The Best Sports Cities

best sports cities in the US

Being a sports fan can be a roller coaster of emotions, no matter what sport you’re interested in or what team you support. However, seeing your team win is one of the best feelings, a feeling some teams know better than others.

However, being a sports fan isn’t just about winning, that’s what sports betting is for. Being a sports fan is about the experience, the drama, and the people you meet along the way. That’s why, here at Betsperts, we wanted to discover the best sports cities in the US for sports fans.

We’ve looked at a variety of data, including the number of sports bars, food and drink prices, as well as winning percentages and championships to reveal the best cities for sports fans.

What is the Best Sports City to be a Fan?

best cities to be a sports fan

We’ve looked at the number of sports bars, the number of stadiums and arenas, the average beer and soft drink prices per ounce, the cheapest hot dog price, the team’s average win percentage over the last five years, and the number of championships won to come up with an overall score to reveal the best cities for sports fans.

1. Minneapolis – (7.36 sports fan score)

Minneapolis is crowned the best city to be a sports fan, with a score of 7.36. Minneapolis ranks consistently high across our 6 factors, with a high number of stadiums and arenas, as well as a decent number of sports bars. There are four teams in Minneapolis, and those teams have totalled a respectable 35% win rate over the last five years.

2. Pittsburgh – (7.08 sports fan score)

Pittsburgh took second place with a score of 7.08 out of 10. Despite having just three teams in the city of Pittsburgh, those three teams have accumulated a very respectable 36% win rate over the last five years. Those teams also have 16 championships together, the 6th highest in our list. Pittsburgh also has the second-highest number of sports bars, which is perfect if you can’t get a ticket to the game.

3. Denver – (7.04 sports fan score)

Denver completes our top three with a sports fan score of 7.04 out of 10. Denver also ranks consistently high across the board, with high numbers of sports bars, as well as stadiums and arenas. The four teams in Denver have also totalled a respectable 6 championships to go along with their 34% win rate over the last five years.

Best Cities to be a sports fan

RankCityCity PopulationTeamsSports bars per 100,000 peopleStadiums/ArenasFood and Drink Price ScoreAverage Win % (Last 5 Years)No. of ChampionshipsSports Fan Score /10
1Minneapolis439,43045466.8752.54%27.36
2Pittsburgh302,425311335.1354.17%167.08
3Denver738,59447375.451.18%67.04
4Atlanta514,45736369.647.20%36.92
5Tampa394,80934515.658.54%56.88
6Boston687,25746322.460.33%366.48
7Philadelphia1,619,35543383.853.31%85.96
8Cincinnati311,791211356.3340.61%55.72
8Houston2,345,60632565.650.71%35.72
8Los Angeles3,919,97381902.253.38%285.72
8Toronto2,794,35632325.1357.08%145.72
12Baltimore578,65828198.1350.82%55.68
13Kansas City517,75025197.857.09%45.64
13Miami450,79745274.850.49%75.64
13St. Louis298,03426274.8754.68%115.64
16Chicago2,756,54654602.7344.48%165.56
17Dallas1,325,69142723.8749.51%75.4
18Las Vegas653,53339320.4750.85%35.32
18Phoenix1,640,64141516.644.18%15.32
20Green Bay108,06311566.0764.04%45.28
21Calgary1,306,78411419.252.99%15.16
21New Orleans392,03129202.1358.66%15.16
23Detroit624,17745315.235.78%185.12
23Washington707,10949263.2746.42%65.12
25Cleveland367,7863519844.40%35
25San Francisco887,7113925052.02%145
27Nashville707,09125174.659.10%04.88
28Charlotte903,21125267.242.95%04.68
28New York8,930,00291911.443.56%474.68
30Seattle762,68735266.0741.33%14.6
31Milwaukee573,70027122.0760.61%24.48
32Oakland450,63015313.6753.31%44.4
33Indianapolis901,08221237.7350.94%14.24
34Raleigh480,41913303.657.20%14.08
35Orlando321,42711130536.58%04.04
36Oklahoma City701,26612248.4747.85%14
37Winnipeg833,00011266.3354.80%03.96
38San Antonio1,456,06912238.9349.64%53.8
39San Diego1,402,83812364.8750.11%03.72
40Columbus929,49212218.447.32%03.6
40Montreal1,762,94913335.840.47%223.6
42Salt Lake202,37913133.9362.52%03.56
43Buffalo281,75723164.0748.22%03.24
44Portland666,24916191.652.59%13.2
45Vancouver196,73918144.6744.50%03.12
46Edmonton1,010,89911196.3352.19%53.08
47San Jose1,026,70013294.2745.79%03
48Sacramento536,63514313.6740.64%12.84
49Memphis630,34812166.3346.94%02.8
50Ottawa1,423,00011136.5337.21%12
51Jacksonville975,17711152.5331.03%00.84

What is The Best City to be a Football Fan?

the best cities to be a football fan

1. Boston – 8.00 football fan score

The best city for football fans is Boston, with a score of 8 out of 10. Boston’s local team, the New England Patriots, had the third-highest win percentage over the last five years at almost 44%. The Patriots’ home stadium, the Gillette Stadium, also offers one of the best food and drink prices in the NFL. Their six championships also make for good reading for those fans in Boston.

