their starter, and a Clausen holdout of any length pretty much would put an end to any chance of him moving ahead of Moore.

Just like Clausen, Sean Weatherspoon, Atlanta’s top pick, remains unsigned. Things are moving very slowly with players drafted in the first and second rounds. But that’s likely to change in the next few days.

The New Orleans Saints still haven’t signed a veteran quarterback to serve as Drew Brees’ backup. But that’s likely to change very soon, and it appears Patrick Ramsey remains the top target.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas
Which NFC South franchise is the most valuable? Believe it or not, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who seem to be sweeping fourth place in every preseason prediction.

But the Bucs are in first place, according to Forbes, which ranks the value of NFL franchises each year. The Bucs rank eighth in the league and are valued at $1.085 billion. That’s a three-percent increase over last year even though the Bucs no longer have Derrick Brooks and Jon Gruden as the faces of their franchise.

I’m no business expert, but I’m thinking the Bucs’ sweetheart stadium deal and frugality with the salary cap may have played roles in this ranking.

Carolina’s the only other NFC South franchise valued at more than $1 billion. Forbes values the Panthers at $1.049 billion, which ranks 12th in the league. The Panthers grew one percent in a year in which the value of many teams fell.

The New Orleans Saints rank No. 22 at $942 million, which is the same figure they were valued at last year. The one I found surprising was the Atlanta Falcons. Despite adding Matt Ryan and a lot of excitement, the Falcons came in at No. 30 and were valued at $856 million, a two-percent decrease from last year. I guess that’s why the Falcons are making noise about wanting a new stadium.