Best pro sports franchise in North America

[ChicosBailBonds]

Now that's what I'm talking about


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4297569


Go Halos

[Jay Bee]

I miss Torii.  GO TWINS!

[ChicosBailBonds]

I miss Torii.  GO TWINS!

No kidding, what a class guy.  He has won the hearts of many out here after Adenhart died.  Always a good player, but really came across as a solid human being this whole time.  My kids got me a Hunter jersey for Father's day and I was thrilled.  Good guy.

[Moonboots]

7 for the Brewers, 13 for the Packers... Wisconsin sports represented well.

Oh, and umm... 110 for the Bucks...

[Mayor McCheese]

And the Cubs come in at a nice solid number of 78, the Bears at 69, Bulls at 70, White Sox at 40 and the Blackhawks with the best at number 21...

Give it up for your dynamite franchises Chicago.  


Brewers are helped by the 3rd best stadium experience, man is Miller Park a dump, I can't figure out why everyone loves it so much?

[WellsstreetWanderer]

The best Pro Franchise is the LAKERS!  who else?

[ChicosBailBonds]

7 for the Brewers, 13 for the Packers... Wisconsin sports represented well.

The Brewers should.  Led by Rick Schlessinger, one of my former colleagues at the Angels.  He learned well in Anaheim and took it to Milwaukee!!

[ChicosBailBonds]

The best Pro Franchise is the LAKERS!  who else?

No thanks.  I don't go to any games at Staples and less they are freebies.  No way in hell I'm paying for those prices to see them play.  Kobe should be in prison.  Looks like Ariza is going to walk away now. 

[Chili]

what does it say when the lambeau is the top stadium experience and miller park is third for all sports franchises. we are spoiled in wisconsin with that. now the bradley center - much to be desired.

[Moonboots]

what does it say when the lambeau is the top stadium experience and miller park is third for all sports franchises. we are spoiled in wisconsin with that. now the bradley center - much to be desired.

That's very true.  We can get into it about MP vs. Wrigley or whatever in the other thread, but one thing is for sure - there are very few fanbases of all the major sports in the entire nation that tailgate like people from Wisconsin.  It's an art form here.

[Golden Avalanche]

No thanks.  I don't go to any games at Staples and less they are freebies.  No way in hell I'm paying for those prices to see them play.  Kobe should be in prison.  Looks like Ariza is going to walk away now. 

Ummm......

[SaintPaulWarrior]

The Ultimate Standings measure how much MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises give back to fans for all the time, money and emotion we invest in them.

Has nothing to do with the best pro sports franchise.

Then ESPN.com asked fans to rate their favorite clubs in these categories; we received more than 50,000 responses.

Only ESPN.com viewers voted.  Not very scientific and/or reliable.

[GGGG]

That's very true.  We can get into it about MP vs. Wrigley or whatever in the other thread, but one thing is for sure - there are very few fanbases of all the major sports in the entire nation that tailgate like people from Wisconsin.  It's an art form here.

Wisconsin sports fans are also extremely loyal.  They are no different from many fans in that regard, but they have generally supported teams through decades of futility.  You wouldn't see that in many cities.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Chicos
The lakers sell out every game despite your absence. And why do the networks want them on their holiday broadcast? They attract viewers.

By the way, Jack has been asking where have you been

[DegenerateDish]

The Ultimate Standings measure how much MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises give back to fans for all the time, money and emotion we invest in them.

Has nothing to do with the best pro sports franchise.

Then ESPN.com asked fans to rate their favorite clubs in these categories; we received more than 50,000 responses.

Only ESPN.com viewers voted.  Not very scientific and/or reliable.

Amen, I was waiting for someone to point this out. This has nothing to do with best franchises. A bunch of rabid fans of specific teams getting interviewed and giving their team high marks does not make this a "best franchise" list.

Case in point, 7 of the top 11 are NHL teams. NHL fans are as rabid and loyal as they come, but those 7 franchises certainly aren't in the discussion as best franchises in North America.

[Mayor McCheese]

Amen, I was waiting for someone to point this out. This has nothing to do with best franchises. A bunch of rabid fans of specific teams getting interviewed and giving their team high marks does not make this a "best franchise" list.

Case in point, 7 of the top 11 are NHL teams. NHL fans are as rabid and loyal as they come, but those 7 franchises certainly aren't in the discussion as best franchises in North America.

However Ditka, what this poll points out is what we, as fans, get for a product for the time, effort and money we put into our favorite clubs...

A lot of the different parts of the poll had to do with "experience at the park" "price at the park" and "bang for the buck"... as they explain in the magazine, the Yankees received really low on all three of these questions, and it shows with the empty seats at the new Yankee stadium.  

