Forbes released its annual list of NFL team values last week and it shows, as you might have expected, that football teams continue to retain their value. And those values continue to rise.

So much so that the average value for an NFL team is now $1 billion -- a dramatic 19 of 32 teams are valued at more than $1 billion – up from just five in 2007.

The Dallas Cowboys maintained the top spot, valued at $1.6 billion up 7 percent from $1.5 billion in 2007. The rest of the top five are the Washington Redskins ($1.54 billion); New England Patriots ($1.3 billion); Super Bowl Champion New York Giants ($1.2 billion); and New York Jets ($1.2 billion).

The Dolphins rank 13th at $1.04 billion up from 15th and $942 million in 2007. You may recall, Stephen Ross paid $550 million earlier this year for half of the team, of Dolphin Stadium and of the developable land around it.

Sports investment experts say teams are worth what people are willing to pay for them. CNBC Sports Business reporter Darren Rovell breaks down why he thinks NFL teams aren't quite as valuable as Forbes figures.

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The Dolphins already offer Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange service, which allows fans to post tickets they can’t use for sale on the team’s Web site. Now the NFL has partnered with Ticketmaster to offer the service league-wide across its 32 teams.

That means fans can go to NFL.com to post or find tickets for sale for any team or can continue going directly to their team’s Web site, if their team offers the service. So far, some 22 teams have individual agreements with TicketExchange, a Ticketmaster spokesman said.

The Heat and Panthers also use TicketExchange. Teams and leagues are supporting the service in the hope it will encourage more fans to buy season tickets if they know they have a secure method for recouping some of their costs.

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Just a month after he was selected second overall by the Dolphins in the 2005 NFL draft, running back Ronnie Brown signed a deal to be a national spokesman for EAS Inc., a Colorado-baesd national supplement maker. The deal was newsworthy not just because Brown was a rookie, but because EAS was the first product to be approved under the NFL and its Players Association’s supplement-certification program.

The program was started to ensure players could find supplements free of the more than 70 items on the league’s banned substances list that includes everything from steroids to growth hormones to masking agents. The program allows manufacturers to apply for approval to state their products contain no banned ingredients.

Brown is among a group of athletes endorsing EAS, called Team EAS, that includes Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn and Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley.

The company has taken a unique approach to telling its story, featuring Brown’s post-knee surgery workout in a video. He’s wearing an EAS logo on his shirt and he does talk about the benefits of EAS and which products he uses, but it’s woven into the piece that mainly focuses on his workout routine.

No word yet on a followup to watch Brown rehab his injured thumb.

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Brett Favre’s jersey is so popular it occupies the top two spots in the list of the NFL’s top-selling jerseys at NFLShop.com. That’s right: his brand new New York Jets jersey ranks No. 1 among jerseys sold between April 1 and today and his Green Bay Packers jersey ranks No. 2.

The NFL’s online store sold 6,500 Favre jerseys on Thursday – that’s a one-day record for a single player’s jersey. Between Thursday and Sunday, the total number of Favre Jets jerseys sold reached 12,000 – another record for a four-day period, according to the NFL. Check out the variety of Favre items for sale.

Meanwhile, Madden NFL 09 will be released Tuesday with Favre in his Packers jersey on the cover. The photo was planned even as Favre was “in retirement” as a way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular Madden game.

“We wanted to pick someone to show what Madden was about,” said Katherine Coulthart, EA Sports senior publicist. “For us, it was a no brainer."

But since it’s a unique situation, EA is also providing a unique opportunity for Madden NFL 09 buyers to print out a free cover of Favre in his Jets uniform that can be inserted into the game’s case. No predictions on how many of the new games will be sold, but the Madden game has sold 70 million copies in its 20 years.

Donruss also announced last week that it is rushing a Favre trading card – in which he’s holding his No. 4 Jets jersey -- into its Playoff Absolute Memorabilia packages scheduled to be in retail stores the first week of September.

