Forgettable sports teams

[IceCap]

Exactly. Past franchise success doesn't mean anything when it comes to deciding "who's more irrelevant?"

Actually, you know what? That sounds like a Deadliest Warrior spin-off.

Next up. The Los Angeles Clippers. Perennial red haired step child of the Los Angeles basketball market. Not even a season in which they outperformed the Lakers helped shake the perceptions of futility. They're up against the Florida Panthers. Despite a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural year, this team has failed in every aspect in trying to win the hearts and minds of the Miami faithful. Most southern Floridians are unaware of their existence, and they've recently celebrated their first last-place season with an on-ice celebration complete with confetti.

WHO. IS. MORE IRRELEVANT?

Anyway in terms of the NBA I would say neither the Clippers or the Knicks. It's the Warriors. Though even the Warriors, on their worst day, can't even come close to the irrelevancy that is the Florida Panthers. The levels of irrelevancy this team sinks to should be studied. Every year they find a way to somehow sink lower. Last season was the confetti celebration. Next season they're blocking out the top tier of seats to decrease capacity, and they have the guts to try and spin it as a positive.

[DDR]

Exactly. Past franchise success doesn't mean anything when it comes to deciding "who's more irrelevant?"

Actually, you know what? That sounds like a Deadliest Warrior spin-off.

Next up. The Los Angeles Clippers. Perennial red haired step child of the Los Angeles basketball market. Not even a season in which they outperformed the Lakers helped shake the perceptions of futility. They're up against the Florida Panthers. Despite a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural year, this team has failed in every aspect in trying to win the hearts and minds of the Miami faithful. Most southern Floridians are unaware of their existence, and they've recently celebrated their first last-place season with an on-ice celebration complete with confetti.

WHO. IS. MORE IRRELEVANT?

Anyway in terms of the NBA I would say neither the Clippers or the Knicks. It's the Warriors. Though even the Warriors, on their worst day, can't even come close to the irrelevancy that is the Florida Panthers. The levels of irrelevancy this team sinks to should be studied. Every year they find a way to somehow sink lower. Last season was the confetti celebration. Next season they're blocking out the top tier of seats to decrease capacity, and they have the guts to try and spin it as a positive.

I would agree, that as presently constituted the Florida Panthers are an embarrassment. But assuming they move somewhere with a hockey fanbase, I have complete faith in Dale Tallon building a playoff caliber team.

[DustDevil61]

I would agree, that as presently constituted the Florida Panthers are an embarrassment. But assuming they move somewhere with a hockey fanbase, I have complete faith in Dale Tallon building a playoff caliber team.

That's not going to be easy with this man (and those that keep him in office) in the way:

But I digress.

[KJHillis]

A good way to tell in my opinion is to go to an online shop and see who has the least amount of items

just go on the NHL shop and see the wide selction of Florida Panthers merchandise

I think irrelevant means no interesting storylines and no national coverage...these teams seem to lack an identity...watch ESPN for a month and you'll figure it out quick depending on where you live.. see I live in Columbia,SC and the Panthers seem quite relevant to me in my small world

IMO it's the Bucks in the NBA.. i mean when do you hear about them besides when deer run through their bars? the Pacers also seem very boring... name your top 5 Pacers or Bucks of all time

in the NHL it is definitely the Panthers.. I occasionally think about them in my spare time and I remember playing against them a lot on PS2... 2nd would be the Islanders IMO

in the NFL the raiders have fell into a pit of obscurity... the Seahawks are pretty uninspiring too

in the MLB I hate to put Baltimore because of some of the greats to put on that uniform so I went in another direction... that direction led straight to Kansas City... George Brett annd ?? Greinke?

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Changing the discussion a bit -- Big East football is basically irrelevant, isn't? Even though I'm a fan of the league, even I can't really justify their automatic BCS bid.

[dfwabel]

Changing the discussion a bit -- Big East football is basically irrelevant, isn't? Even though I'm a fan of the league, even I can't really justify their automatic BCS bid.

