1) Going division by division is a no-no. Yes, this would be a good way to be thorough, but I'm trying to pick through my own mind here and see which teams fall through the cracks, not make a complete list.
2) There are some biases that are unavoidable. Having not lived or attended games in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the US, I'm more prone to forget certain teams. That's just the way it is...
3) Pairs come naturally. If a city or a region or a state has two or more teams, I was a lot more likely to name all of them together. An unfortunate geographic reality...
4) This is not scientific at all... At ALL!
After my top 5 for each league I'm also going to give my best guess as to the teams I would've predicted would be the most easily forgettable.
National Football League (NFL)
MY LIST
5) New Orleans Saints - This was a weird one. I still don't know why this team eluded me. I pull for them every week and Reggie Bush (USC Heisman Trophy winner) is their tailback. It could be because they had such a mediocre season last year.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I grew up an hour from Tampa Bay and I still forgot that this team is here. They're not particularly interesting these days... a borderline playoff team in a pretty weak division. This team is overshadowed by the Miami Dolphins and college football in the state of Florida despite a Super Bowl championship this century.
3) Baltimore Ravens - This is sort of a forgettable city in and of itself, plus the team was 5-11 last season.
2) St. Louis Rams - The "Greatest Show on Turf" days are long gone. This is a terrible team in the middle of the country. Forgetting the Rams didn't really surprise me.
1) Washington Redskins - Lets see.... low-scoring offense, not a lot of big-name players, uninteresting team, racist team name, 3 rings but no Super Bowl trip since 1991. Plus they're easily
PREDICTED LIST
5) Carolina Panthers - Besides Steve Smith, is there really a big-name player on this team?
4) Houston Texans - This team doesn't have a winning history, many celebrity-type NFL players, and is the red-headed stepchild to the Dallas Cowboys in the state.
3) Cleveland Browns - Great fans, but this team flat-out stinks and isn't nearly as interesting as the train-wreck/jail-bound Cincinnati Bengals that they share the state with. Not helping their case is a total lack of a team logo/memorable helmet.
2) Washington Redskins - Yeah, they deserve to be about here.
1) Jacksonville Jaguars - Jacksonville just plain isn't a major-league city. This team is really the 2nd or 3rd most prominent NFL team in the state of Florida.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
MY LIST
5) Denver Nuggets - I must be really tired to forget this one. I've been to two home games, plus they have two star players in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson.
4) Golden State Warriors - If this team were the Oakland Warriors or the San Francisco Warriors, I think I'd have remembered them more easily.
3) Utah Jazz - These are some of the most vicious fans in the NBA, but a good team that plays as a team doesn't make the Jazz a memorable team. The small market doesn't help either.
2) Washington Wizards - Forgetting about Washington D.C./Baltimore area teams is a running theme in this Top 5. I think if this team were still the Bullets I'd have forgotten about them too.
1) Charlotte Bobcats - Not even Michael Jordan makes me remember that this team exists. That's really really sad. God does their logo suck.
PREDICTED LIST
5) Indiana Pacers - Name 3 players on this team. If you're not a fan of the NBA or this team, then you probably can't. And no, Reggie Miller doesn't count.
4) Memphis Grizzlies - The University of Memphis basketball team is way more relevant than these hibernating grizzlies.
3) Atlanta Hawks - This may be one of the most poorly run organizations in professional sports.
2) Oklahoma City Thunder - OKC is here because the team name is brand new as is the location.
1) Charlotte Bobcats - I'm still not sure this isn't an ABA or D League team.
Major League Baseball (MLB)
MY LIST
5) Oakland Athletics - Billy Beane must do the most with the least out of any GM in baseball. Too bad that means the team is totally forgettable when they aren't any good (like right now)
4) Toronto Blue Jays - They're unique as the only Canadian team in the league and totally overshadowed by the rest of its division.
3) Minnesota Twins - I'm sorry I forgot this team because they're one of the classiest organizations in all of sports.
2) Detroit Tigers - Maybe I was prone to forget this team after I picked them to make it to win the AL Central before the season began.
1) Milwaukee Brewers - Yeah, I haven't really been to the Midwest much if you couldn't tell.
PREDICTED LIST
5) Pittsburgh Pirates - They haven't had a winning season in 16 years. It's a small market team as well.
4) Cincinnati Reds - Generic team name, haven't really been a factor in the World Series since 1990.
3) Seattle Mariners - This team holds the record for most wins in a regular season in major league history. Sadly, they choked that year, and they were pretty damn terrible this year too.
2) Florida Marlins - Judging by the fact that this team had fewer than 600 fans at one game, I think a lot of fans in Miami forget they're there too. This is in spite of winning 2 World Series during my lifetime.
1) Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos - A new stadium and a new home don't make up for how bad the Nationals are.
National Hockey League (NHL) - Abridged version
MY LIST
5) Tampa Bay Lightning
4) Washington Capitals
3) Buffalo Sabres
2) St. Louis Blues
1) Carolina Hurricanes
PREDICTED LIST
5) Phoenix Coyotes
4) Atlanta Thrashers
3) New York Islanders
2) Florida Panthers
1) Carolina Hurricanes
Hope you enjoyed it.... non-sports related one should be coming next week if I remember.
-Alex
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