Forgettable sports teams

[tBBP]

I think the fact that the Florida Panthers keep getting brought up in this thread is pretty clear evidence that their existence is prevalent in many people's minds. That alone actally makes them a little relevant, in that people can instantly think them up. Wouldn't you think??? (Irrelevance, to me at least, equals "completely forgotten about".)

Way back in the infancy of this thread, I threw out my pick for the major four pro sports' most irrelevant franchise. It gets no national coverage, most people couldn't name more than one starter from the squad--hell, I don't even think most people in the team's own state know much if anything about them. Even a recent rebrand did nothing to refresh the team's existence in the minds of people outside the city in which the team resides.

I can see how some people would deem the Bucks irrelevant, but I think Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut actually make them a teeny eeny bit relevant. (Of course, I've also followed the Bucks since the days of Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson, so that may just be personal bias there.) I can also see how people would say the Pacers are irrelevant, since they've been down as of late...but I still have plenty of fresh memories of "Miller Time", so maybe they're not in my mind.

Anyway, my pick for most irrelevant is most likely the last team you'd think of in the NBA...even worse considering it resides in its home state's capital city (which I guess is just as well, considering a good many people probably don't even know that the city IS the state capital). What team is it?

The Sacramento Kings.

[Saintsfan]

I'm just saying. If the Bucks get a pass for being good a long time ago then so do the Wizards. Though I do have to say that your NBA list is more or less on the ball (no pun intended). Still, even the most irrelevant NBA team is much more relevant then the Florida Panthers.

I don't know. Eyeballing their histories, it looks like the Bucks have made the playoffs about 75% of the seasons theyve been around, where as the Bullets/Wizards seem to make it about 50%. I guess I'll at least say its a toss-up.

Does making the NBA playoffs really make you relevant? I mean, more than half the league gets post season play. Just being first round fodder for a higher seed seems a weak argument for relevancy.

The real thing that shows both the Bucks and Bullets/Wizards as irrelevant is this- it's tough to think of a good player for either franchise who you don't associate more with another. Maybe Arenas (although are we going to remember his play or his guns more?), maybe in time Wall.

[AnythingChicago]

I agree with the Panthers on this one, but the Jackets aren't the most relevant team out there. A couple of my friends did the "Name the 30 NHL Teams" Sporcle quiz, and despite the fact that I talk about the Blue Jackets daily at school, the 1 team they forgot was Columbus.

Geez, we did get you hooked on Sporcle.

[Sodboy13]

We've been so distracted by the dueling circuses in Atlanta and Glendale, it's been hard to focus on the irrelevance of the Florida Panthers. (Als, that's hard to do because they're so irrelevant.) So I thought I'd share a little Florida Panthers moment from earlier this week. Someone on my Twitter feed had linked to a story about upcoming improvements to Lexus Rink at BankAtlantic Center Protected By SafeLite Auto Glass. I retweeted the link, mentioning that the only worthwhile improvement they could make to that arena would be to move it out of godforsaken Sunrise. Minutes later, the official Twitter account of the Florida Panthers (949 followers!) is following me. For mocking the team.

Basic social media interaction: you're doing it wrong.

[Sport]

We've been so distracted by the dueling circuses in Atlanta and Glendale, it's been hard to focus on the irrelevance of the Florida Panthers. (Als, that's hard to do because they're so irrelevant.) So I thought I'd share a little Florida Panthers moment from earlier this week. Someone on my Twitter feed had linked to a story about upcoming improvements to Lexus Rink at BankAtlantic Center Protected By SafeLite Auto Glass. I retweeted the link, mentioning that the only worthwhile improvement they could make to that arena would be to move it out of godforsaken Sunrise. Minutes later, the official Twitter account of the Florida Panthers (949 followers!) is following me. For mocking the team.

Basic social media interaction: you're doing it wrong.

Earlier this year the Panthers twitter started following me after the Blue Jackets played in Sunrise. At the time they only had 300 something followers (Our own TFoA has more twitter followers than that) so 949 is an improvement.

[NJTank]

The Florida Panthers are so irrelevant they have not made the playoffs since the Thrashers first season.

[Lee.]

They forgot.

[DarkJourney]

I think the fact that the Florida Panthers keep getting brought up in this thread is pretty clear evidence that their existence is prevalent in many people's minds. That alone actally makes them a little relevant, in that people can instantly think them up. Wouldn't you think??? (Irrelevance, to me at least, equals "completely forgotten about".)

Way back in the infancy of this thread, I threw out my pick for the major four pro sports' most irrelevant franchise. It gets no national coverage, most people couldn't name more than one starter from the squad--hell, I don't even think most people in the team's own state know much if anything about them. Even a recent rebrand did nothing to refresh the team's existence in the minds of people outside the city in which the team resides.

I can see how some people would deem the Bucks irrelevant, but I think Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut actually make them a teeny eeny bit relevant. (Of course, I've also followed the Bucks since the days of Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson, so that may just be personal bias there.) I can also see how people would say the Pacers are irrelevant, since they've been down as of late...but I still have plenty of fresh memories of "Miller Time", so maybe they're not in my mind.