The "Pat White" years kept them off life support since WVU won two BCS games. Louisville also won the Orange Bowl in that time, but they played Wake. They are off the grid due to their markets don't like the sport, they air their games early along with the Big Ten, and the hoops part dwarfs them.

[RyanMcD29]

Changing the discussion a bit -- Big East football is basically irrelevant, isn't? Even though I'm a fan of the league, even I can't really justify their automatic BCS bid.

Eh, call me a little biased but I think they're about the same level as the ACC. I mean if it weren't for going up against Tim Tebow in his swan song Cinci could've very well gone undefeated, plus Pitt, WVU, and Rutgers are always in the top 25. I do think the fact it's a northeast based conference and the region's not that high on college sports, basketball and maybe lacrosse nonwithstanding, makes it on the irrelevant side, though.

[rams80]

That, and your Conference still confronts a very real existential threat from the Big Ten and their desire to expand the BTN footprint to New York.

[LocalVulture]

I would agree, that as presently constituted the Florida Panthers are an embarrassment. But assuming they move somewhere with a hockey fanbase, I have complete faith in Dale Tallon building a playoff caliber team.

That's not going to be easy with this man (and those that keep him in office) in the way:

But I digress.

Man he has that "Sam Neill as adult Damian in The Final Conflict" vibe going here

[OnWis97]

I'm blown away at the lack of "love" for the Timberwolves. One good season. Nothing to get excited about since (about a year before) KG left. Nobody will sign there because of the weather and the fact that they are so poorly run. They slide two spots in every draft because of the lottery and therefore never get interesting rookies. The Clippers are roughly as bad as the Wolves, but they play in a market that matters and, therefore, are at least a running joke. If the Timberwolves were contracted, only the most hard care fans outside of Minnesota would even realize it. While there are a few NHL teams that you could argue, in the US, are more irrelevant, I don't think there are any NBA, MLB or NFL teams.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The Timberwolves has residual cool factor from their run with Marbury, Sczerbiak and Garnett. They were the hip team in the mid-to-late 90's, so they get a pass.

The Panthers were never, ever cool.

[RyanMcD29]

That, and your Conference still confronts a very real existential threat from the Big Ten and their desire to expand the BTN footprint to New York.

Yep, plus the ACC will probably take whoever's left after that raid if it occurs

[Lono407]

How is this for irrelevance?

http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlteams_results.php

Its a simple quiz naming the 30 teams in the NHL. While market wise Miami might not be as strong as Buffalo or Columbus, its definitely no different in terms of anonymity among the general population.

The bottom 4 teams are, in order, Phoenix, Columbus, Buffalo and Nashville.

My top 5 teams for irrelevance are the Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Predators and Panthers.

Support in Buffalo might be top 10, but outside Western NY, who the hell knows or cares really what a Buffalo Sabre is? No Championships in 40 years.

As far as free agency, trade deadline, marketing, tv coverage goes, none of these teams get anything.

They might as well be playing in the AHL.

[Lono407]

Even better title might be teams that the NHL doesnt rely on for anything.

If any of these teams win a Cup it would have a minimal effect overall on the league, and the only reason most of these teams are even around is because of revenue sharing.

[Lono407]

Atlanta I wont include because its the Capital of the South, and it should have an NHL team. Its third in Fortune 500 Companies behind NYC and Chicago in the country, so financially there is no issue, its fan interest.

Its not like putting a team in Mobile, AL. I think the main southern cities that need to be concentrated on are Dallas and Atlanta. When it comes to market size and $$$$. Carolina and Tampa are fine as well.

Bettman's idea for spreading fan interest might be sketchy but one city that they really need to try is Atlanta.

Put a successful team on the ice and the fans will show up. Look at the Coyotes this past season. They started really selling out at the end of the year and for the playoffs.

The issue is doing it consistently.

I would probably move the Panthers, Predators, Coyotes and Sabres to Quebec, Portland, Winnipeg and Hamilton respectively. Places with more hockey interest and financial viability, and while some may scoff at moving the Sabres, Hamilton is the perfect place because its not too far and its the opposite of Buffalo: GROWING.

