The 5 Best Professional Sports Cities in the United States
A list of the best US professional sports cities
There is no doubt that Americans are passionate about their sports- and in some cities it’s bigger than others.
In this article, read about 5 of the best professional sports cities in the United States. One of these may surprise you!
The biggest factor that was taken into consideration with these towns is the number of teams, fan passion and the success of the teams that play there.
1. Boston, Massachusetts
If you're going to be an athlete in any sport in Boston, you have to have a professional way of handling the media, as the sports media scene in Boston is big and it can be brutal.
Bostonians have been spoiled with vast amounts of success in all four of the major sports in both the 19th and 20th centuries.
In its history, Boston has recorded 17 NBA championships from the Boston Celtics, including a span where they won 11 championships in 13 years.
In addition, there have been six Super Bowls from the New England Patriots, six Stanley Cups by the Boston Bruins and nine World Series championships from the Boston Red Sox in the Major League.
Rivalry-wise, the four major sports teams listed above have at least one rival with a team in New York. There is the Red Sox-Yankees, Bruins-Rangers, Celtics-Knicks and Patriots-Bills.
I would also be remiss if I were to not mention the Celtics-Lakers. Most people in the NBA say that the Celtics-Lakers rivalry in the 80s saved basketball, mostly because of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Boston teams have also included many historical moments!
This includes the largest Super Bowl comeback of all time, when they came back to win the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons from 28-3 down, winning the game 34-28.
A more painful memory for many Red Sox fans is when Bill Buckner let the ball roll through his legs, which ultimately cost the Red Sox the World Series in 1986.
Up until 2004, there was a myth in Boston called the “Curse of the Bambino.”
The basic gist of the story is that in 1918, the last time the Red Sox won the World Series, the team sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000- and they didn’t win a single World Series until 2004.
Other than Babe Ruth, there have been many other famous athletes who have come through this city, such as Bill Russell, David Ortiz, Bobby Orr and Larry Bird.
2. New York
New York, much like Boston, has a brutal sports media market with many high profile newspapers, web sites and talk radio shows- and is not for the feint of heart.
Boston and New York also have a plethora of sports rivalries in just about every major sports league.
As a matter of fact, both Boston and New York have arguably the largest rivalry in all sports in Major League Baseball, with the Red Sox and Yankees.
Also, just like in Boston, New Yorkers know their sports and have experienced their share of success!
New York has produced 27 World Series championships from the Yankees, two from the Mets, two NBA championships from the New York Knicks (although they have been contenders way more times than that), eight Stanley Cups (four from the Rangers and an additional four from the Islanders) and five Super Bowls- four of them from the Giants and one from the Jets.
However, it is debatable as to whether or not the Jets should even be counted. Although they brand themselves as being from New York, their actual stadium is in New Jersey.
3. Detroit, Michigan
Although the 2000s haven’t been friendly to the city of Detroit sports-wise, they still have plenty of history, especially within the last 60 years.
For those trying to think of the best Detroit teams, the professional teams are the Lions in the NFL, Pistons in the NBA, Detroit Red Wings in the NHL and the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball.
In Detroit, one of the first things that most sports fans across the US will consider is the team known as the bad boys of the 1980s and early 1990s.
This was an extremely physical team known for their defensive prowess and extreme physicality, especially between Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman.
In terms of championships, in the 1900s and 2000s the Pistons brought three NBA championships to the city of Detroit. Two of these came from the bad boys team just mentioned in 1989 and 1990. They also won another in 2004.
The Tigers have won four World Series championships, all of which came in the 1900s or more specifically 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984.
While none of them are recent, the Detroit Red Wings have produced the most championships with 11, the latest in 2008.
In terms of rivalry, the biggest rivalries for the city of Detroit are the Pistons-Bulls, Red Wings-Predators, Tigers-Cubs and the Lions and the Bears.
As you’ll notice, almost all of the teams mentioned are between Chicago and Detroit, so you could say these are two sports crazed and rivaled cities, similar to Boston and New York.
The most intense of these rivalries was during the late 80s and early 90s, when Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls went up against the Detroit Pistons, one of the best teams in the NBA at the time.
4. Los Angeles, California
Whenever I see lists for the best sports cities, Los Angeles is one city that is never mentioned for some reason, despite its teams having some of the most loyal fans and biggest sports markets in the country.
For those who may not be familiar, Los Angeles has the Lakers and Clippers in the NBA, Raiders and Rams in the NFL, the Kings in the NHL, the Dodgers in Major League Baseball and- although they don’t technically play in Los Angeles- there is also the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Los Angeles is the only city in the US that has multiple professional sports teams in multiple leagues.
Yes, you could talk about the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, and the Jets and the Giants, but that doesn’t count because the Jets stadium is in New Jersey, the Brooklyn Nets are in Brooklyn and the Knicks play in downtown New York.
The best rivalries to come out of Los Angeles are the Celtics-Lakers. Some argue that this rivalry is dubbed as one of the best rivalries in all of professional sports.
The Dodgers-Giants rivalry is also huge, as well as Rams-49ers and the Chargers Raiders.
Just like Boston and New York, Los Angeles has a tough media landscape, so there needs to be a special way of dealing with the media if you expect to compete in this city for a long period of time.
5. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Although Pittsburgh doesn’t have the glamour of Boston, New York or LA, it certainly has seen its share of stars come through the city.
Some of the greatest that come to mind are Mario Lemieux and Sid Crosby of the Penguins. Both of these players played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Roberto Clemente played for the Pirates. As for the Steelers, there is Ben Roethlisberger.
The city’s most passionate fans are clearly the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are infamous for the terrible towel. This is something that you’ll often see waved at Steelers games.
As far as its rivalries go, the biggest rivalries that exist in Pittsburgh are the Penguins-Flyers, who have the most fights in league history at 230.
The Pirates-Reds and Steelers-Packers rivalries are also important, as two of the more historical teams in the NFL.
As a matter of fact, these teams met in Super Bowl XLV, and the Packers were victorious 31-25.
In terms of championships, the Steelers have won six Super Bowls. The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups and the Pirates have won five World Series championships.
The last time the Pirates won the World Series was back in 1979.
