... OUR SURVEY TEAM RESEARCH BY CROWNS THE ... Morty Ain, Ted Bauer, Jason Catania, Anna Katherine Clemmons, LaRue Cook, Charles FINANCIAL ANALYSIS BY Curtis, Andy Kamenetzky, ... SAINTS NO. 1 the Warsaw Sports Brian Kamenetzky, Max Marketing Center at the AT GIVING FANS ... Klinger, Eddie Matz, Matt University of Oregon Meyers and Doug Mittler (Madeline Breskin, Eric IN ITS Chylinski, Travis Hanson, FAN SURVEYS BY EIGHTH YEAR ... Kelsey Philpott, Peter Maddock Douglas and Raschio and Ken Salmon) NetReflector BEST FRANCHISEINSPORTS P 59 BY PETER KEATING ... EQUAL PARTS MUSCLE AND MERRIMENT. ULTIMATE STANDINGS was not only going to come back, but come back stronger than ever. When we thought about winning the Super bowl, we wanted to win it for our fans. -Drew Brees, quarterback You always see the players in our community, especially Drew brees. You can drive by his house and honk, and if he’s working on the yard or something, he’ll wave back. -Jeff Larsen, fan We have a good website, but not a big social media presence. When players leave practice or games, they’re visible, and news spreads person to FIVE YEARS AGO, IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA, person and by word of mouth. The Saints are what THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS RANKED LAST IN OUR ULTIMATE people talk about with their neighbors. It’s neat to see. -Doug Miller, director of new media STANDINGS. TODAY THEY’re NO. 1. HOW’d THAT HAPPEN? We explicitly look for people with a certain COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY, CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY AND energy level. That’s one reason we hired Sean CHEAP PRICES. WE CHATTED WITH SAINTS NATION. Payton. We look for tough-mindedness and intelli- gence, and people who see a glass as half full. We November 2005 practice facility was occupied by the military have to have players and staff who do more than What would you say to fans who think the Saints during that time. Publicly, everybody was talking football, who relish the chance to make a differ- are leaving town for good? about that. but we—ourselves and our staff— ence in New orleans. -Mickey Loomis, GM eighty percent of companies in New orleans have wanted to come back. We just had to find a way. Fans love Sean Payton. Does the Saints’ aggressive not been able to reopen, but we are keeping this And that’s what we did. -Tom Benson, owner play help keep the team close to fans? company in business. We relocated to San Antonio Our standings rank all MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL I think so. on offense we attack, and on so we can stay afloat. We remain a Louisiana teams by how they repay fans for the time, money and defense [defensive coordinator] Gregg Williams is corporation, and we’re paying $25 million into the emotion they invest in them. (See our methodology on blitzing every other down. I think it brings state income tax fund this year. All anybody wants page 64.) The results show that fans feel a strong more excitement to the game. -Pete Carmichael, to do is criticize [owner] mr. [Tom] benson, but connection to the Saints. What accounts for that? offensive coordinator they’re barking up the wrong tree. -Greg Bensel, The bond we have with our fans, and the support The Superdome has some wear and tear on it, but team spokesman we get from them, were created post-Katrina, with does it have a different vibe from other venues? the struggles and hardships we all went through There’s energy in the building; even when you JuNe 2010 helping to rebuild this city. We really leaned on come out for warmups in the early part of the day, How close did the team come to moving? each other in that time, and I think it culminated you can feel the electricity. Then you come back The rest of the world thought we were down and in the reopening of the Superdome on Sept. 25, out for the start of the game and you can really weren’t coming back. We had to relocate in ’05. our 2006. That symbolized the fact that New orleans feel something in the air. -Carmichael You go to some other stadiums and you hear fans kind of going up and down, but here it’s loud the entire game. maybe that has something to do with the hard alcohol they serve at the stadium. or all the crazy costumes you see. Like Whistle monster—he has a huge whistle on his head. -Ryan Pace, director of pro scouting So coaches on the field, no matter what they