Bulls, Heat and Spurs top our NBA-NHL Composite Business Rankings

May 25, 2012

The Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are the top-performing sport franchises on our 2012 NBA-NHL Composite Business Power Rankings.

Six of the top-10 performing franchises hail from the hard wood of the NBA.

The NBA-NHL Composite Business Power Rankings rate the 60 teams in both leagues on the strength of their overall performance, based on an equal blend of rankings in sport operations (winning percentage during the regular season) and business operations (results in areas such as attendance, ticket price, box office and overall franchise valuation).

Chicago’s NBA franchise finished first overall for the second straight year, ranking first in sport operations and fourth in business. Only the #1 New York Knicks of the NBA, #2 Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and #3 Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA ranked higher in business operations among the 60 teams in both leagues.

Rounding out the podium of top-three overall finishers are the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. Unlike the Bulls, the Heat and Spurs are both headed to the conference finals in their respective east and west conferences in the NBA. The Heat is second overall in the 2012 NBA-NHL Composite Business Power Rankings on the fourth-best sport operations record and sixth best business results. San Antonio, a relative small market franchise that quietly goes about its business, both on and off the court, is third with the second-best sport record and 10th best business results this season.

“The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League present an interesting direct comparable in the business of sport given the similar operating conditions and structure in both leagues,” said sport business commentator Tom Mayenknecht, host of The Sport Market on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto and TEAM 1040 in Vancouver and heard nationally on TSN.ca/radio and teamradio.ca. “They’re both 30-team leagues, both typically play 82-game schedules and both play in similar venues and oftentimes under the same roof. Their post-seasons are also similarly structured, with the single major difference being that the NBA doesn’t reseed after each round in the playoffs.”

Mayenknecht noted that television is the chief difference between the two leagues and it continues to show in the Composite Business Power Rankings.

“The NHL is doing a good job in catching up with the NBA, definitely on attendance and slowly but surely in actual box office,” said Mayenknecht. “ But the NBA continues to work from a position of strength in terms of its broadcast agreements, TV ratings and TV revenues and that translates into higher franchise valuation across the board.

That in turn translates into a stronger position on our comparative business rankings, with six of the top-10 franchises in the two leagues hailing from the NBA.”

The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks are #1 and #2 in the NHL and are ranked #4 and #6 overall. The Toronto Maple Leafs are ranked 17th overall (2nd in business and 43rd in sport operations) while the Toronto Raptors are 39th overall (21st in business and 54th in sport).

The Charlotte Bobcats, under the ownership and leadership of NBA legend Michael Jordan, are at the bottom of the pack in the 2012 NBA-NHL Composite Business Power Rankings in 60th place. The Bobcats are 60th in sport and 49th in business.

The other weak links are the Phoenix Coyotes (44th overall based on 60th in business and 20th in sport), the New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, New Orleans Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies are 35th overall (16th in sport and 55th in business).

“That’s a real disconnect in Memphis,” said Mayenknecht. “There, you have a good team that’s been in the playoffs the past few years but is still at the bottom of the heap in business operations and franchise valuation in the NBA. I know it’s become a cliché, but the worst trade in NBA history continues to be Vancouver to Memphis. It just hasn’t worked out in any way that gives you a sense that the Grizzlies and the NBA have long-term traction in that market.”

For the NBA-NHL Composite Business Power Rankings, visit:

http://thesportmarket.biz/charts/franchisestats/aggregate/top2012.html

For the NBA Business Power Rankings, visit:

http://thesportmarket.biz/charts/franchisestats/nbapowerrankings/top2012.html

For the NHL Business Power Rankings, visit:

http://thesportmarket.biz/charts/franchisestats/nhlpowerrankings/top2012.html

TheSportMarket.biz