Thunder Named Nation's Sixth-Best Sports Franchise

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder has been named the sixth-best sports franchise in the nation according to ESPN The Magazine's ninth annual "Best Franchises In Sports" rankings.

Oklahoma City came in just one spot behind the San Antonio Spurs who took the highest ranking in the "fan relations" category.

The Thunder and Spurs were the only two NBA teams ranked in the top eight.

All 122 teams from the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball were ranked in order based on their scores in eight different categories that include: fan relations, players affordability, stadium experience, bang for the buck, ownership, title track and coaching.

The NFL's reigning Super Bowl Champs, the Green Bay Packers, took the top ranking in this year's rankings followed by the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning at number two and the NFL's New Orleans Saints in the third spot.

Other notable rankings on the opposite end of the spectrum placed the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals at No. 122, the worst ranked team in pro sports, while the Washington Redskins barely scored higher with the No. 121 ranking. Meanwhile the lowest ranked NBA team was the Sacramento Kings at No. 119.

The magazine will be available on newsstands Friday June 17.