In honor of last night’s State Of The Union address, how about a SOTU regarding sports in Wisconsin? I’ll break it down into two categories, the pros and division I collegiate programs. The current state of sports in Wisconsin, while fairly healthy, are not quite what they once were. From what was probably a peak in 2011, things have been on the decline since. In that year, the Packers won the Superbowl, then turned around and reeled off a near perfect 15-1 regular season. The Badgers football team saw the addition of Russell Wilson at quarterback, and some real talk of a possible national championship. Both the Badgers and Golden Eagles made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and the Brewers won their division and were two games away from a World Series berth. So, from that hey day to know, where do we stand?
Today we’ll look at the pro franchises
The Green Bay Packers
Easily the strongest of the three professional franchises in the state, they clearly are not where they once were. Whether it’s because of injuries, the failure to add quality talent to the roster, or a combination of both, while they are still considered perennial contenders, they are no longer an “elite” team in the NFL, much less their own conference. But these things can be easily corrected, and they are still the state team that has the best chance at winning a title.
The Milwaukee Brewers
While not as consistent as the Packers, you can’t accuse ownership/management of not trying to get better. With some of the recent transactions, as well as the new playoff format, there is already some talk of not sleeping on the Brewers this season.
The Milwaukee Bucks
Bringing up the rear, and firmly entrenched in the basement of the NBA, I’m not sure what the state of the Buck’s is. Some say they are tanking in order to have a shot at the first pick in the draft, but between an owner trying to sell the team and them playing in the oldest facility in the league (read: an impending arena tax showdown), they have bigger fish to fry right now.
Tomorrow we’ll look at the Division I Collegiate programs in the state.
Badger State Sports 