Welcome to ESPN The Magazine's eighth annual Ultimate Standings, in which we measure how much MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises give back to the fans in exchange for all the time, money and emotion the fans invest in them.
The Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints catapulted from No. 52 last year to the top spot in 2010, thanks in no small part to their dedication to bringing in quality players who delivered the franchises first championship and the efforts of those players in a community still re-building from Hurricane Katrina.
The eight major categories that make up the Ultimate Standings were created based on feedback from fans about what they want most from their favorite teams (click here for a more detailed account of the method to our madness.) The categories:
Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.
Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.
Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.
Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.
Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.
Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.
Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.
Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.
Below you will find the complete rankings. Insiders can click on the team names to read detailed scores and write ups on franchises 1 - 122.
Financial analysis by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon (Madeline Breskin, Eric Chylinski, Travis Hanson, Kelsey Philpott, Peter Raschino and Ken Salmon). Fan surveys by Maddock Douglas and NetReflector.
FULL RESULTS
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Orlando Magic
3. Los Angeles Angels
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Pittsburgh Penguins
6. Tampa Bay Rays
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Detroit Red Wings
9. Green Bay Packers
10. Cleveland Cavaliers
11. Washington Capitals
12. San Jose Sharks
13. Colorado Rockies
14. Minnesota Twins
15. Atlanta Braves
16. Chicago Blackhawks
17. Philadelphia Phillies
18. Phoenix Coyotes
19. Arizona Cardinals
20. Baltimore Ravens
21. Carolina Hurricanes
22. St. Louis Cardinals
23. Anaheim Ducks
24. Dallas Mavericks
25. Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Arizona Diamondbacks
27. Utah Jazz
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
29. Nashville Predators
30. Houston Rockets
31. Milwaukee Brewers
32. Houston Texans
33. Detroit Tigers
34. New Jersey Devils
35. Colorado Avalanche
36. Atlanta Falcons
37. Tennessee Titans
38. Portland Trail Blazers
39. Carolina Panthers
40. Charlotte Bobcats
41. St. Louis Blues
42. Buffalo Sabres
43. Cincinnati Reds
44. Atlanta Hawks
45. Los Angeles Kings
46. New England Patriots
47. Phoenix Suns
48. Texas Rangers
49. Ottawa Senators
50. New York Jets
51. Los Angeles Lakers
52. Philadelphia Eagles
53. Denver Nuggets
54. New Orleans Hornets
55. Seattle Mariners
56. San Diego Padres
57. Dallas Stars
58. Miami Dolphins
59. Minnesota Vikings
60. Philadelphia Flyers
61. San Francisco Giants
62. New York Yankees
63. Miami Heat
64. Vancouver Canucks
65. Florida Marlins
66. New York Giants
67. Dallas Cowboys
68. Boston Celtics
69. Milwaukee Bucks
70. Tampa Bay Lightning
71. Jacksonville Jaguars
72. Los Angeles Dodgers
73. Chicago White Sox
74. Boston Red Sox
75. Memphis Grizzlies
76. Boston Bruins
77. San Francisco 49ers
78. Minnesota Wild
79. Oakland Athletics
80. Denver Broncos
81. San Diego Chargers
82. Pittsburgh Pirates
83. Seattle Seahawks
84. Montreal Canadiens
85. Chicago Bulls
86. Chicago Bears
87. Calgary Flames
88. Houston Astros
89. Kansas City Royals
90. Cinncinati Bengals
91. Cleveland Indians
92. Toronto Blue Jays
93. Detroit Pistons
94. Washington Nationals
95. Kansas City Chiefs
96. Columbus Blue Jackets
97. Sacramento Kings
98. Indiana Pacers
99. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
100. Chicago Cubs
101. Buffalo Bills
102. Baltimore Orioles
103. New York Islanders
104. New York Rangers
105. Washington Redskins
106. Florida Panthers
107. New York Mets
108. Cleveland Browns
109. Atlanta Thrashers
110. Golden State Warriors
111. Edmonton Oilers
112. Detroit Lions
113. Toronto Raptors
114. St. Louis Rams
115. Oakland Raiders
116. Minnesota Timberwolves
117. Philadelphia 76ers
118. New Jersey Nets
119. New York Knicks
120. Washington Wizards
121. Toronto Maple Leafs
122. Los Angeles Clippers