Spurs are a beloved team; both in the English Premier League and in America’s National Basketball Association you have two massive global sports juggernauts. What Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are to the PL, the L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are to the NBA.
Tottenham Hotspur and the San Antonio Spurs, from a brand awareness standpoint, are among the best in their respective league, but not quite in that top tier, elite rarified air. So let’s break it down and do a compare/contrast.
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Estimated Club Value
According to Forbes, in their latest rankings, Tottenham are the tenth most valuable soccer/football club in the world, with a valuation of $2.35 billion. Their operating income is $127 million. Meanwhile San Antonio is 20th among NBA franchises, with a $2 billion plus valuation. They have an operating income of $99 million.
Edge THFC
Location
London is one of the finest cities in the world, every single person on Earth needs to visit it, at least once. However, the neighborhood around White Hart Lane is kind of mixed. It’s in transition, and sort of eclectic.
As for San Antonio, it’s far from the most exciting and/or interesting place in the world. The Alamo City had a nice riverwalk, great Mexican food and…and…..
Edge Tottenham
Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kick: Sun Feb 26, 1:30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London UK
Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Chelsea
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form: Tottenham WLWWL Chelsea LDDDW
Championship History
The San Antonio Spurs had the highest winning percentage in major pro sports from 1997-2019. The team has not won fewer than 60% of its game in any season over that span. They have five championships, six conference titles and 22 division titles. They thrive on being under-the-radar, overlooked and “unsexy.”
(Which they are to a very surprising level given their rich recent history)
Tottenham only have three trophies since 1984 (Two league cups ’98-’99 and ’07-’08) and one FA Cup ’90-’91. They haven’t won anything at all since 2008, and only won the first division title twice. At least they have eight FA Cups to their credit, which is impressive.
This is a huge rout. Big edge to San Antonio.
Current Face of the Franchise
Tim Duncan, who has two nicknames “Old Man Riverwalk” and “The Big Fundamental,” retired in 2016. He is right up there with The Admiral David Robinson as the all-time faces of the franchise.
The current team is pretty awful, and their star players aren’t legendary by any means.
Meanwhile Tottenham has the England captain, and the face of the Three Lions franchise in scoring sensation Harry Kane.
Big Edge: Tottenham
Leadership
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich “gets it.” He often speaks out on the most hot button sociopolitical issues of the day, and his takes are spot on. Perhaps no one in pro sports understands current events as well as Pop does.
Tottenham doesn’t have anybody like him.
Fan base
No contest, Tottenham Hotspur usually rank in the top 15 on those lists of most support global football clubs. And footy is the world’s most popular sport. The San Antonio Spurs have their army of passionate fans, but THFC dwarfs that number.
Big Edge #COYS
Overall winner: Spurs 4, Spurs 2
Tottenham takes this tale of the tape 4-2.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.