Forbes Magazine recently came out with its annual list of the most valuable NFL franchises.

But the surprising thing wasn’t that the Dallas Cowboys were number one on the list. In my opinion, the most startling fact is that an impressive number of smaller market teams were up pretty high on the list.

Looking over the names of the teams in the top third, it seems like the owners of smaller market teams that put some  care into putting a good, winning product on the field; as well as having the players active and involved in the community have seen their profits skyrocket:

Seeing teams in small markets like the Buccaneers (8), Broncos (10), Ravens (11), and Panthers (12) ranked ahead of large market and well established teams like the Steelers (16), Packers (17), Raiders (32) does my heart some good.

All four of those teams and their owners are some of the best at reaching out in their communities and show that even in tough economic times, the “good neighbor” thing can work– and in fact it can have a huge positive impact on the value of a business.