/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31268223/20140303_sng_au3_078.0.jpg)
According to Google search frequency, the Memphis Grizzliess rank just ahead of the Washington Wizards and the NHL's Dallas Stars in prevalence.
This is on a worldwide scale of the "big five" North American sports and is in thanks to Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com.
The Grizzlies show up at #120 on the list and outrank three other NBA teams, the Wizards, Hawks and Bucks. Five other NBA teams occupy the #112-116 spots with very similar search rates, the Timberwolves, Bobcats, Kings, Jazz and Pelicans.
Memphis also outranks 10 NHL teams, the CFL lot of teams and a throng of soccer franchises.
It's nice to see that we're not at the bottom of the NBA; I don't have any past numbers but I'm guessing we were probably dead last just a few years ago.
The Grizzlies would probably rank a few slots higher if this season hadn't been so unkind, but these results go hand-in-hand with the branding approach that the Griz' ownership has adopted since purchasing the team from longtime owner Michael Heisley in 2012.
Disclaimer: If the Grizzlies miss the playoffs we can probably expect to drop a few positions. If that's the case, the FO needs to prioritize bringing back some excitement and hype to the team in the offseason.