And the Dolphins, who host the New York Jets at Dolphin Stadium on Sept. 7, are expecting a sellout. It’s the home opener and the Jets, but the prospect of seeing Favre - and former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington face his old team - might have helped drive individual ticket sales up about 20 percent from last year, when they went on sale Saturday.

Interested in the top 25 selling jerseys at NFLShop.com between April 1 and today? Here’s the list:

1 Brett Favre, New York Jets
2 Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers
3 Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
4 Tom Brady, New England Patriots
5 Eli Manning, New York Giants
6 Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
7 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
8 LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. Chargers
9 Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys
10 Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
11 Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
12 Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears
13 Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
14 Randy Moss, New England Patriots
15 Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
16 Michael Strahan, New York Giants
17 Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
18 Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
19 Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants
20 Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
21 DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys
22 Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints
23 Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
24 Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos
25 JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders

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Jake Long may have a reported $57.75 million five-year contract with $30 million guaranteed with the Dolphins, but Chris Long has a deal with Subway.

University of Virginia defensive end Chris Long, who had been mentioned as a potential No. 1 pick for the Dolphins, is being paired with Subway spokesman Jared Fogle and Fox NFL reporter Jay Glazer for a series of Webisodes related to the NFL Draft. Watch interviews with Long and a series of workouts with Long and Fogle at subwayfreshbuzz.com.

Long is also expected to make appearances for the restaurant. His partnership with Subway follows deals between the restaurant chain and other NFL first-round picks, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush and Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, who the Dolphins passed on picking in the first round last year.

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OK…of course, there was the outcome, but for me the blues have to do with missing the game altogether. I know – I get paid to attend, but there’s just something about Opening Day, even if the home team loses. I haven’t missed an opener in eight years.

Instead, I was at the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, where the owners unanimously approved the sale of 50 percent of the Dolphins to real estate mogul and part-time Palm Beach resident Stephen M. Ross. It’s no surprise Ross, chairman of the Related Cos., was approved, except perhaps the dispatch with which owners made the decision on Monday morning.

Ross, who’s tried to purchase a team in the past, said he's been in discussions with Huizenga for several years about investing in the team. Ross is interested in team ownership for the challenge.

"This is a great opportunity to get in because there's nowhere to go but up," Ross said of the franchise, which finished the 2007 season 1-15, prompting a shakeup to the front office and coaching staff. "And what better place to own a team than South Florida."

Meanwhile, did you attend Opening Day? How was it? What did you think of the new entertainment…the Marlins Minnows, the new youth dance team, and the Marlins Manatees, the heavy men’s dance troupe that’s been getting more media attention than the team?

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Do you really need a New Orleans Saints pizza cutter that plays When the Saints Go Marching In? How about that Indianapolis Colts figurine soap dispenser? A super ball that plays the Monday Night Football theme song when bounced?

Or Footjoy’s new line of golf shoes – with or without spikes – in NFL team colors with logos that you can even print your name on? That’ll cost you $155 to $200 a pair, starting in April.

NFL licensees certainly hope so. The NFL Hardlines VI Trade Show – featuring 86 NFL licensees showing off hundreds of non-apparel items at Dolphin Stadium Tuesday – was a football fan’s smorgasbord of items you never knew you needed. But it was just for the industry, so the league and its 32 teams can pick out items to sell at stadiums, outfit suites and give as season ticket renewal gifts this year.

Talk about creative: Dolphins recliners complete with cup holders; Dolphins pool tables, bar stools and Tiffany lamps. A computer mouse. A collapsible table with four chairs attached that pops open easily for your tailgate. Candles and air fresheners. Sippy cups with little team mascots on top.

And even Forest Faces with team caps. That’s right – those resin faces that you nail into a tree will begin coming out with NFL team caps come May 1 for $19.95. “You animate the tree,” says Mike Sockel, senior vice president of Team Sports America, which makes the NFL Forest Face.

The show started six years ago in Green Bay as a way to showcase innovative products. Previously the NFL had been attending sports industry-wide shows that either disbanded or were held during football season when many officials couldn’t attend, said Leo Kane, league vice president of consumer products.