Anyway, my pick for most irrelevant is most likely the last team you'd think of in the NBA...even worse considering it resides in its home state's capital city (which I guess is just as well, considering a good many people probably don't even know that the city IS the state capital). What team is it?

The Sacramento Kings.

Disagree. When the fight to keep the team from relocating to Anaheim makes national news I don't see that as irrelevant. Just my opinion on the matter.

[The_Admiral]

Minutes later, the official Twitter account of the Florida Panthers (949 followers!) is following me. For mocking the team.

Sounds like a threat. What are they gonna do, send Jack "Thought I Had a 500-Foot Breakaway" Skille after you? And what's he gonna do? Come running at you but forget to take a shot at you, and run into the wall behind you?

"Lexus Rink at BankAtlantic Center Protected By SafeLite Auto Glass." They didn't really do this, did they? I would totally believe it if they did, of course. Part of me is baffled that a hockey team on the precipice of existence is able to whore out so much stuff, but one thing radio has taught me is that just because you're selling inventory doesn't mean you're selling it for much. They'd probably just get a few free replacements if ever an errant golf ball should shatter Dale Tallon's windshield while he's supposed to be at work.

[illwauk]

I'm just saying. If the Bucks get a pass for being good a long time ago then so do the Wizards. Though I do have to say that your NBA list is more or less on the ball (no pun intended). Still, even the most irrelevant NBA team is much more relevant then the Florida Panthers.

I don't know. Eyeballing their histories, it looks like the Bucks have made the playoffs about 75% of the seasons theyve been around, where as the Bullets/Wizards seem to make it about 50%. I guess I'll at least say its a toss-up.

Does making the NBA playoffs really make you relevant? I mean, more than half the league gets post season play. Just being first round fodder for a higher seed seems a weak argument for relevancy.

The real thing that shows both the Bucks and Bullets/Wizards as irrelevant is this- it's tough to think of a good player for either franchise who you don't associate more with another. Maybe Arenas (although are we going to remember his play or his guns more?), maybe in time Wall.

As a lifelong Bucks follower (I stopped being a "fan" after the Ray Allen trade) I can promise that if the Bucks were ever to leave town, it'd probably take all of 30 days for them to be completely forgotten, at which time Marquette and UWM's season ticket bases would see a slight boost and Milwaukee would forget that it ever had the NBA.

[tvko]

It used to be the KC Royals for me, but they actually have a pretty decent farm system. So I guess I know 'em for that. Can't really be an NFL or NBA team because they all get so much exposure. MLB is followed in a different manner, and fantasy baseball increases "awareness." Thus, I think it's the Columbus Blue Jackets.

[bosrs1]

The Oakland Athletics.

They have no stars. Their All-Star rep from last season is still an unknown guy. They aren't a threat to make the playoffs, yet are rarely the worst team in baseball. Their attendance sucks. And, since they're out on the West Coast, they rarely make any headlines that deals with their play.

The only thing I can think of about the Athletics is that they had a 20-game win streak a few years ago. I even went to an Athletics-Rays game last year, and didn't know a damn thing about Oakland's roster, and I consider myself to be somewhat up-to-date on my baseball info.

Problem with the A's though is that they're constantly in the local news, they're decent, and they've won 4 World Series just in their time in Oakland (and 9 overall for 3rd most of any franchise after St. Louis and the Yankees). I don't think they'd qualify as irrelevant.

My vote would be for the Panthers. Even locals don't know they exist and they've never won anything.

[KCScout76]

For all those who picked a Kansas City team, may you contract Gonorrhea, your male-part rot and fall off, then you die. Now your irrevelant.

[sc49erfan15]

For all those who picked a Kansas City team, may you contract Gonorrhea, your male-part rot and fall off, then you die. Now your irrevelant.

[BBTV]

For all those who picked a Kansas City team, may you contract Gonorrhea, your male-part rot and fall off, then you die. Now your irrevelant.

Why do you take it personal that most people don't happen to think much of or notice the sports teams that you cheer for?

[charger77]

Kansas City has pro sports teams?

[FiddySicks]

Am I the only one who has a sense of humor around here? Come on now, that was actually kind of funny.

[Eye]

For all those who picked a Kansas City team, may you contract Gonorrhea, your male-part rot and fall off, then you die. Now your irrevelant.

Why do you take it personal that most people don't happen to think much of or notice the sports teams that you cheer for?

Things are different in Cleveland Kansas City. You don't get it.

[TrueYankee26]

I guess we can take the Winnipeg err Atlanta Thrashers off the list for now

[fillmont]

We've been so distracted by the dueling circuses in Atlanta and Glendale, it's been hard to focus on the irrelevance of the Florida Panthers. (Als, that's hard to do because they're so irrelevant.) So I thought I'd share a little Florida Panthers moment from earlier this week. Someone on my Twitter feed had linked to a story about upcoming improvements to Lexus Rink at BankAtlantic Center Protected By SafeLite Auto Glass. I retweeted the link, mentioning that the only worthwhile improvement they could make to that arena would be to move it out of godforsaken Sunrise. Minutes later, the official Twitter account of the Florida Panthers (949 followers!) is following me. For mocking the team.

Basic social media interaction: you're doing it wrong.

According to this, the official Florida Panthers twitter has over 12,000 followers.