Bizjournals.com recently released a set of rankings of every major professional sports team. If you're a D.C. sports fan, there aren't many surprises; by and large, this city's teams stink.
They ranked the teams on two fronts. How well did they do last year on the field? Uh-oh. And how healthy are they off the field?
It's probably not a surprise that Ted Leonsis' Caps team came out on top. They're the 41st "best" (or whatever you want to call it) professional team, and the 10th overall in the NHL. They win. They've got buzz. And now that the bandwagon's full, they're selling out the Phone Booth.
Dan Snyder's boys can't point to their on-field success, but since he's getting people to pay big bucks to sit behind concrete posts while being celebrated for his "marketing," then he's doing something right for half the formula. They're the 12th best NFL team overall -- at least by this metric. (First, if you're measuring by offseason championships.)
Old man Pollin's Wizards team checks in at 82 overall, and 19th in the NBA. Apparently bizjournals doesn't check the standings.
And bringing up D.C's rear are our lovably inept Nats. They're 113th out of 122 ranked franchises. Imagine how much higher they'd be if their owner wasn't hoarding all the profits!
But the Nats aren't the worst team in baseball. For that, head up I-95 or out I-70. The Orioles and Pirates both come in below the Nats.
There aren't too many D.C. baseball fans who'd be sad to see Peter Angelos' spawn below them, and most D.C. fans (at least the natives) are always happy to be above the 'Burgh in anything.
Oh, next year will be different. The Nats will push .500. The Caps will have a Cup. The Wizards, well, they'll do something less horrible. And the Skins? Well, we'll just have to see.
Chris Needham used to write Capitol Punishment. His simple mind likes lists.