“We decided we wanted to control the message as well,” Kane said. “We talk about the NFL and our 32 clubs, as opposed to other sports. As important to us is that we see the new product and it’s important that all our licensing partners know where we’re going with Super Bowl logos and season-long themes.”

Of particular interest this year, Kane said, are women’s and children’s products. But there’s something for everyone, he said.

“Hopefully there’s something new in every booth,” he said. “New product innovation is really the lifeblood. We want all of our licensees, new and existing, to reinvent themselves every year, because that’s what the fans have come to expect from us. If you build it they will come.”

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So, will Super Bowl XLII Champion New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning challenge his brother Peyton for ad time after pulling off his team’s stunning upset of the New England Patriots on Sunday?

“Eli couldn’t have scripted a better finish for his marketing success,” says Bob Dorfman, of San Francisco-based Baker Street Partners and author of the Super Bowl XLII Sports Marketers’ Scouting Report. Dorfman says the Super Bowl win could be worth as much as $5 million in new endorsement deals. “Though Eli lacks the cachet, charisma and acting chops of big brother Peyton, he shows solid potential as a potent pitchman.”

Dorfman figures Manning, who already has deals with Oreo (you've no doubt seen the Eli and Peyton pitching Oreo's Double Stuff Racing League), DirecTV and ESPN, could do ads for T-Mobile “everyone will want to be in his Fave 5 now,” a car deal, or fast food, where he could promote a “Giant-sized” deal. "As the new toast of New York, Eli could also earn seven figures in regional marketing deals,” Dorfman said.

Other marketable Giants able to capitalize? “Michael Strahan stands to benefit the most after Eli. He’s already a household name and face, has a proven endorsement resume, speaks well, is charismatic on camera, and has that signature gap-tooth smile that might be fun in a Crest toothpaste ad,” Dorfman said. “He also has a solid future in broadcasting.”

And “Plaxico Burress could land a Kleenex deal after his teary post-game interview,” Dorfman said.

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It’s a long shot for sure, but Stan D’Alo, a Dolphins season ticket holder from Coral Springs, is trying to gauge fan interest in purchasing stock in the team.

He’s launched buythefins.com, a Web site where fans can indicate their interest in purchasing a piece of the Dolphins. He’s estimating 10 million shares at $120 to $130 apiece. No one would be allowed to own more than 2 percent of the total shares.

“We’re going to ask people 'if stock was offered in the team would you buy it?',” D’Alo said. “Basically I want to organize people and see how much interest there is.”

D’Alo was inspired to launch the site after word leaked last month that Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga was in talks to potentially sell the team for at least $1 billion. D’Alo figured it’d be worth trying to make the team a community asset, like the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers, who face the New York Giants in Sunday's NFC Championship game, have been publicly owned since 1923. According to the team's Web site, 112,015 stockholders own more than 4.75 million shares, but the stock doesn’t appreciate and shareholders don’t receive dividends. No one is allowed to own more than 200,000 shares. The company is overseen by a board of directors and an executive committee.

The team is so popular that stock sales have helped the Packers out of financial trouble on four occasions, including as recently as 1997, when fans spent $200 a share to raise $24 million for Lambeau Field renovations.

So far, D’Alo says he has about 20 people on the stock-request waiting list. That’s after he held up a sign at the Dolphins final home game last month. He’s encouraging others to talk up the idea and print out fliers to post at their offices.

“The league doesn’t want to have this kind of ownership,” said D’Alo, a season ticket holder for nine years. “[But] If they want the kind of money they will ask for franchises in the future they aren’t going find a lot of people who are going to be able to lay out that kind of money. It’s going to take corporations to buy teams in the future.”

Corporate ownership is prohibited in the NFL.

“I believe that if people want something they should gather and communicate with others who have the same interest and figure out a way to pay for it with private dollars. That is what my Web site is about,” D’Alo said.

“I leave this up to public debate and let the people decide if they would like to take part in communicating with our organization to make this happen.”

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