America's Top Sports Cities

So, what criteria determine America’s best sports city is? Is it the dedication of fans? Is it the success of the teams? Or is it the events that take place in the city? Actually, many factors make a particular town a great a sports city. While I am positive that most users will disagree in some way, I still have composed my list for America’s Top Sports City.

Major Criteria:

Loyalty of Fans: So, do the fans miss the first inning and leave after the seventh? Or are they there three hours before the start of the game tailgating in the parking lot? Do they still come to the games even when their team stinks?

Major Events: So does the city host any major tournaments? Is home to any sort of Hall of Fame? Do people travel to the city for any major sporting events?

Sports talk: The more local radio hosts and sports stations, the better. The more newspapers with sports coverage, the better. The more fans who talk sports anywhere, any time, the better. A sports city needs to love sports.

Multiple Sports: Does the city have just one major team? Do the fans care about all sports? A great sports city has a passion for all sports.

Minor Criteria:

Scenery: Reward the scenery surrounding the sports venues, such as the skyline and rivers in Pittsburgh, the San Gabriel Mountains behind the outfield pavilions at Dodger Stadium, the bay beside Pacific Bell Park, or the rooftop seats outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Nightlife: A city that becomes a ghost town 15 minutes after a game or event gets knocked down a peg. Tailgating. Is it allowed? Are most fans willing to share? Are they friendly or jerks? Extra credit for each "yes" response. Tailgating just creates a much better atmosphere.

Extra Credit:

Transportation. Can you get out of the stadium quickly? Or does it take a million years? Do you feel that other fans will kill you for a certain parking spot? I’ll give Extra Credit for answering yes to these questions. Even more credit for cops that’ll point you in the right direction, using something other than their middle finger.

Downtime: It's always good to have something to do when there's no game. In Los Angeles, you can stroll down Rodeo Drive, go to the beach, or hang out at Santa Monica Pier.

Honorable Mention:

Green Bay, Wisconsin If you look up Green Bay in a dictionary it will say that its home of the 12-time world champion Green Bay Packer football team. Titletown USA revolves around the beloved Packers.

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose The bay area is a nice place for sports. It has loyal 49er, A’s, and Giant fans. The Raider Nation is very prominent throughout the area. College sports is evident in the area with Cal and Stanford. Nothing really stood out about the city for me to rank it in the top ten.

South Bend, Indiana South Bend=College Football. The weekend of any Notre Dame Football game is absolutely crazy. The College Football Hall of Fame sits in downtown South Bend. Similar to Green Bay, South Bend revolves around Notre Dame and anything else College Football.

Denver, Colorado Denver is widely recognized as being one of America's premier sports cities. In particular, the Denver Broncos of the NFL have been able to draw crowds of nearly 70,000 since their AFL origins in the early 1960s. The Rockies and Avs are farely new to the city, but have drawn extremely well.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Can you say Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the team in Pittsburgh. Does any other team matter? Yes, the Pirates and Penguins have had their recent trouble, but are stills strongly supported.

Top Ten

10. Charlotte, North Carolina

Teams: Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Bobcats, Carolina Hurricanes

You may not think of Charlotte as being a big-time sports city, but it actually is. The Panthers have been a hit ever since coming to Charlotte in the 1990’s. While the Bobcats have started off rather slowly, College Basketball is very popular throughout the city and the state. Most of all, Charlotte is the hub of stock car racing, with major races being held at nearby Lowe's Motor Speedway, considered by most fans to be NASCAR's “home track”. A vast majority of NASCAR teams and race shops are located within 40 miles of Charlotte, and most NASCAR drivers maintain a residence in or near the city. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is set to open in Charlotte in early 2009.

9. Cleveland, Ohio

Teams: Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians

With 400-plus consecutive sellouts (a major league record) by the Tribe, a huge effort by the community to return the Browns, and three state-of-the-art professional sports facilities make Cleveland a top sports city. I admit the Cavs have been lousy, but since drafting LeBron, they have been much better and continue to be well supported. The city doesn’t have a major college team, but the Ohio State Buckeyes belong to the state of Ohio. What puts the city over the hump is the fact that Cleveland supports it's professional sports phenomenally well despite the fact no Cleveland franchise has won a championship in one of the major sports in over 35 years!

8. St. Louis, Missouri

Teams: St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals

Enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans make St. Louis "a top-notch sports town" and "Baseball City USA." The Sporting News rated St. Louis the nation's "Best Sports City” in 2000. While it may not be the best, it certainly is top ten. The St. Louis Cardinals, one of the oldest franchises in Major League Baseball, have won 9 World Championships, second only to the New York Yankees. The St. Louis Rams moved to St. Louis from LA in ’95 and have been selling out ever since.

