For the past 14 years, ESPN has reached out to sports fans far and wide to put together an annual cumulative ranking of the best franchises in the four major professional sports. Dubbed the “Ultimate Standings”, these measurements factor in a number of elements within a particular organization including affordability, fan relations, stadium experience, title track and ownership. Checking in at 27th overall out of 122 total franchises are the Charlotte Hornets, who made the second-biggest overall jump in the rankings of any organization over the last year (56 spots).
The two areas where Charlotte shined the most were affordability (eighth overall) and bang for the buck (18th overall).