World Series 2014: Giants And Royals By The Numbers

The San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals square off in Game 1 of the 2014 World Series Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. It marks the Royals' first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1985, while the Giants are gunning for a third title in five years. The Giants and Royals might be equals on the field, but they are on the opposite sides of the ledger when it comes to their place in baseball's financial hierarchy.

The Giants were valued at $1 billion in March in Forbes' annual look at the business of baseball with only four teams worth more by our count. The Giants ranked fourth in baseball in attendance this year drawing 3.37 million fans to AT&T Park, and the club had its 258th consecutive sellout in April, setting a record for longest streak in National League history. The Giants' cable deal with CSN Bay Area is also one of the richest in the sport worth $70 million a year. The Giants privately financed their $325 million stadium, which opened in 2000, and are expected to finish paying off their ballpark loans by the end of 2017. Even with the hefty debt service, the Giants are banking big profits with $53 million in operating income last year, fourth best in baseball.

It is a good time to own an MLB franchise with media rights fees skyrocketing. The value of the Royals has surged from $96 million to $490 million since David Glass bought the club in 2000. But while the Giants reside in baseball's penthouse, the Royals are slumming with baseball's black sheep—Marlins, A's and Rays—when it comes to MLB finances. Only the Tampa Bay Rays are worth less than Royals among baseball's 30 teams. Attendance was up 12% for the Royals this year, but the club still ranked sixth from the bottom and was likely to lose money before its magical playoff run. The team lost $6.5 million in 2013. The Royals' cable deal with Fox Sports Kansas City is one of the smallest in baseball and paid roughly $50 million less than the Giants' haul last year.

If the 2014 World Series was a battle of checkbooks, the Royals would be in trouble. Fortunately the two teams will battle for the Commissioner's Trophy on the field and not at the bank.