[Sodboy13]

You made three consecutive posts, and you forgot to put a thought in any of them. Nice work.

[IceCap]

I wouldn't count the Sabres as irrelevant. In southern Ontario they're known for both being rivals of the Leafs and the team to get tickets to if you want to see NHL hockey and you can't get Leafs tickets. So they're pretty relevant in the hockey hotbed of southern Ontario.

The Coyotes are certainly not irrelevant. Have you been following the sad tale of ownership woes for the past year? They've been a top story. Sure, ratings are terrible, attendance can't beat out Canadian junior teams, and the community doesn't seem to care (aside from the esteemed members of the Glendale City Council that is), but they're still relevant.

The Blue Jackets and Predators may be irrelevant on a larger scale, but at least people in their respective communities know they exist.

The Panthers? Even sports fans in southern Florida forget they have a hockey team. They average less then 500 homes ratings-wise, they celebrated a last place finish with fricken confetti, and they're actually trying to spin having to black out upper levels of seating as a move to increase the intimate atmosphere of the games. No, this is a no contest. Even Canadian sports writers forget to mention the Panthers when naming southern teams in relocation articles.

The Panthers are the most irrelevant team in sports. Everyone else is just fighting it out for a distant second.

[NJTank]

How is this for irrelevance?

http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlteams_results.php

Its a simple quiz naming the 30 teams in the NHL. While market wise Miami might not be as strong as Buffalo or Columbus, its definitely no different in terms of anonymity among the general population.

The bottom 4 teams are, in order, Phoenix, Columbus, Buffalo and Nashville.

My top 5 teams for irrelevance are the Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Predators and Panthers.

Support in Buffalo might be top 10, but outside Western NY, who the hell knows or cares really what a Buffalo Sabre is? No Championships in 40 years.

As far as free agency, trade deadline, marketing, tv coverage goes, none of these teams get anything.

They might as well be playing in the AHL.

I think teams that have a loyal fan base like the Sabres can never be considered irrelevant for that very reason.

To truly be irrelevant you have to be non-competitive and not even a blip in your teams market, like the Florida Panthers or Los Angeles Clippers.

[ninersdd]

Atlanta I wont include because its the Capital of the South, and it should have an NHL team. Its third in Fortune 500 Companies behind NYC and Chicago in the country, so financially there is no issue, its fan interest.

Its not like putting a team in Mobile, AL. I think the main southern cities that need to be concentrated on are Dallas and Atlanta. When it comes to market size and $$$$. Carolina and Tampa are fine as well.

Bettman's idea for spreading fan interest might be sketchy but one city that they really need to try is Atlanta.

Put a successful team on the ice and the fans will show up. Look at the Coyotes this past season. They started really selling out at the end of the year and for the playoffs.

The issue is doing it consistently.

I would probably move the Panthers, Predators, Coyotes and Sabres to Quebec, Portland, Winnipeg and Hamilton respectively. Places with more hockey interest and financial viability, and while some may scoff at moving the Sabres, Hamilton is the perfect place because its not too far and its the opposite of Buffalo: GROWING.

Yeah, they sold out thanks to some MAJOR help from the Red Wings fan

[winters in buffalo]

How is this for irrelevance?

http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlteams_results.php

Its a simple quiz naming the 30 teams in the NHL. While market wise Miami might not be as strong as Buffalo or Columbus, its definitely no different in terms of anonymity among the general population.

The bottom 4 teams are, in order, Phoenix, Columbus, Buffalo and Nashville.

My top 5 teams for irrelevance are the Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Predators and Panthers.

Support in Buffalo might be top 10, but outside Western NY, who the hell knows or cares really what a Buffalo Sabre is? No Championships in 40 years.

As far as free agency, trade deadline, marketing, tv coverage goes, none of these teams get anything.

They might as well be playing in the AHL.

I may have to cut you. OK, I'm kidding, but I'll definitely name my next bowel movement after you.

The Sabres are far from irrelevant. They've been a major factor in the league several of the past 5 or 6 seasons. And to say no one outside of WNY thinks about them is false. They're huge in the south. They get as much support in NC as the Hurricanes do.