Professional sports are cultural institutions, community builders, sources of massive conversation and debate, etc. etc. etc. But in the end, they come down to two things: recent on-field performance and revenue, not necessarily in that order. As such, those appear to be sole criteria bizjournals has used in compiling a list ranking the 122 teams in the four pro sports, both sport-by-sport and overall. (hat-tip: Universal Cynic). The good news: three of Minnesota’s four teams — the Twins, Vikings and Wild — are in the upper half of both their leagues and the overall standings. The bad news: The Wolves came in at 117th overall, and no team was higher than 33rd overall. The not-so-surprising news: That 33rd-ranked team, the best in the market, also plays in the best facility. The Wild, which resides in the palatial Xcel Energy Center, had a 21 percent gain in franchise value in the last year and, again, sold out 100 percent of its seats. Now: The Twins (57th overall) will catch up soon in this area; the Vikings (52nd overall) would certainly like to do the same. We’re not sure exactly what could be done about the Wolves and Target Center. And we’re certainly not saying that we should rush out and build more stadiums. Not in this economy. Maybe not even in a good economy. But please do remember that as you gnash your teeth over deadline deals that weren’t made or free agents who weren’t signed, your bottom line is probably much different than the one employed by those who control the purse strings. There are plenty of cases where success and profit go hand in hand (the Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox are all in the top 14 overall; feel free to smack a Boston fan when you get the chance). But sometimes, in the world of big sports business, it pays better to be slightly above average (Wild, 33rd) than it does to be a champion (Steelers, 39th).

Fasola-link! Still no jetpacks. Why?

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