Diamondbacks ranked ninth in ESPN’s pro sports franchise rankings
Oct 13, 2015, 7:15 PM
The Arizona Diamondbacks celebrate after a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks won 8-6. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The Arizona Diamondbacks received high praise from ESPN’s pro sports franchise rankings, coming in at No. 9.
All 122 franchises across the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL were ranked on eight categories: Title track, ownership, coaching, players, fan relations, affordability, stadium experience and bang for the buck.
The D-backs were in the top 25 for four of the seven categories. Their affordability was third, bang for the buck seventh, stadium experience 11th and fan relations 22nd. That’s not too shabby for a team that finished with the worst record in baseball in 2014.
Chase Field had the cheapest average cost per game at $29.56. Combined with the cheap light rail system and the variety of the stadium, they placed sixth among all MLB franchises for stadium experience.
While the team’s lack of success the past couple of seasons is an issue, All-Star players like Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock had the team improve 43 spots over last year’s player ranking.
Two more Arizona franchises fared well in the rankings, with the Arizona Cardinals ranked 32nd and the Arizona Coyotes ranked 44th.
The Cardinals rank highest in the coaching category in the NFL with Bruce Arians (sixth) and like the D-backs, the Coyotes used great affordability (sixth) to have a good spot in the rankings.
Unfortunately, the Phoenix Suns did not have the same success and finished at 107. Their only category to finish in the top 80 was coaching, where Jeff Hornacek placed 66th. Their ownership, title track, players, and fan relations all were outside the top 100.
The San Antonio Spurs finished first for the second straight year.
