Couldn't most visualizations just be a table unless the row count is too high?
Edit: This is one possible strategy that used to be employed to progressively enhance table into info graphics or data vis. Proposing a table as the best solution seems needlessly reductionist.
I mispoke, there's the rank dimension, which would make this a big table. Still I think the animation took too long to settle, I was bored waiting and annoyance didn't add enough value to final infographic for me. It would be more justifiable if datapoints/balls dropped with the time axis since there'a might be an interesting story there that would warrant animation.
Edit: This is one possible strategy that used to be employed to progressively enhance table into info graphics or data vis. Proposing a table as the best solution seems needlessly reductionist.