ESPN team rankings

[halifax]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/teamrankings

of the four major team sports 5 NHL teams rank in the top 10....I see the Leafs ranked 120th

[Louie14]

I was planning a rebuttal but then I actually looked at the link.

The best I can come up with is "oh, ESPN covers hockey now?"

GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO

[Bo Knows NHL94]

if you put the Penguins in the Pirates stadium and vice-versa then I'm pretty sure Pittsburgh would have the first and last ranked team in the poll haha

[Bo Knows NHL94]

aka the only thing holding the Pens back is the Mellon and the only thing keeping the Pirates afloat is PNC Park

[The Russian Rocket]

aka the only thing holding the Pens back is the Mellon and the only thing keeping the Pirates afloat is PNC Park

Never knew 3000 spectators a game, was keeping things ''afloat'', same s**t with the Expos, but worst, at least, we didn't drafted like we were retarded, and spent money on our A, AA and AAA affiliates...

[matthurray]

Never knew 3000 spectators a game, was keeping things ''afloat'', same s**t with the Expos, but worst, at least, we didn't drafted like we were retarded, and spent money on our A, AA and AAA affiliates...

you must be a statistician, quoting numbers like 3000 and all

[The Russian Rocket]

you must be a statistician, quoting numbers like 3000 and all

LoL, no, it's because the baseball analyst always laugh off the Pirates, so i think i remember that being an all time low.

[RedWingDevil]

I'd dare say the Mellon Arena holds more people than that. The Penguins have been in there for quite a while.

[The Russian Rocket]

I'd dare say the Mellon Arena holds more people than that. The Penguins have been in there for quite a while.

.... I was talking about the PNC park lol...

[TruePensFan1981]

Never knew 3000 spectators a game, was keeping things ''afloat'', same s**t with the Expos, but worst, at least, we didn't drafted like we were retarded, and spent money on our A, AA and AAA affiliates...

If you look up "incompetence" in the dictionary, you'd see a picture of the Pittsburgh Pirates logo. While I will gladly join you and anybody else in poking fun at the Pirates and their attendance, I feel obligated to let you know that low attendance doesn't always lead to low profits.

Despite their pathetic attendance, it's not the seats that are the money-makers in professional sports. Teams make most of their revenues off the luxury box suites (hence why the Pens needed a new arena). So even with the low attendance, the Pirates will be able to keep their head above water because the beautiful PNC park will draw what few fans arrive to the games, and they're still selling their luxury box suite tickets.

Most professional sports stadiums in America have dozens of luxury box suites (some have as much as 60 or more!). If I remember correctly, Mellon Arena has less than 20.

I should also point out that the MLB has a great revenue-sharing plan that actually helps pathetic teams like the Pirates out. This is why the Marlins and Rays can continue to be Scrooge-like stingy penny-pinchers and still make a profit. Quite frankly, I'm amazed that the Marlins and Rays have fielded competitive teams while being cheapskates in the front office. This leads me to believe they're quite good at talent evaluation!