Last Year's Rank: 100
Title Track: 100
Ownership: 121
Coaching: 108
Players: 102
Fan Relations: 88
Affordability: 65
Stadium Experience: 119
Bang for the Buck: 99
Developer Bruce Ratner is starting to resemble that college friend who just wasn't ready to move on after graduation. Hey, Jersey, we're hitting snafus with that planned move to Brooklyn, so, ummm, ya mind if I crash here a while longer? "I'd like to say we have the most hated owner in sports, but of course that's not possible," says Mike from Joenetsfan.com, "because a) Al Davis is still around, and b) Nets fans can't work up enough contempt to get stoic, let alone angry." You have to figure that with tickets about $16 cheaper on average than what the Knicks peddle, fans can't feel like they're being totally hustled, right? Anyway, can you really put a price tag on the chance to feign excitement for a squad that has outperformed a big-city neighbor in each of the past eight seasons? Well, maybe. "I happen to have the cheapest season tickets in the NBA, at $199 for the season," says Netincome of Netsdaily.com. "But to get to my seats requires a StairMaster-like climb of nearly 100 steps." The single packed-to-the-gills concourse doesn't help win raves, nor do the envy-inducing smells and sounds of construction that emanate from the new Jets/Giants stadium being raised just yards away. In the end, though, the poor-relation expectations that have taken hold west of the Hudson may be a blessing in disguise. "Hey, it's Jersey, baby," says Netincome. "No fuss, no bother, no pretense." Who can blame Ratner for wanting to squat with guys like that?