say, notice what goes on in the stands. There’s a guy who dresses like a Saints robot, and he dances during timeouts. He’s phenomenal. You can’t help but notice. You’re still taking care of ov AND WANT TO HANG OUT WITH THE BEST FRANCHISE IN SPORTS? GO TO ESPN.COM AND SEARCH: SAINTS MAG VIDEO CHAD RYAN/CSM/L 60 ULTIMATE STANDINGS in the NFL. Is that by design? We understand our market and what makes our market work. If you invest in fans, the proof is in the pudding. our prices are affordable, and we have sellouts. mr. benson gets that. -Bensel Everyone has a story about how close this team is to its fans. What’s yours? They had a Tv commercial for a furniture store that said, “You have to see the Special man!” I played a lot of special teams. There’s one guy NEW1 ORLEANS SAINTS named Shaq who would say things to me like, Last Year’s Rank 52 “Special man! Special man! I see you let him Title Track 3 have it that time!” There aren’t but two Fred Ownership 33 mcAfee jerseys on the planet, and he has one of Coaching 2 them. He made me a plaque. To this day, he’ll sit Players 7 in the stands and call me the Special man. Fan Relations 5 -Fred McAfee, director of player development Affordability 18 and former player Stadium Experience 44 In this city, playing for this team, it’s an experi- Bang for the Buck 4 ence week in and week out. I’ve had some pretty good conversations going through the grocery store. -Marques Colston, wide receiver Coach Payton took the team on a two-hour trip business, but there are always those five or 10 After the Super bowl I had so much stuff left in to Plaquemines Parish on the coast, just to have a seconds when there’s a little lull, and you’re like, front of my house: wine bottles, beer, signs, team rally, to let the shrimpers know we support “Wow, did you see that?” -Scottie Patton, head cards, flowers, you name it. Just people showing them. And it can get to 110°, so the buses have to athletic trainer their appreciation. You could tell how much it have tinted windows to keep the heat out and the How did the “Who Dat?” chant start? meant to them. -Brees air conditioning in. You can’t see through the bus I think it was something that came out of the We estimate it costs fans an average of $90.55 to windows from the outside, but fans lined up any- court system in the 1800s. I’m not exactly sure. go to a Saints game, the eighth-cheapest game day way, at every traffic stop along the way.-Miller Ω but we didn’t steal it from Cincinnati, that’s ) for sure. They’re “Who Dey?” We’re “Who Dat?” IS v A D -Michael Prestenback, fan N o [Ed.’s note to Mr. Prestenback: “Who Dat?” Hollywood’s B-team won 10 games AR more this season than the disaster originated in a song written by poet Paul Laurence (B ov flick that was 2008-09, but fans Dunbar in 1898 that was part of a minstrel show.] AND and our statistical analysis didn’t And we’re allowed to drink walking down the care: The Clippers bottomed out for N/CSM/L street. They can’t tailgate like we can down here. a second straight year. Fans rated o -Scott VanderMeer, fan MPS 122 owner Donald Sterling and his o Following all those years of the Aints, of Black LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS woebegone Players the worst in SH TH SH Mondays nearly every week, what was it like when sports, and ranked the Clips’ o Last Year’s Rank Stadium Experience 60 spots lower the Saints won the Super Bowl? 122 Title Track 119 than that of the Lakers, though It was families, friends, the older generation Ownership 122 they share an arena. Rookie Blake who had been waiting their whole lives for this, Coaching 121 Griffin’s missed season didn’t help, nor did the $2.725 million payment and it was nuts. We hit the [French] Quarter, Players 122 bourbon Street, and tore it up. It was mardi Sterling made to settle charges Fan Relations 121 J (BAG); IMAGES ARIA/GETTY that he refused to rent apartments v Gras times 1,000. It was just love, everybody Affordability 91 to blacks, Hispanics and families embracing each other. I think it might have Stadium Experience 99 with children. Sadly, the NBA had SITE: BA o stopped. I’m not really sure. -Larsen Bang for the Buck 112 no comment. MP o C o T o ; PH THE RANKING LIST 1-25 26-50 mages I ETTY 1 New Orleans Saints 6 Tampa Bay Rays 11 Washington Capitals 16 Chicago Blackhawks 21 Carolina Hurricanes /G 2 Orlando Magic 7 San Antonio Spurs 12 San Jose Sharks 17 Philadelphia Phillies 22 St.