Timberwolves #11 on Top 25 Most Innovative Sports Teams

The word is getting out about the Minnesota Timberwolves.

To be named on the list of the Top 25 Most Innovative Teams in The World for 2022 coveys the winning culture the Minnesota Timberwolves are building. Sports innovation is changing the game as we know it, an emerging research domain linking sports to innovation management and practice. The Timberwolves made the list, coming in as the 11th most innovative team.

Sports Innovation Lab is a business serving the sports world by helping to identify and understand its fan bases around the world. Therefore providing a better fan experience. Their annual list is a benchmark relied upon by almost all professional sports teams worldwide to establish the best practices in each sport around the globe.

Here are some of the TOP teams that made the list:

Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) – 11th
Washington Nationals (MLB) – 24th
Atlanta Braves (MLB) – 7th
Phoenix Suns (NBA) – 19th
LA Rams (NFL) – 21st
Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) – 5th
Washington Capitals (NHL) – 15th

Sports Innovation Lab gathers data from hundreds of teams factored off three main metrics. They include Revenue Diversification, Technology Enablement, and Organizational Agility.

The Minnesota Timberwolves capped off the season with a record of 46-36 as the seventh seeding in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves finally broke back into the postseason for the first time since the 2017-18 season. This past year was of the Timberwolves’ most successful seasons in the last twenty years. Not only was the team successful on the court but also showed marked positives off the court as well.

Minnesota accomplished record-breaking revenues in corporate partnerships and single-game ticket sales. Surpassing their attendance from 30th to 20th in the league. While TV ratings on Bally Sports North went up more than 50 percent over the previous year’s viewership.

On top of that, the Timberwolves secured a multi-year partnership with Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR) which shares a common goal of focusing on evolving fan engagement, ticketing and sales, and enhancing technological capabilities.

In learning of the high-ranking, Timberwolves and Lynx CEO Ethan Casson made the following comments:

"“This is a tremendous honor to be in the global company of impressive franchises across multiple leagues. As an organization, we pride ourselves on leading through an innovative and inclusive philosophy. Our fans are at the heart of it, and we will continue to set new standards to elevate the franchise and experience for our fans.” – Ethan Casson as per NBA reporter Taylor Nardinger"

This is the first time the Minnesota Timberwolves have been named to this distinguished list. With the team making an aggressive hire for team president, and already publicly stating that the team will take an aggressive approach to rebuild the roster, I would expect the Timberwolves to appear on this list again.