Spurs Named ‘’Best Franchise'’ by ESPN
The San Antonio Spurs are the best franchise in sports, according to ESPN The Magazine’s annual Ultimate Standings fan poll, an online poll ranking all 92 MLB, NBA and NFL franchises. This marks the second time the Spurs have come away with the honor since the debut of the poll in 2000 - making them the first repeat winner. The top 10 consists of two NBA teams, the Spurs and the Detroit Pistons (last year’s winner), five NFL teams and three MLB teams. The NHL was not included in the poll this year due to the lockout.
In addition to being named the top franchise, the Spurs also took home the No. 1 spot in three other categories - Fan Relations, Ownership and Players. Fans love Coach Gregg Popovich, who has moved up from No. 72 in the Coaching category to No. 3 since the rankings began in 2000. The Spurs finished third in the Bang for the Buck category, which, rather than being voted on by fans, is determined by wins in the past three years per revenues received directly from the fans.
“Fans told us louder than ever this year that they care more about owners who show their appreciation and players who act professionally on and off the field than pretty stadiums or even winning championships,” said Peter Keating, senior writer, ESPN The Magazine. “Our top-ranked teams, including the Spurs, have made fans believe in their commitment and effort. The bottom-ranked teams fall short in that effort.”
More than 30,000 fans participated in the Ultimate Standings poll online through ESPN.com from October to November, 2005, giving grades to their favorite teams. Fans voted in seven categories - Fan Relations, Ownership, Affordability, Stadium Experience, Players, Coaching and Winning. The Bang for the Buck category is based on financial analysis for three years calculated by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon and ESPN The Magazine.
The Magazine also conducted an online SportsNation poll of more than 1,500 fans with the help of Markitecture, a research and consulting firm, to paint a comprehensive portrait of the State of the Fan. For more information on Ultimate Standings and State of the Fan, log on to www.espn.com keyword: SportsNation.
Top 10 Franchises:
1. San Antonio Spurs (last year’s rank: 2)
2. Detroit Pistons (last year’s rank: 1)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (last year’s rank: 9
4. Indianapolis Colts (last year’s rank: 3)
5. Los Angeles Angels (last year’s rank: 5)
6. Atlanta Falcons (last year’s rank 7)
7. St. Louis Cardinals (last year’s rank 11)
8. Carolina Panthers (last year’s rank 12)
9. Atlanta Braves (last year’s rank: 16)
10. New England Patriots (last year’s rank: 4)
Bottom 10 Franchises:
82. Los Angeles Dodgers (last year’s rank: 52)
83. Philadelphia Phillies (last year’s rank: 78)
84. Toronto Raptors (last year’s rank: 75)
85. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (last year’s rank: 73)
86. Arizona Cardinals (last year’s rank: 82)
87. Atlanta Hawks (last year’s rank: 88)
88. New York Knicks (last year’s rank: 77)
89. Portland Trail Blazers (last year’s rank: 79)
90. Minnesota Vikings (last year’s rank: 81)
91. New Orleans Saints (last year’s rank: 87)
(** The Charlotte Bobcats are not included in the overall
standings; three full seasons of data is needed to calculate teams’
Bang for the Buck - which is one of the eight categories used to
calculate the Franchise Rankings.)
Biggest Jumps:
— Chicago White Sox, from 70 to 13
— New York Giants, from 71 to 33
— Houston Rockets, from 56 to 21
— Seattle Seahawks, from 59 to 24
— Chicago Bulls, from 74 to 44
Biggest Drops:
— Orlando Magic, from 44 to 77
— Baltimore Ravens, from 22 to 54
— Los Angeles Dodgers, from 52 to 82
— Baltimore Orioles, from 50 to 80
— Florida Marlins, from 25 to 53
In 2002, the first SportsNation poll was held to measure the state
of the fan. Findings from this year’s SportsNation poll include:
— Fans now spend an average of 6.5 hours a week following sports
on TV, up from 5.3 hours from the first SportsNation poll in
2002;
— The most expensive ticket to a sporting event paid for by fans
in the poll was $112- up 67% from $67 three years ago;
— 72% of fans follow sports for “pure entertainment,” leaving
options such as escape from everyday life (47%) and an
appreciation of athletics (44%) far behind;
— 62% of fans say they like to keep up with new technology;
— One-third of fans agree with the statement “the bigger the
television, the better the game;”
— 57% would prefer getting a large-screen TV and satellite
sports package to four season tickets to their favorite team.
