ESPN The Magazine's annual Ultimate Standings issue came out earlier this week. The issue includes a ranking of the teams from the four major professional sports leagues based on the following criteria: bang for the buck, fan relations, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players, coaching and title track.
This year, the Detroit Lions are ranked 94th out of 122 in the team standings. This is the highest they have ever been when the rankings include all four of the major professional sports leagues. Here is a breakdown of where the Lions are ranked for each category:
- Bang for the buck: 105
- Fan relations: 95
- Ownership: 78
- Affordability: 83
- Stadium experience: 77
- Players: 88
- Coaching: 51
- Title track: 98
Believe it or not, but the Detroit Pistons are 113th. Just a few years ago the Pistons were near the top of the list. After a few years of awful basketball and many issues with the franchise, they have dropped into the bottom 10.
The highest-ranked Detroit team is the Red Wings, which are No. 17 on the list. The Red Wings are second in fan relations, first in ownership, sixth in players, eighth in coaching and first in title track. If not for Joe Louis Arena, which ranks 84th in stadium experience, the Wings would be much higher. (The Tigers are 52nd, by the way.)