Well we had the Super Bowl and, heck, the Cosmos won the NASL title last summer, right? And we have the Rangers still alive in the NHL Playoffs and the Nets are moving along so far. Isn’t that enough winning in New York?
Truth is we are a city of buzz and get it done now, where even a Hall of famer like Phil Jackson can’t seem to enjoy a honeymoon. What is it about the culture of New York that makes us love our teams, and accept mediocre results at best. Can the Yankees or the Knicks or the Jets still charge top dollar and talk of the dreaded rebuilding? Or is that just for small markets?
Are we too good for it?
If you look at the current issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek you will see that not only do fans think you have to get it done now in new York, but teams believe it to. The magazine ranked all 122 NFL, NBA, NHL and NFL teams with a “Smartest Spender” formula, taking into account dollars on payroll, winning in the field and even…gasp…championships. The result? The only major market well outside the Top 10? You guessed it. New York.
Three Boston area teams make the top 25 – The Bruins at #3, Patriots at #4, and Celtics at #23 – while the Red Sox come in at #86, due to their lost 2012 season.
Chicago teams claim the first and last spots on this year’s ranking – the Blackhawks are #1 and the Cubs are #122. The Bulls are #27, Bears are #57, and the White Sox are #112.
Los Angeles sees the Kings at #13, Lakers at #18, Anaheim Ducks at #56, Clippers at #68, Dodgers at #80, and Angels at #102.
No New York area teams rank in the top 30, and five of the area’s nine teams rank in the bottom half of the list. The New York Giants are #32, New Jersey Devils are #43, New York Rangers are #47, New York Jets are #50, Knicks are #77, Islanders are #91, Yankees are #92, Brooklyn Nets are #98, and the Mets are #118.
The only other metro area that suffered a similar fate? Washington DC/Baltimore: Washington is the only market to have two teams in the bottom 10 slots: The Redskins are #115 – and one of the three worst franchises in the NFL – and the Washington Wizards are #120 (that will change given the teams fortunes this year; take that Knicks fans). The Baltimore Ravens are an NFL best #7, Washington Capitals are #30, Washington Nationals are #58, and the Baltimore Orioles are #70.
Wait til next year New Yorkers…and keep shelling out the dough.