Atlanta Spirit hammered again in all-sports franchise rank

[HMFFL]

Atlanta Spirit hammered again in all-sports franchise rankings

HAWKS (103)

Last Year’s Rank: 44
Title Track: 118
Ownership: 101
Coaching: 118
Players: 120
Fan Relations: 114
Affordability: 86
Stadium Experience: 98
Bang for the Buck: 13

Okay, you try figuring out the Hawks. A year ago, with fans raving about the Al Horford and Joe Johnson combo (and that 53-win season), Atlanta jumped 36 spots in the Standings. The Hawks were poised to take that elusive next step. Fans should’ve seen the red flags when GM Rick Sund brought in former assistant Larry Drew to replace much-maligned head coach Mike Woodson. The Hawks regressed under Drew’s tutelage in the regular season (nine fewer wins) but were surprisingly tough in the playoffs, reaching the conference semifinals. Still, local bloggers want the front office blown up and the roster changed. “We have watched the Hawks be consistently inconsistent for over two years,” writes Hawk Str8Talk at Peachtree Hoops, “and now it’s time to make moves.” That negativity seems pervasive right now, as the Hawks dropped in nearly every category, from Ownership and Players (a free-fall from 47 to 120, even though the roster is largely unchanged) to Fan Relations and Stadium Experience. How strange are things in Atlanta these days? Even though the average cost of going to a game has dropped 21.7 percent since last year — the biggest drop in the NBA — Hawks games are still only the 86th-best deal out there, 39 spots worse than last year. Despite all that, they are ranked 13th in Bang for the Buck. Maybe it’s time we fly in some Sacramento fans to give folks in the ATL a little perspective.

Links:
AJC http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/ ... -rankings/
ESPN http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/teamrankings#table