The Toronto Maple Leafs are the worst team in North American sports, according to a recent article from ESPN.com
Since 2003, ESPN has released their “ultimate standings” where they rank the teams from the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB in terms of eight categories (affordability, bang for your buck, coaching, fan relations, ownership, players, stadium experience, and title track).
ESPN posted recent version of the article on Thursday where the Leafs ranked at the bottom with extremely low rankings in affordability, bang for your back, fan relations, players and title track.
Toronto, one of the classic franchises in the NHL, has not won a Stanley Cup since 1967, when there were only six teams. Since the 2004-05 lockout ended, the Leafs are the only franchise who have not made a post-season appearance.
The highest ranking Canadian team on the ESPN list was the Ottawa Senators (No. 42 out of 122), who have never won a championship. The Senators scored high grades in coaching, fan relations and ownership.
The highest-ranked NHL teams were the Phoenix Coyotes (No. 6) and Tampa Bay Lightning (No.7), which presented a few glaring flaws on the list. Phoenix and Tampa Bay both have greatly struggled with attendance over the past decade but they scored extremely high in affordability and bang for your buck.
Other notable appearances included the Toronto Blue Jays (No. 79), Vancouver Canucks (No. 92), Toronto Raptors (No. 103), Calgary Flames (No. 106), Montreal Canadiens (No. 111) and Edmonton Oilers (No. 114).
Seattle fans may not like this but the Oklahoma City Thunder ranked atop the list with the top-10 grades in five of the eight categories. The other teams that rounded out the top five were the Green Bay Packers, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Grizzlies.
