Nashville Predators: P.K. Subban should have been on Fandom 250

Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban was arguably the biggest snub from FanSided’s Fandom 250.

Each year, FanSided releases their annual Fandom 250. What is it? It’s simply a ranking of the top fanbases from around the world. Not just sports teams and figures, either. It does a darn good job of ranking whose fans are the most passionate. That’s why it was a huge surprise to see one of the NHL’s most lovable players, P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators, absent from the list.

The NHL was positively represented. Eight teams made the list, as well as Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Three teams were in the top 100. However, it’s nothing short of a tragedy that Subban was not a part of the list.

18 sports figures made the list. Players like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Crosby, Russell Westbrook, Brock Lesnar, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, and Conor McGregor each made the list. Subban, though, if you look at some of the players on the list, should have gotten the nod over them.

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The one that stands out is Derek Jeter. He’s easily one of the best shortstops to ever play the game. The man lasted nearly 20 years in the spotlight of The Big Apple. Build Jeter a monument for that nearly impossible feat. But it’s hard to argue he has a fanbase now.

If Jeter himself had a fanbase, it’s all but dead now because of the Giancarlo Stanton trade. Let’s just ignore the Yankees fans who are celebrating number two helping them out one more time. Another questionable selection was Aaron Judge. He’s a freak of nature, but really? After one single season, he’s one of the 18 most popular athletes in the world?

P.K. Subban has 1.08 million Twitter followers. By comparison, Judge has roughly 249,000 while Jeter doesn’t even have an official Twitter account (though his foundation has 38.6 thousand followers). Obviously, Twitter followers aren’t the only thing that matters. But Subban is one of the most followed athletes in the world.

On the ice, he dazzles fans from all across the world. So far in 2017, Subban has put up seven goals and 41 points in the regular season. He also put up 12 points in 22 games and helped his Nashville Predators make their first Stanley Cup Final. For the first time in their franchise history, the weirdest hockey market in the NHL made the Fandom 250. Is it a coincidence this didn’t happen before Subban arrived?

P.K. is easily one of the most lovable athletes around. In a sport defined by boring people (there’s even an award given to “the player who exhibits the most gentlemanly conduct”), Subban is a breath of fresh air. He’s charismatic and outgoing. Subban wears his heart on his sleeve, making him an extremely fun player to root for.

And not only that, P.K. is one of the most generous athletes around. He helped open a children’s hospital in Montreal. And despite being traded from the Montreal Canadiens, Subban still does everything he can to help out in his former city.

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Subban should have been on the Fandom 250 list. I’m not saying he should have challenged McGregor for the top spot among athletes. But to not include him among the top 18 athletes is pretty silly. He’s got two of the NHL fanbases on the list rooting for him with all their heart and soul. That’s got to be good for something, right?

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