2. Pittsburgh – 7.59 football fan score

Pittsburgh is the second-best city to be a football fan, with a score of 7.59 out of 10. As well as the high number of sports bars, Pittsburgh’s local team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have tallied a high win percentage at almost 42%, as well as 6 championships in their history.

3. Green Bay – 6.76 football fan score

Green Bay completes our top three with a football fan score of 6.76 out of 10. Green Bay has the highest number of sports bars per 100,000 people, with 14.8. The Green Bay Packers have also won almost 43% of their games over the last five years. However, Green Bay has the lowest number of stadiums and arenas, lowering their score considerably.

Best Cities to be a Football Fan

RankCityNFL TeamSports Bars per 100,000StadiumsFood and Drink Price ScoreAverage Win % (Last 5 Years)No. of ChampionshipsScore /10
1BostonNew England Patriots5.8328.4865.51%68
2PittsburghPittsburgh Steelers11.2334.763.09%67.59
3BaltimoreBaltimore Ravens7.9198.8564.41%26.69
4Green BayGreen Bay Packers14.866.3864.04%46.69
5San FranciscoSan Francisco 49ers9.5252.0748.01%56.29
6DenverDenver Broncos7.2377.6336.99%36.21
7DallasDallas Cowboys2724.5955.37%56
8AtlantaAtlanta Falcons5.8369.8843.24%05.45
9New OrleansNew Orleans Saints9.2203.971.84%15.38
10Kansas CityKansas City Chiefs4.6194.7974.12%25.31
11WashingtonWashington Commanders8.8264.9938.24%35.24
11TampaTampa Bay Buccaneers4.1514.2350.29%25.17
13SeattleSeattle Seahawks4.6266.5160.74%15.1
14MinneapolisMinnesota Vikings5465.4956.91%05.03
15MiamiMiami Dolphins5.3274.2645.59%24.9
16Las VegasLas Vegas Raiders8.6320.4743.01%34.76
17CincinnatiCincinnati Bengals10.6355.9635.51%04.55
17New YorkNew York Giants
New York Jets
1.2914.127.21%54.55
19PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Eagles3.1384.0454.34%14.48
20ChicagoChicago Bears3.8602.1948.31%14.34
21HoustonHouston Texans2567.440.96%04.28
22Los AngelesLA Rams
LA Chargers
0.8901.4259.85%14.28
23IndianapolisIndianapolis Colts0.6238.1150.59%14.21
24PhoenixArizona Cardinals0.7517.7842.94%04
25CharlotteCarolina Panthers4.7266.7440.88%03.52
26ClevelandCleveland Browns5.2197.339.41%03.31
27DetroitDetroit Lions5.3314.7632.28%03.24
28NashvilleTennessee Titans4.9173.8961.62%03.17
29BuffaloBuffalo Bills2.8163.560.44%02.41
30JacksonvilleJacksonville Jaguars1.4152.4731.03%00.69

What is the Best City to be a Basketball Fan?

best basketball cities

1. Philadelphia – (6.74 basketball fan score)

Philadelphia takes the top spot with a basketball fan score of 7.47. The Philadelphia 76ers have the second-highest average win percentage over the last five years at just over 42%, behind the Milwaukee Bucks.

2. Boston – (6.37 basketball fan score)

Boston takes second place with a score of 6.37 out of 10. The Boston Celtics are the most successful team in the NBA, with 17 championships. The Celtics have also won over 40% of their games in the last five years. However, their food and drink prices are very expensive compared to the rest of the NBA teams.

3. San Francisco – (6.00 basketball fan score)

San Francisco complete our top three with a basketball fan score of 6 out of 10. San Francisco is the home of the Golden State Warriors, who have seven championships to their name. However, the food and drink prices at their stadium, the Chase Center, are the second most expensive in the NBA.

