Ignore the misspelling of "Cincinatti" - ESPN the Magazine was pretty spot on in their judgment of the Bengals franchise, ranking them as the 118th best franchise in North America. There were 122 teams ranked. The Bengals are the 2nd worst NFL team, as the Lions and their reigning 0-16 record clocked in at a repspectable 119th.
These rankings were based on their own teams fans voting. Let's just say if the Bengals were an automaker they would have received a pretty big bailout from the government already. I guess in the NFL this is called "Revenue Sharing."
They include a quote from a guy who is involved with some undefined anti-Establishment site too.
Joe Reedy breaks down how they came up with the rankings here.
By categories, the Bengals are:
Affordability – from tickets to apparel to parking to concessions – what it costs to be a fan of a franchise: 99th (sixth-worst in NFL, Redskins worst at 118).
- Coaching – quality of on-field coaching/managing for the franchise: 84 (10th worst in NFL. Bills worst at 118).
- Title track – how successful and dedicated the team has been in pursuing and winning championships: 107 (third worst in NFL, Lions worst at 121).
- Ownership – overall
commitment and effort owner makes to players, coaches and fans, as well
as a willingness to spend money and commit to winning:: 113 (second worst in NFL, Raiders worst at 114).
- Players – effort given on the court, field or ice, in addition to how likable they are off them: 118 (third worst in NFL, Lions worst at 120).
- Fan relations – how the teams and owners interact with the local fan base: 122 (worst in the survey).
- Stadium experience – the cleanliness, parking, security and promotions at the home venue: 100 (eighth worst in NFL, Raiders worst at 118).
- Bang for the buck – wins over the past three years, measured against the money it receives directly from fans: 106 (sixth worst in NFL, Rams worst at 122).
Here's to the Bengals - not the worst team in the NFL!
Perhaps we should send the ESPN article to MB. He won't read it, but then again he may surprise us. After all, we know his motto is, "Anything free, is for me!" so I don't think he would throw away a perfectly good magazine without reading it.
Posted by: Robinsgr | July 02, 2009 at 12:19 PM
That's actually a pretty good idea.
Remember the letter writing campaign? How about a campaign where everyone sends Mike a copy of the article with the spots they feel are most important circled?
Posted by: BMN | July 02, 2009 at 05:08 PM
I'm actually shocked that the Redskins are ranked last in the NFL for Affordability - their up-the-coast division rivals and the team that shares a city (and stadium) with them, with the new gazillion dollar seat licenses (that aren't selling, I might add), should've ranked at the bottom of the barrel. Plus, you're in New Jersey, so you know there's tolls to get back out into any real state that borders it, plus concessions are ridiculously high.
Posted by: Wyatt | July 03, 2009 at 02:47 PM
Congrats for the hat tip from ESPN and the 10,000 hits per day!
Viva la revolucion!
Posted by: Rich | July 03, 2009 at 04:42 PM