One of the things this poll I believe shows is the loyalty that these franchises show their fans, something that I firmly believe is extremely important, and why I am glad to be a Packer fan and Brewer fan, both teams give back for my effort as being a fan.

The Cubs and Bears didn't rank high, so there MUST be something wrong with the poll.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

The Cubs and Bears didn't rank high, so there MUST be something wrong with the poll.

The highest ranked team in Chicago is the Hawks.  They finally made the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, have not won a Cup since '61, just recently were drawing about 3-4,000 fans a game (like the mid to late 90's Twins) and just recently started televising home games.  This point along with 7 teams from the NHL in the top 11 shows what a sham this so-called poll is.  For the record I am a huge Hawks fan and hockey fan.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Brewer fan, both teams give back for my effort as being a fan.

The Cubs and Bears didn't rank high, so there MUST be something wrong with the poll.

Fans have short memories.

I wouldn't call opening a new, publicly funded stadium and then losing 90+ games for 4 out of 5 years as "giving back".

I'm not saying this to be anti-Brewer (they are running a pretty good show right now, and I think the Miller Park parking lot is second to none), but to make a blanket statement that the Brewers "give back to the fans" is little naive.

They are a good ball club in a newer stadium. Things are going well. Fans are satisfied. Great.

The ESPN poll is fun to read and discuss... but (like most things in sports) it's hardly scientific.

[Mayor McCheese]

The highest ranked team in Chicago is the Hawks.  They finally made the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, have not won a Cup since '61, just recently were drawing about 3-4,000 fans a game (like the mid to late 90's Twins) and just recently started televising home games.  This point along with 7 teams from the NHL in the top 11 shows what a sham this so-called poll is.  For the record I am a huge Hawks fan and hockey fan.

My guess is hockey games don't cost 50-60 bucks for upper deck seats like NBA games do...  And that helps in a few of the categories...

The poll isn't "most popular franchises" or "most successful franchises" or "most talked about franchises" it is purely the best franchises for their fans.  How does the franchise treat their fans... and apparently the NHL values their fans, something I can believe.

There is obviously something that has gone right with this poll, since it is the seventh year they have performed the poll

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

There is obviously something that has gone right with this poll, since it is the seventh year they have performed the poll

It sells magazines. That's whats gone right with it.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

My guess is hockey games don't cost 50-60 bucks for upper deck seats like NBA games do...  And that helps in a few of the categories...

The poll isn't "most popular franchises" or "most successful franchises" or "most talked about franchises" it is purely the best franchises for their fans.  How does the franchise treat their fans... and apparently the NHL values their fans, something I can believe.

There is obviously something that has gone right with this poll, since it is the seventh year they have performed the poll

The title of the thread is best sports franchise which has nothing to do this poll.  That is what I was responding to.

T-Wolves had $5 upper deck seats last year and literally could not give them away.  Had more to do with the product on the court.

There must be a lot of hockey fans that subscribe to that magazine.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos
The lakers sell out every game despite your absence. And why do the networks want them on their holiday broadcast? They attract viewers.

By the way, Jack has been asking where have you been

Of course they do and they will for a long time.  I just take a pass on them, no need to give up the benjamins to see them in my opinion.  Their training center is about 2 tenths of a mile from my work, I still have great friends working over there.  Let's just say I don't see eye to eye on the character of many of their players and don't wish to follow them.  That's the nicest way I can say it.  Fortunately, the fans only burned up part of the town this year.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Amen, I was waiting for someone to point this out. This has nothing to do with best franchises. A bunch of rabid fans of specific teams getting interviewed and giving their team high marks does not make this a "best franchise" list.

Case in point, 7 of the top 11 are NHL teams. NHL fans are as rabid and loyal as they come, but those 7 franchises certainly aren't in the discussion as best franchises in North America.

You guys need to read the criteria that went into it again.  They were talking about the best pro franchises as it relates to the fan experience, the cost, putting a winning product on the court, etc.   Of course there are better teams out there, but if it's so costly you can't see them, or you have to worry about being mugged in the parking lot, then that should count against you.  At least how this particular survey was done.

But as two of my ESPN pals told me last night (we were having a good time trading barbs about it...they're both VPs in Bristol, CT)....these surveys and results are about getting people conversing how fair or unfair they are. It's like a sports poll.  It's exactly what ESPN wants, people reading it, screaming how bad or how great it is....means eyeballs....means money.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The title of the thread is best sports franchise which has nothing to do this poll.  That is what I was responding to.

T-Wolves had $5 upper deck seats last year and literally could not give them away.  Had more to do with the product on the court.

There must be a lot of hockey fans that subscribe to that magazine.

