ESPN The Magazine has come out with its eighth annual “Ultimate Standings” ranking of North American major league sports franchises, based on “what professional sports teams give back to their fans in exchange for the time, money and emotion the fans invest in the teams.”
↵So how did our teams rank? Via Lewis Lazare in the Sun-Times, we learn that the Blackhawks rank 16th out of the 122 MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL teams rated.
↵This isn’t surprising, given the Hawks’ championship season. Their rise is spectacular — they ranked 118th as recently as three years ago.
↵Our other teams? Not so much:
↵↵↵White Sox, No. 73.
↵Bulls, No. 85.
↵Bears, No. 86.
↵The Cubs had the worst showing of all local teams, ranking 100th on the list.
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A cautionary tale for the Cubs, in particular. You can see, with the Blackhawks’ rise, how a team can turn its fortunes around quickly. But it takes hard work, money and a little bit of luck.