Best Cities to be a Basketball Fan

RankCityNBA TeamSports Bars per 100,000StadiumsFood and Drink Price ScoreAverage Win % (Last 5 Years)No. of ChampionshipsFan Score /10
1PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia 76ers3.1385.5662.95%36.74
2BostonBoston Celtics5.8321.3661.14%176.37
3San FranciscoGolden State Warriors9.5250.7456.42%76.07
4AtlantaAtlanta Hawks5.8369.5140.77%15.93
4Los AngelesLA Lakers
LA Clippers
0.8903.4555.39%175.93
6ChicagoChicago Bulls3.8605.3138.55%65.63
7DetroitDetroit Pistons5.3317.6536.74%35.41
7HoustonHouston Rockets2564.8150.60%25.41
7MiamiMiami Heat5.3271.656.34%35.41
7San AntonioSan Antonio Spurs1.5238.7749.64%55.41
11DallasDallas Mavericks2726.0549.72%15.26
12DenverDenver Nuggets7.2372.8461.76%05.19
12MilwaukeeMilwaukee Bucks6.8122.4765.93%25.19
14TorontoToronto Raptors2.3324.4562.47%14.89
15Oklahoma CityOklahoma City Thunder2.4248.447.85%14.52
16WashingtonWashington Wizards8.8264.6943.22%14.37
17OrlandoOrlando Magic11.2306.4236.58%04.3
18CharlotteCharlotte Hornets4.7268.445.02%04.15
18ClevelandCleveland Cavaliers5.2198.5239.52%14.15
18MinneapolisMinnesota Timberwolves5465.1843.79%04.15
18PortlandPortland Trail Blazers5.6193.4552.59%14.15
22New YorkNew York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
1.2910.4944.43%24.07
22PhoenixPhoenix Suns0.7516.6748.85%04.07
22SacramentoSacramento Kings3.9315.5640.64%14.07
25Salt LakeUtah Jazz3.5134.9462.52%03.63
26New OrleansNew Orleans Pelicans9.2203.3345.48%03.41
27IndianapolisIndiana Pacers0.6238.0351.29%03.33
28MemphisMemphis Grizzlies2.1167.4146.94%02.96

What is the Best City to be a Baseball Fan?

best baseball cities

1. New York – (6.69 baseball fan score)

New York takes top spot with a score of 6.69 out of 10. New York is home to two teams, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. Together, both teams have accumulated 29 championships and a win rate of just over 37%. Although New York has the highest number of stadiums and arenas, the number of sports bars per 100,000 is amongst the lowest in the MLB.

2. Atlanta – (6.54 baseball fan score)

Atlanta takes second place with a baseball fan score of 6.54 out of 10. The Atlanta Braves are the local team in Atlanta, and they have a 38% win rate over the last five years, as well as two championships to their name. The Braves’ stadium, Truist Park, also has one of the more reasonably priced food and drink out of the MLB stadiums.

3. Los Angeles/St. Louis/Minneapolis – (6.23 baseball fan score)

Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Minneapolis all share third place to complete our top three with a score of 6.23 out of 10. Los Angeles is home to two teams, the LA Dodgers and the LA Angels. Together, they have won seven championships and accumulated a win rate of just under 37%. However, LA has the second-lowest number of bars per 100,000 people. St. Louis’ local team, the St. Louis Cardinals, have won 10 championships and have accumulated a win rate of just over 36%. Minneapolis, home to the Minnesota Twins, have only won two championships, however have one of the best food and drink prices in the league.

Best Cities to be a Baseball Fan

RankCityMLB TeamSports Bars per 100,000StadiumsFood and drink Price ScoreAverage Win % (Last 5 Years)No. of ChampionshipsScore /10
1New YorkNew York Yankees
New York Mets
1.2914.6256.01%296.69
2AtlantaAtlanta Braves5.8367.0557.59%26.54
3Los AngelesLA Dodgers
LA Angels
0.8904.7455.20%76.23
3MinneapolisMinnesota Twins5468.5953.90%26.23
3St. LouisSt. Louis Cardinals5.7274.8754.22%106.23
6PittsburghPittsburgh Pirates11.2336.6741.21%56.08
7CincinnatiCincinnati Reds10.6354.4945.70%55.85
8BostonBoston Red Sox5.8323.4653.74%75.77
9TampaTampa Bay Rays4.1517.0559.45%05.54
10DenverColorado Rockies7.2377.5646.65%05.23
11ChicagoChicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
3.8602.6949.67%65.15
11HoustonHouston Astros2564.2360.58%15.15
13MiamiMiami Marlins5.3279.2343.00%24.77
14PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Phillies3.1386.1549.79%24.69
15OaklandOakland Athletics5.3312.0553.31%44.61
16TorontoToronto Blue Jays2.3327.8249.64%24.46
17ClevelandCleveland Guardians5.2195.3954.26%24.38
18BaltimoreBaltimore Orioles7.9196.2837.22%34.31
18PhoenixArizona Diamondbacks0.7518.8544.23%14.31
20DetroitDetroit Tigers5.3314.7539.59%44.15
21SeattleSeattle Mariners4.6268.9849.84%04.08
22San FranciscoSan Francisco Giants9.5250.2551.63%24
23WashingtonWashington Nationals8.8262.8245.11%13.46
24MilwaukeeMilwaukee Brewers6.8122.4455.30%03.38
25Kansas CityKansas City Royals4.6197.1840.06%23.31
26San DiegoSan Diego Padres1.7363.8550.11%03
27DallasTexas Rangers2722.8242.05%02.77

