Mid-June in D.C. sports means video of Alex Ovechkin smoking ahookah in Russia, reports of D.C. United's television ratings (theclub's ratings on Comcast SportsNet through five games are up 340percent) and joyful stories about how former Washington Wizards likeDeShawn Stevenson have defeated LeBron James.
(And also, sorrowful stories about how Stevenson was laterarrested by police in Irving, Tex., for public intoxication. Thoughbefore Stevenson's arrest late Tuesday, he gave a radio interview toDallas's 105.3 The Fan, in which he again assailed James'scharacter, this time for making fun of Dirk Nowitzki's cough.)
'I was [mad] about it. But at the same time it shows a lot abouttheir character and how they do things,' Stevenson said. 'And Ithink that's why a lot of people dislike them or don't like the waythey handle things. You know, Dirk is a soldier. He plays through atorn finger, he had a sinus infection with a 101 [degree]temperature, and I don't know if people know, a sinus infection islike the worst thing you could ever have.'
I don't think he was joking.
Anyhow, mid-June in D.C. also means the annual release of ESPNThe Magazine's Ultimate Standings, which might not provide the finaljudgment regarding franchise health across the four major sports,but sure are fun to stare at.
A year ago, these rankings - which claim to provide 'an overallranking for pro sports franchises according to how much they giveback to fans for the time, money and emotion they invest in them' -had the Washington Wizards ranked 120th out of the 122 teams in thefour major North American pro leagues. Owner Ted Leonsis reactedwith appropriate concern.
'We still have lots of work to do,' was the headline of hissubsequent blog post. 'ESPN has a tough criterion. We want toimprove. We want to serve our communities and our customers well. Wewant to win as well. We have work to do. No rest for the weary. Wehear you all on this poll.'
Well, the Wizards made modest improvements over the past year,climbing to 110th, presumably on the strength of John Wall and thosenew fill-from-the-bottom beer dispensers.
But the news wasn't all swell for this metropolis, as theRedskins slid to 121st among 122 North American pro franchises.
That means the Redskins are behind the Raiders, who finished104th. They're behind the Clippers, who were 105th. They're behindthe haphazard Bills (107th) and Knicks (109th). They're behind thewoeful Islanders (114th), and the Atlanta Thrashers (115th), whoaren't even the Atlanta Thrashers any more. They're behind the Mets(117th) and the Kings (119th), franchises that have offered fans allthe stability of a Rehoboth Tilt-A-Whirl in recent years
In fact, the Redskins are ahead only of the Bengals, territorynot often associated with a franchise that won three world titleswithin the past 30 years. The rest of the bottom eight teams havecombined for one title in that span.
(The Capitals finished 27th in the rankings, while the Nats were78th. The top five included the Packers, Lightning, Saints, Angelsand Spurs.)
Even more troubling, perhaps, was the result of the ESPN fansurvey, asking fans to rate on a scale of 1-5 how their commitmentto their favorite team had changed in recent years. The Redskinsfinished tied with the Kings for 116th in that category. That's likefinishing tied with Rep. Anthony Weiner on a list of potentialcommencement speakers at an all-girls school.
The full rankings, which are in the 'Best in Sports' issue thathits newstands Friday, are based on efficiency in spending fan moneycompared to on-field performance, while also factoring in feedbackfrom 70,000 fans in online and independent polls. The categoriesinclude 'bang for the buck' (24.3 percent), players (16.6), fanrelations (16.5), affordability (14.1), stadium experience (9.1),ownership (9.0), title track (6.7), and coaching (3.9).
