Top 20 teams no one cares about

[Jimmy 440]

http://www.comcast.net/sports/forgottenteams/slideshow/view/


The top 20 teams that no one cares about.
How about your picks ?
This could be interesting.

 

[fhsucade07]

http://www.comcast.net/sports/forgottenteams/slideshow/view/


The top 20 teams that no one cares about.
How about your picks ?
This could be interesting.

I'm surprised by some of those picks... Anyways, before even opening the article, I would have said the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks right from the start. So, I wasn't surprised to see either of those on the list. I wasn't too surprised to see the Bobcats on the list but was a little confused about Toronto (NBA). I was honestly surprised to see the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals on the list. I'd say the Jaguars might have been on there due to attendance issues (as I've often heard that when (and if) an NFL team is relocated, it will probably be them). I'm personally a Bengals fan and the last game I went to (drove 400 miles north to get there) was during the year that they made it to the playoffs and Carson Palmer was injured -- seemed like plenty of people cared for them back then. These days, though, I'm so happy to see the NFL coming back that I'd view any of the thirty teams with pleasure and wouldn't have thought of placing any of them on the list.

Oh, and very surprised about the Bruins.

 

[AntAltMike]

I couldn't get the list to open, but I would have said, "All the pro soccer teams... if there are any".

When Washington, DC's team won the title in whatever league they played in, they drew 700 people for their free, "Honor the team" celebration, prompting Tony Kornheiser to write that when a new dry cleaner has a grand opening on Connecticutt Avenue, they draw more than 700 people.

 

[anders5189]

Some of the picks were obvious like the Clippers and the Marlins, but others were a bit unfair. For instance I've always understood Minnesota fans to be crazy about the Vikings. The attendance issues there are not so much due to fan apathy, but rather the fact that the Metrodome is small by NFL standards. And if 29,000 people show up for Washington Nationals games, as bad as they are, the team should be thrilled. And why did they bother putting a soccer team on the list? Even the worst teams in the other leagues get more support than a soccer team.

 

[fhsucade07]

Some of the picks were obvious like the Clippers and the Marlins, but others were a bit unfair. For instance I've always understood Minnesota fans to be crazy about the Vikings. The attendance issues there are not so much due to fan apathy, but rather the fact that the Metrodome is small by NFL standards. And if 29,000 people show up for Washington Nationals games, as bad as they are, the team should be thrilled. And why did they bother putting a soccer team on the list? Even the worst teams in the other leagues get more support than a soccer team.

Agreed 100%. Some of the picks just baffled me. The Vikings were at the top of that list. The people in Minnesota seem to be firmly behind the Vikings and I would agree with you that it is an issue over the Metrodome capacity. The last I heard (from a friend in Minneapolis) is that the team is really trying to move forward with new stadium plans. Living in the Nationals territory, I can tell you that on most nights, it looks as though they have less than 5 or 6 thousand in attendance. In fact, I can remember the attendance dropping pretty sharply within two weeks of the opening of the new park. I made it to an Orioles game a few weeks back (and regularly flip over to their games) and come away shocked at how bad the attendance was (I figured it would be bad but it was just pitiful).

I'm not sure about the Toronto Raptors on the list either. They average around 19,000 in attendance per game which equals about 92% of the arena seating area. Plus, they were one of the league leaders in season ticket sales last year.

As for the soccer team... I don't personally know anyone who watches an MLS game from start to finish (or even for a minute).

 

[Jimmy 440]

I was a bit surprised to see the Miami Dolphins & the Baltimore Orioles on the list.They were both great teams in the 70s.As much as I love hockey,I would have had the Ottawa Senators on that list.I consider them boring to watch.

 

[Ramy]

The top 20 should have been all MLS teams along with some NHL teams. You can't tell me that any of the MLS teams are more popular than even the least popular NFL team.

 

[hockeynut5150]

As much as I love hockey,I would have had the Ottawa Senators on that list.I consider them boring to watch.

They were pretty good up until they made the wrong choice and kept Redden over Chara (thanks Sens! :up)

 

[redophile]

Surprised that the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates were not on the list.

KC last won the Series in '85, never made the playoffs or gained much recognition since. Remember when they were contenders back in'03 and a critical division matchup between them and the White Sox didn't get very good ratings on ESPN.

The Buccos haven't gotten much recognition well, since Mr. Bonds left. In reference to another thread about cities' preferences of teams, Pittsburgh is far and away Steelers territory.

Dolphins? They suck but Bill Parcells is one of the reasons why people DO care about them. What about the Houston Texans?

 

[tigerfan33]

The top 20 should have been all MLS teams along with some NHL teams. You can't tell me that any of the MLS teams are more popular than even the least popular NFL team.

+1

 

[BillD1984]

The top 20 should have been all MLS teams along with some NHL teams. You can't tell me that any of the MLS teams are more popular than even the least popular NFL team.

Agreed. That's why this list should only contain the teams from the "big four" of pro sports.

 

[John W]

South Florida is absolutely terrible at supporting their sports

 

[mccoyrj]

Surprised that the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates were not on the list.

KC last won the Series in '85, never made the playoffs or gained much recognition since. Remember when they were contenders back in'03 and a critical division matchup between them and the White Sox didn't get very good ratings on ESPN.

The Buccos haven't gotten much recognition well, since Mr. Bonds left. In reference to another thread about cities' preferences of teams, Pittsburgh is far and away Steelers territory.

Dolphins? They suck but Bill Parcells is one of the reasons why people DO care about them. What about the Houston Texans?

The Royals and Pirates, although their intercity NFL teams are preferred, are supported more than you think by their local fans. It would be a safe bet to say that if either one starts playing better, they will start drawing big crowds.

 

[brainfry]

I'm personally a Bengals fan and the last game I went to (drove 400 miles north to get there) was during the year that they made it to the playoffs and Carson Palmer was injured -- seemed like plenty of people cared for them back then.

Where does that put you? Somewhere between Chattanooga and Atlanta?

If you look at that list, you'll notice that they mean fan apathy as it is relative to recent or historical success, not just teams people don't care about. The higher you go on the list, you see teams that have recently come close to winning championships or that had been good for decades straight until a recent downturn.

That said, #11 isn't a bad place to be, in my book!