Best and Worst Sports Cities

**HammerStrength12** · 07-13-2010, 09:59 PM

What are your top 5 and bottom 5? Some criteria to include: quality of teams, number of successful teams, quality of fans (not NUMBER of fans, so big cities don't have an advantage), superstars that have played there, etc.. Fan devotion is probably the most important category to me.

5 Best

Philadelphia, PA (4 great teams, fan support is really unparalleled IMO))
Boston, MA (2 dynasties, arguably the best baseball team of the decade)
Chicago, IL (Michael Jordan, reigning Stanley Cup Champs, most supportive fans in baseball((cubs)))
Dallas, TX (football dynasty, best owner in all of basketball, devoted fans)
Detroit, MI (despite the Lions being a total joke, greatest american hockey team/fan base, highly dedicated fans)

5 Worst

Los Angeles, CA (can't support a football team, 2nd largest city in the country. Enough said)
Washington, DC (The nation's capital deserves better)
Miami, FL (People are more concerned with getting their tan on and their drink on than how the Heat or Panthers did last night. Marlins games are the biggest joke on the planet)
Baltimore, MD (greatest ballpark, the one that revolutionized how stadiums are made. Yet the owners somehow managed to ruin that franchise)
San Francisco, CA (10 years ago I never would have dreamt of saying this)

**Ibarramedia** · 07-13-2010, 10:35 PM

I disagree with Washington DC as one of the 5 worst. Our Redskins fanbase is very strong. We still have die hard loyal fans. Arguably in the top 3 among fans. There is a waiting list for tickets since the 60's. We have never had any tv blackouts as far as I can remember. Won 3 Superbowls and been to 5. DC United Soccer team is a 4 time MLS Cup winner. Washington Capitals are doing good.

**Ibarramedia** · 07-13-2010, 10:36 PM

During the NFC Championships and the Superbowls, Crime and traffic stops. Just like a Pacquiao fight in the Philippines. That's a fact.

**Justin198922** · 07-13-2010, 10:47 PM

Wat about Seattle?

**The Big Sexy** · 07-13-2010, 10:52 PM

Definitely agree on Los Angeles. To their defense, however, most people in SoCal are transplants. Of all my friends in San Diego - only a handful grew up here. So, you have tons of Jets fans, Bears fans, Vikings fans... you have various bars around San Diego that are team related. If you go to a Cub/Padre game - over 60% of the seats are cub fans.

**HammerStrength12** · 07-13-2010, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by The Big Sexy

Definitely agree on Los Angeles. To their defense, however, most people in SoCal are transplants. Of all my friends in San Diego - only a handful grew up here. So, you have tons of Jets fans, Bears fans, Vikings fans... you have various bars around San Diego that are team related. If you go to a Cub/Padre game - over 60% of the seats are cub fans.

Basically the same reason Miami is on there. More Yankee/Red Sox fans than Marlins fans.

That's pretty much what kept NY off my list. Sure there are more diehards there than any other city, but there are also more transplants as well as people who just don't give a shit about sports

**HammerStrength12** · 07-13-2010, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Ibarramedia

I disagree with Washington DC as one of the 5 worst. Our Redskins fanbase is very strong. We still have die hard loyal fans. Arguably in the top 3 among fans. There is a waiting list for tickets since the 60's. We have never had any tv blackouts as far as I can remember. Won 3 Superbowls and been to 5. DC United Soccer team is a 4 time MLS Cup winner. Washington Capitals are doing good.

Agree about the Redskins. Not sure if I'd go top 3 in the NFL, as most city's football fans are extremely devoted (with the exception of LA lol), but you could definitely make a case.

The rest is where I disagree. Capitals do sellout every game, but when you have the most dynamic offense in the history of the game combined with the best player in the league, you had better sell out every game. Not to mention the fact that they're chronic chokers.

Wizards, I won't even go there. Same deal with the Nats. Only reason they're selling tickets now is because of Strassburg. You'd think a city deprived of baseball for so long would have caught on sooner.

Also, being a major city, I held DC to might higher standards (like LA, Miami) compared to a place like Cleveland or Buffalo.

Not trying to rip on the Baltimore-Washington area or be offensive to people that live there. I do think they have many exciting teams in the area, especially the Caps who are without a doubt the most talented team in the league. But relative to its Northeast counterparts (NY, Philly, Boston), DC is lightyears behind

**HammerStrength12** · 07-13-2010, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by Justin198922

Wat about Seattle?

Could just as easily be added. Same goes for North Jersey, if you count that as separate from NY. You could just as easily combine DC and Baltimore too

**Goodfellas** · 07-14-2010, 08:35 AM

Atlanta sucks no one supports the teams.

**razorsedge** · 07-14-2010, 09:24 AM

Hammer: you whiffed with regard to Chicago Baseball fans. Cub fans out-
number White Sox fans but they are the worst fans ever. The NL team is
the only team in sports where the stadium is more important than the
performance of the team. White Sox fans go to games to watch their team,
Cub fans go to Wrigley to get drunk. Indeed, half of the people who claim
to be Cub fans actually have their primary allegiance with another teams
but claim to be Cub fans since they moved to Chicago. The one Chicago
team that really has the strong backing of the whole City is the Bears.
Remember, Cub fans don't care if there team loses as long as they get
to experience the trendy drunk of Wrigley Field.

**HammerStrength12** · 07-14-2010, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by razorsedge

Hammer: you whiffed with regard to Chicago Baseball fans. Cub fans out-
number White Sox fans but they are the worst fans ever. The NL team is
the only team in sports where the stadium is more important than the
performance of the team. White Sox fans go to games to watch their team,
Cub fans go to Wrigley to get drunk. Indeed, half of the people who claim
to be Cub fans actually have their primary allegiance with another teams
but claim to be Cub fans since they moved to Chicago. The one Chicago
team that really has the strong backing of the whole City is the Bears.
Remember, Cub fans don't care if there team loses as long as they get
to experience the trendy drunk of Wrigley Field.

Wow, I never even realized that. I thought they genuinely cared about the Cubs.

Do you still think Chicago should be on the list? The Cubs are the main reason I put them on there. I wouldn't exactly call Blakchawks fans diehard...

**cook** · 07-14-2010, 09:30 AM

The Cowboys played in Mexico City a few years ago and I had never seen so many Mexicans in my life as was packed into that stadium.So I guess that would make them a good sports city.

**HammerStrength12** · 07-14-2010, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by cook

The Cowboys played in Mexico City a few years ago and I had never seen so many Mexicans in my life as was packed into that stadium.So I guess that would make them a good sports city.

Lol, seriously who's#5 if Chi-town isnt? I always got the impression that Cardinals fans were some of the most loyal in baseball, regardless of whether the team wins or loses.

There aren't many southern or west coast cities I really think deserve it either...

**cook** · 07-14-2010, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by HammerStrength12

Lol, seriously who's#5 if Chi-town isnt? I always got the impression that Cardinals fans were some of the most loyal in baseball, regardless of whether the team wins or loses.

There aren't many southern or west coast cities I really think deserve it either...

I agree on Chicago and St.Louis some of them old Cardinal fans go way back.

**Rattbones** · 07-14-2010, 09:48 AM

Miami is a terrible sports city. The most fair weather fans I've ever seen. Went to see the Fins play the Jets. There had to be more Jets fans there then anything. Been to about a dozen Heat games and most of the time I got general admissions tkt ($5) and sat in the lower bowl because of such low attendance. And that was when they had Hardaway, Zoe, and Mash.