Lions named 44th most valuable sports team in world

Forbes recently released its annual list of the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world. This year, the Detroit Lions came in at No. 44, which is down one spot from last year. Even so, the Lions' value actually went up. Forbes had the Lions valued at $855 million last year, and this year the team is valued at $900 million.

Here's a look at how the Lions' estimated value on Forbes has changed in recent years:

2010: $867 million
2011: $817 million
2012: $844 million
2013: $855 million
2014: $900 million

As you can see, the Lions have finally surpassed the value they had back in 2010. After their value dropped in 2011, it took a few years for it to rebound, but now the Lions' value is all the way up to $900 million.

In the NFL, the Lions are 28th in estimated value. They were 27th last year, and for this year's rankings, they're ahead of the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams and Bills both made the top 50, but the Raiders and Jaguars were on the outside looking in this year.