With all due respect, the title of the thread repeats exactly what was on the FRONT PAGE of ESPN yesterday.  Even on the link I provided, the caption says:  "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are named best franchise in North American pro sports"

That's what ESPN is saying about their survey, that's what I called the title of the thread.  I don't see how I've misled or presented something different than what the poll and ESPN were talking about using their methodology.





The Ultimate Standings measure how much MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises give back to fans for all the time, money and emotion we invest in them. Here's how: Working with Maddock Douglas, a Chicago consulting firm, we polled 1,000 fans across North America to find out what they want most from their favorite teams. Our survey covered 21 topics, from "has strong leader as coach" to "players who act professionally on and off the field" to "provides avenue for fan feedback." Then ESPN.com asked fans to rate their favorite clubs in these categories; we received more than 50,000 responses. We grouped those responses into seven of the eight broad categories listed above. For the eighth category, Bang for the Buck, we examined how efficiently teams convert dollars from fans into on-field wins (regular- and postseason). Fan costs were calculated by researchers at the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. Finally, we combined each team's scores across all eight categories into one final, weighted score, taking each category's importance from our national poll. (For example, Stadium Experience counts for slightly more than twice as much as Coaching because that's how fans rated the categories.) The result is the only ranking that combines fan perspective with an objective measure of how well teams turn fan dollars into wins.

[DegenerateDish]

However Ditka, what this poll points out is what we, as fans, get for a product for the time, effort and money we put into our favorite clubs...

A lot of the different parts of the poll had to do with "experience at the park" "price at the park" and "bang for the buck"... as they explain in the magazine, the Yankees received really low on all three of these questions, and it shows with the empty seats at the new Yankee stadium.  

One of the things this poll I believe shows is the loyalty that these franchises show their fans, something that I firmly believe is extremely important, and why I am glad to be a Packer fan and Brewer fan, both teams give back for my effort as being a fan.

The Cubs and Bears didn't rank high, so there MUST be something wrong with the poll.

Mayor, I hear what you're saying (and of the posters on this site, find that I have a lot of agreement with the opinions you have to offer). I'm not trying to make this Chicago vs Wisconsin at all. (For the record, I'm a Sox fan).

I agree that the Packers do offer a lot back to their fans, and even on a true "Best Pro Sports Franchise" list (with different criteria from this poll), the Packers would still be at/near the top (certainly ahead of the Bears). My point in reference to the survey is that many large market teams are skewed against this type of fan response, as large market teams (for the most part), have higher ticket prices/more entertainment options/tougher media. Small market teams often need to really add as much value as they can, as their revenue streams are much more dependent on offering Joe fan the most bang for his buck.

[Mayor McCheese]

Chicos... no reason to be upset, those here opposed to the poll are those that are a fan of the Chicago teams that are shown to be crapty franchises to their fans from this poll... which is absolutely correct.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

I agree with you.  I was saying that ESPN made up a title that was not consistent their poll.  There are many teams in the top 20 who have never won a championship.  "Best fan experience at a pro game" probably would have been a better title.  No offense, but if you didn't post it I do not know how many people on here would have seen it.  50,000 responses compared to how many hits they must get on their website seems like a pretty small sample to me.  I never go to ESPN.com so I easily could be wrong.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos... no reason to be upset, those here opposed to the poll are those that are a fan of the Chicago teams that are shown to be crapty franchises to their fans from this poll... which is absolutely correct.

 

Actually I'm not upset, just chuckling.  I've had the Lakers, Dodgers and Red Sox fans in the office whining since last night.  It's been kind of fun.  Most folks don't bother to read the criteria and assume it's just about how many championships

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

those here opposed to the poll are those that are a fan of the Chicago teams that are shown to be crapty franchises to their fans from this poll... which is absolutely correct.

Oh good lord.

Save this sort of logic for the Brewers vs Cubs pissing match.
 
This poll is far from scientific, and is just a conversation starter. It sells magazines. That's it. Don't make this something it isn't.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I agree with you.  I was saying that ESPN made up a title that was not consistent their poll.  There are many teams in the top 20 who have never won a championship.  "Best fan experience at a pro game" probably would have been a better title.  No offense, but if you didn't post it I do not know how many people on here would have seen it.  50,000 responses compared to how many hits they must get on their website seems like a pretty small sample to me.  I never go to ESPN.com so I easily could be wrong.

Just think, we have presidential polls done on samples of 1,000 people.   

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Just think, we have presidential polls done on samples of 1,000 people.   

Yeah, but those are random people.  These are people who choose to participate for whatever reason.

[DegenerateDish]

You guys need to read the criteria that went into it again.  They were talking about the best pro franchises as it relates to the fan experience, the cost, putting a winning product on the court, etc.   Of course there are better teams out there, but if it's so costly you can't see them, or you have to worry about being mugged in the parking lot, then that should count against you.  At least how this particular survey was done.

