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The Mag: Ultimate Standings 2009

Welcome to ESPN The Magazine's seventh 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.

Perennial Top-10 finisher the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim grabbed the top spot this year for the first time, thanks to their array of affordable tickets, strong coaching and likable players. Curiously, their neighbors just up the road on I-5, the Los Angeles Clippers, are on the opposite end of the rankings, coming in dead last at No. 122.

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 a sortable table of this year's Ultimate Standings as well as previous results going back to 2003. Subcategories that make up the overall ranking for that category are available for the 2009 results. Click on team names for a more detailed breakdown of the rankings.

Financial analysis by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. Fan surveys by Maddock Douglas and GMI NetReflector.

Back to Overall Rankings

Click on table headings to sort by category.

TEAM		COACHING
			CST
1.	New England Patriots	1	1
2.	San Antonio Spurs	1	11
3.	Tennessee Titans	3	26
4.	Pittsburgh Steelers	4	16
5.	Los Angeles Angels	5	26
6.	Detroit Red Wings	6	12
7.	Los Angeles Lakers	7	1
8.	St. Louis Cardinals	8	11
9.	Columbus Blue Jackets	8	21
10.	Washington Capitals	10	23
11.	Arizona Cardinals	11	28
12.	Toronto Blue Jays	12	23
13.	Los Angeles Dodgers	13	7
14.	Minnesota Twins	14	20
15.	Boston Red Sox	15	2
			CST
16.	Atlanta Braves	15	25
17.	San Francisco 49ers	17	17
18.	Atlanta Falcons	18	25
19.	Boston Bruins	19	3
20.	Anaheim Ducks	19	19
21.	Chicago White Sox	21	5
22.	New York Giants	22	2
23.	Cleveland Cavaliers	23	15
24.	Chicago Blackhawks	24	9
25.	Chicago Cubs	25	3
26.	Tampa Bay Rays	25	24
27.	Baltimore Ravens	25	11
28.	Charlotte Bobcats	28	28
29.	Utah Jazz	29	21
30.	Miami Dolphins	30	21
			CST
31.	Portland Trail Blazers	31	8
32.	Buffalo Sabres	32	27
33.	Detroit Tigers	33	12
34.	Boston Celtics	34	3
35.	St. Louis Blues	35	30
36.	Philadelphia Phillies	36	6
37.	Carolina Hurricanes	37	28
38.	Houston Rockets	37	20
39.	New Orleans Saints	39	27
40.	Nashville Predators	39	17
41.	San Jose Sharks	41	16
42.	Pittsburgh Penguins	42	18
43.	Dallas Stars	43	25
44.	New Jersey Devils	44	8
45.	New York Rangers	45	2
			CST
46.	New York Jets	45	4
47.	Jacksonville Jaguars	45	31
48.	Vancouver Canucks	48	5
49.	Oklahoma City Thunder	48	27
50.	New York Knicks	50	2
51.	Carolina Panthers	51	29
52.	Denver Nuggets	52	13
53.	Philadelphia Eagles	53	14
54.	Houston Texans	54	22
55.	Orlando Magic	55	23
56.	Green Bay Packers	56	23
57.	Milwaukee Brewers	57	28
58.	Toronto Maple Leafs	58	1
59.	Florida Panthers	59	11
60.	Ottawa Senators	60	22
			CST
61.	Dallas Mavericks	61	6
62.	Indianapolis Colts	61	9
63.	Seattle Seahawks	63	20
64.	Chicago Bears	64	3
65.	New Orleans Hornets	65	30
66.	Seattle Mariners	66	13
67.	New York Mets	66	4
68.	Florida Marlins	68	16
69.	St. Louis Rams	69	19
70.	Kansas City Royals	70	19
71.	Miami Heat	71	4
72.	Los Angeles Kings	72	13
73.	Cincinnati Reds	73	27
74.	Milwaukee Bucks	74	17
75.	Washington Nationals	74	8
			CST
76.	Washington Redskins	76	6
77.	Baltimore Orioles	77	18
78.	Memphis Grizzlies	77	29
79.	Kansas City Chiefs	79	10
80.	Philadelphia Flyers	79	6
81.	Atlanta Thrashers	81	20
82.	Texas Rangers	82	22
83.	New York Yankees	83	1
84.	Cincinnati Bengals	84	13
85.	Calgary Flames	85	10
86.	Tampa Bay Lightning	86	26
87.	Phoenix Suns	87	7
88.	Detroit Lions	88	18
89.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	88	5
90.	San Diego Chargers	90	7
			CST
91.	Houston Astros	91	10
92.	Minnesota Wild	92	7
93.	San Francisco Giants	93	9
94.	Golden State Warriors	94	19
95.	Washington Wizards	94	26
96.	Oakland Raiders	96	24
97.	Phoenix Coyotes	97	29
98.	Cleveland Browns	98	30
99.	Chicago Bulls	99	5
100.	New York Islanders	100	15
101.	Cleveland Indians	101	15
102.	Atlanta Hawks	102	24
103.	Colorado Rockies	103	21
104.	Indiana Pacers	104	22
105.	Toronto Raptors	104	14
			CST
106.	Denver Broncos	106	12
107.	Montreal Canadiens	107	4
108.	New Jersey Nets	108	10
109.	San Diego Padres	109	17
110.	Oakland Athletics	110	14
111.	Minnesota Vikings	111	15
112.	Pittsburgh Pirates	112	29
113.	Dallas Cowboys	113	8
114.	Detroit Pistons	114	16
115.	Buffalo Bills	115	32
116.	Arizona Diamondbacks	115	30
117.	Colorado Avalanche	117	24
118.	Edmonton Oilers	118	14
119.	Minnesota Timberwolves	119	25
120.	Philadelphia 76ers	120	18
			CST
121.	Sacramento Kings	121	12
122.	Los Angeles Clippers	122	9