7. Indianapolis, Indiana

Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers

Indianapolis has been referred to as "The Amateur Sports Capital of the World". It has hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four on several occasions and High School Basketball is absolutely huge within the city and state. The downtown trash cans are even made to look like basketballs, talk about dedication or obsession, your choice. Indiana Hoosiers basketball is huge throughout the state, especially in Indianapolis. The Pacers and Colts have been hit ever since moving to Indy. While not to the extent of Charlotte, NASCAR and other forms of auto racing are extremely popular. Many races are held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway such as the Brickyard 400 in July and the Indianapolis 500 each Memorial Day weekend.

6. Los Angeles, California/Anaheim, California

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Who says this town needs the NFL? Los Angeles is home to some of the most successful sports franchises in history. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers have won a combined twenty world championships. In addition to pro sports, USC Football has captured 11 National Championships and UCLA Basketball has won 11 National titles as well. UCLA and USC have more National Championships in all sports than anyother Division 1-A school. What brings LA to number six is the lack of dedication from the fans. LA fans are notorious for showing up late and leaving early. Plus they are known to jump on and off a team’s bandwagon. Only if we had loyal fans. Los Angeles continues to host major sporting events such as the 2004 NBA All-Star Game and the Rose Bowl each January.

5. New York City, New York /East Rutherford, New Jersey

Teams: New York Jets, New York Giants, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New York Mets, New York Yankees

New York is home to teams in each of the major American professional sports leagues. Without a doubt, baseball is the city's most popular sport with the success of the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Rucker Park sits in the center of Harlem and gave birth to streetball. The Knicks have been the main NBA team, but the New Jersey Nets have also developed a strong fan-base. NYC use to be the site of intense College Football action with top ranked teams competing at the Polo Grounds, but that came to an end in the mid 20th century. The NFL still remains as the Jets and Giants still garner the city’s attention each fall having to compete with the Yankees each October for media covrege. Every December, the Heisman Memorial Trophy Presentation is held at New York’s downtown athletic club.

4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Phillies

Have your ever met a Philly fan after a game, in which his/her team loses. Philly fans are diehard and always stick with their team, not always said for LA fans. The Eagles, Sixers, Flyers, and Phillies have had a long standing history within the city. No Philadelphian team has won a title since ’83 when the 76ers did, but the fans still support them to their death. The failure of Philadelphia's professional sports teams to capture a title is sometimes refered to as the “Curse of Billy Penn.” Phildaelphia has hosted some major boxing events in the city, and it also was the setting for the fictional Rocky series. College Basketball is also popular within the city as fans support the famous Big 5, the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, La Salle University, St. Joseph’s University, and Villanova University.

3. Detroit, Michigan

Teams: Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers

Detroit isn’t called “Hockeytown” for nothing. The people of Detroit go absolutely crazy over hockey. The whole city embraces the Red Wings. But, don’t think that it ends there, as the Pistons and Tigers have won their share of championships over the years. During the past several years, Detroit has built a hard-working, blue collar basketball team, which reflects the people of Detroit. The Lions have been a poor team for a long time, but Lion fans are still common throughout the city. Within just 30 miles from the heart of Detroit, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is the city’s real football team. Due to past failures of the Lions, and the success of the Michigan football program, there are probably more Michigan fans than Lions fans. Notre Dame and Michigan State also have a strong fan base. Recently the city has hosted some major sporting events such as the 2005 MLB All-Star Game at Comerica Park and Super Bowl XL at Ford Field.

2. Boston, Massachusetts

Teams: New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox

It really came down to the end here, Chicago versus Boston. You can debate all you want later. The Red Sox are Boston most popular team and the Celtics are the NBA's most successful franchise. For every Red Sox game they block off the streets surrounding Fenway Park in order to allow tailgating and other festivities to take place. The game is an event making for an unbelievable experience. While the Patriots don’t play in Boston, there major fan base resides here. The Pats have had some unbelievable success recently if you haven’t noticed. Boston College gives the city a university aspect to it, which cities like New York and Chicago lack. The Basketball Hall of Fame also nests nearby in Springfield. Boston has an extremely loyal and dedicated fans, putting it near the top.

1. Chicago, Illinois

Teams: Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox

I couldn’t resist picking Chicago. If your team doesn’t win a title for nearly 99 years, than wouldn’t you pick a new team? Not so, with the Cubs fans, as they’ve actually gained more. Its amazing how 99.9 percent of Cubs fans have never witnessed a championship. Chicago fans are the most loyal fans in all of sports. Supporting a perennial loser like the Cubs, displays their loyalty. What makes the city stand out is its love for all sports. Whether its football season, basketball season, or baseball season, the fans follow their team to the bitter end. When my mother lived in Chicago, it took her two years to get preseason tickets to a Bears game, and she was friends with one of the player’s wife. Just because the city doesn’t have a major College Football team ,doesn’t’ mean the fans don’t have an allegiance toward a team, as many fans end of rooting for the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, and any other Big Ten school. All of the city’s teams have existed for many years and are loved by everyone within the city. The city’s friendly and dedicated fans make Chicago the number one sports city in America.