But as two of my ESPN pals told me last night (we were having a good time trading barbs about it...they're both VPs in Bristol, CT)....these surveys and results are about getting people conversing how fair or unfair they are. It's like a sports poll.  It's exactly what ESPN wants, people reading it, screaming how bad or how great it is....means eyeballs....means money.

I re-read this and found it ironic you mentioned being mugged in the parking lot, where your Angles are the #1 team, and obviously have had two awful parking lot incidents just this season.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I re-read this and found it ironic you mentioned being mugged in the parking lot, where your Angles are the #1 team, and obviously have had two awful parking lot incidents just this season.

Yes, there were two this year but it has been a huge anomoly which is why it gathered any attention at all.  It's Disneyland at that stadium usually.  Respectful of other teams and fans, very rarely are there fights (though a few can brew when the Red Sox come to town).

Let's put it this way, going to a Dodger game in a Giants jersey is a guaranteed beer dousing, smack across the head and 3 hours of putting up with crap.  Come to an Angels game in an opposing jersey, and 99% of the time not a damn thing is going to happen to you.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Of course they do and they will for a long time.  I just take a pass on them, no need to give up the benjamins to see them in my opinion.  Their training center is about 2 tenths of a mile from my work, I still have great friends working over there.  Let's just say I don't see eye to eye on the character of many of their players and don't wish to follow them.  That's the nicest way I can say it.  Fortunately, the fans only burned up part of the town this year.

And today they add another "character" guy in Ron Artest.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Artest will behave himself for Kobe and Phil  and the Lakers will win number 16. Most NBA players are not model citizens( got this from an NBA president)

Staples Center is a terrific sports venue and we  get free tacos when the Lakers score >100 pts plus we have the Laker Girls . Eat your hearts out

[ChicosBailBonds]

Artest will behave himself for Kobe and Phil  and the Lakers will win number 16. Most NBA players are not model citizens( got this from an NBA president)

Staples Center is a terrific sports venue and we  get free tacos when the Lakers score >100 pts plus we have the Laker Girls . Eat your hearts out

Yes, I know they're not model citizens....we deal with the NBA every day.  And yes, we love Staples Center, thats why we are founding partners of the arena and have been involved with them since you had to go in there with hard hats.   

Maybe the Lakers do win another, good for them....their fans can torch some more of Los Angeles as far as I'm concerned.  Personally, I'd love to see Cleveland win it for two reasons

1) it's been decades since Cleveland won anything...1948 Indians
2) it would piss off Laker fans something fierce

 

[TallTitan34]

The Doug Melvin bobbleheads are what bumped the Brewers as them giving back to the fans!  

[StillAWarrior]

Personally, I'd love to see Cleveland win it for two reasons

1) it's been decades since Cleveland won anything...1948 Indians
2) it would piss off Laker fans something fierce

3) your old friend StillAWarrior lives there.

[ChicosBailBonds]

3) your old friend StillAWarrior lives there.

Along with my dad's family and my mom's family. Cleveland will always be near and dear to my heart. 

[LON]

The title of the thread is best sports franchise which has nothing to do this poll.  That is what I was responding to.

T-Wolves had $5 upper deck seats last year and literally could not give them away.  Had more to do with the product on the court.

There must be a lot of hockey fans that subscribe to that magazine.

That just may say something about Minnesota fans, seeing as how the Vikings constantly rely on corporate buyouts to sell out the games (including playoff games).

[SaintPaulWarrior]

That just may say something about Minnesota fans, seeing as how the Vikings constantly rely on corporate buyouts to sell out the games (including playoff games).

Minnesota fans are the biggest bandwagon fans I have ever encountered.

EDIT:  Except for hockey.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Minnesota fans are the biggest bandwagon fans I have ever encountered.

I COMPLETELY agree.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33426

"If you need another reason why the sporting franchise representing my area is superior, look no further than the supporters for the two sides. Not only are the supporters of the team from my region more spirited, but they are also more intelligent and of finer breeding than you and the rest of your ilk...

One of the more pathetic aspects of the team from your area is the fact that only people in your immediate area possess an affinity for it. By means of contrast, the team from my area inspires loyalty and affection in individuals who live in many other geographic locations.

To illustrate this point, let me tell a brief story: Recently, I was on vacation in an area of the country far away from my own, and I saw many individuals wearing items of clothing that bore the insignia of my team. I approached one such individual and asked him if he originated from my area. He said no, explaining that he simply liked the team from my area and had for many years. Interestingly enough, during this trip, I saw no clothing or other paraphernalia bearing the insignia of your team.

Do you still doubt that the team from your area is inferior to the one from mine? Just look at our teams' respective histories. In the past, we have defeated you on any number of occasions. Granted, there were times when your team beat my team, but those were lucky flukes. "