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The Ultimate Standings: Royals And Chiefs Rank Low

ESPN The Magazine came out with their ultimate standings ranking all 122 major sports teams -- NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL.

So how did Kansas City do?

The Royals came in at 89th and the Chiefs at 95th.

Yeah, not great. But, frankly, well-deserved.

Here's the breakdown of how ESPN The Magazine came up with the rankings and my comments on each team below it.

Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Royals: The Royals haven't been very good in recent years, but, then again, they've had a low payroll.

Chiefs: Same with the Royals, the Chiefs have been losers recently but have also had one of the lowest payrolls in the NFL.

Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.

Royals: They should rank decently on this list. They opened up a new area behind the outfield at Kauffman that's intended to cater more to the fans.

Chiefs: It's tough to rank them here. The organization has seemed more closed off since the hiring of Scott Pioli but at the same time they're going through a renovation like Kauffman that will cater to the fans.

Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.

Royals: They could rank dead last here. David Glass is hardly a face you seen around town, rarely (if ever) grants interviews and has the perception of someone that only cares about the money and not a winning product. Is that the reality? We're not sure (because he doesn't do interviews) but it's definitely the perception.

Chiefs: Despite their record, the Chiefs should rank very high in this one. Clark Hunt is well-respected in the community and the league.

Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.

Royals: Games at Kauffman are cheeeap compared to other stadiums. You can go to a Royals game with $20.

Chiefs: The Chiefs are about in the middle of the road as far as ticket prices and parking is concerned. The expense to go to a game is more of a reflection on the NFL than the Chiefs.

Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.

Royals: They should be ranking higher now. Sure, there aren't always a lot of folks in the stadium but they do have a lot of stuff to distract you from the game itself.

Chiefs: In 2000, this would have been one of the spots the Chiefs could challenge for number one. These days, not many people are out at the games and the product on the field isn't very good.

Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.

Royals: I think people generally appreciate the effort on the field and like Royals players. Unfortunately, when you're not very good that hurts your perception on and off the field.

Chiefs: Similar to the Royals, when you're not very good the perception is that you're not trying very hard. While that's probably not the truth, the Chiefs are very good in the community and have a well-deserved reputation for putting themselves out there.

Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.

Royals: Folks are starting to come around on Ned Yost. He has the Royals playing .500 ball since he took the reins on May 14. Overall, fans are still pretty down on the Royals coaching but Yost is trying to change that.

Chiefs: Last year, Todd Haley would have ranked very low on this list. He was often seen screaming at his players on the field creating the perception that he was just a jerk that coached a four-win football team. These days, it seems Haley has turned a corner. 2010 will go a long way to determining which one is right.

Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

Royals: Ha....

Chiefs: It's been 40 years so, ha....