What is the Best City to be a Hockey Fan?

Best hockey cities Betsperts Media & Technology sports cities

1. Denver – 7.36 hockey fan score

Denver takes first place with a score of 7.36 out of 10. Denver ranks consistently across the board, with their local team, the Colorado Avalanche, winning almost 40% of their games in the last five years, as well as claiming three championships in their history.

2. Pittsburgh – 7.00 hockey fan score

Two teams share second place, both with a score of 7 out of 10. Pittsburgh’s local hockey team is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who play at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins have won almost 39% of their games in the last five years, and have won five Stanley Cups.

3. Tampa – 7.00 hockey fan score

Tampa shares second place with Pittsburgh, also with a score of 7 out of 10. Tampa Bay Lightning, the local team of Tampa, have the highest win rate over the last five years at an even 44%. Two of the Bolts’ three Stanley Cups came in 2020 and 2021, with their first coming in 2004.

Best Cities to be a Hockey Fan

RankCityNHL TeamSports Bars per 100,000StadiumsFood and Drink Price ScoreAverage Win % (Last 5 Years)No. of ChampionshipsScore /10
1DenverColorado Avalanche7.2375.1259.34%37.36
2PittsburghPittsburgh Penguins11.2334.2958.22%57
2TampaTampa Bay Lightning4.1514.7665.87%37
4BostonBoston Bruins5.8323.3360.94%66.64
5MontrealMontréal Canadiens3.1337.2640.47%226
5TorontoToronto Maple Leafs2.3324.5359.13%116
7ChicagoChicago Blackhawks3.8605.8341.37%35.79
8MinneapolisMinnesota Wild5466.7855.57%05.64
9CalgaryCalgary Flames1.1419.7652.99%15.57
10WashingtonWashington Capitals8.8264.0559.13%15.5
11RaleighCarolina Hurricanes3.1304.8857.20%15.22
12St. LouisSt. Louis Blues5.7274.7655.13%15.14
13New YorkNew York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
1.2912.6246.59%115.07
14DetroitDetroit Red Wings5.3314.5234.50%115
15DallasDallas Stars2724.2950.89%14.79
16EdmontonEdmonton Oilers1197.6252.19%54.64
17Las VegasVegas Golden Knights8.6322.0358.69%04.57
18NashvilleNashville Predators4.9177.6256.58%04.5
19PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Flyers3.1382.8646.18%24.43
20Los AngelesLA Kings
Anaheim Ducks
0.8902.9743.06%34.07
21MiamiFlorida Panthers5.3273.3357.02%03.93
22VancouverVancouver Canucks7.6146.4344.50%03.79
23WinnipegWinnipeg Jets1.1267.8654.80%03.71
24ColumbusColumbus Blue Jackets1.9219.2947.32%03.64
25San JoseSan Jose Sharks2.7295.8445.79%03.43
26OttawaOttawa Senators1.4137.6237.21%13.07
27BuffaloBuffalo Sabres2.8166.936.00%02.57
28PhoenixArizona Coyotes0.7513.4540.68%02.5
29SeattleSeattle Kraken4.6261.1913.41%01.64

Methodology

  • Stadium Maps was used to get the cities of each sports team across the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL.
  • Using our research into the teams with the best home-field advantage to get the average win percentage for each team in each city for the last five years.
  • For cities with more than one team, we took the average for those teams to get the city’s average.
  • We used Wikipedia to get the number of championships each NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL won.
  • Our average beer, soft drink, and hot dog prices came from Team Marketing.
  • *Data for soft drink and hot dog prices was missing for the San Francisco 49ers.
  • We also used Yelp to find the number of sports bars, as well as the number of stadiums and arenas in each city. We looked at sports bars, stadiums, and arenas within five miles of the city center.
  • For each sport, we normalized the above factors to get a score out of 10, before taking an average of these scores to get our results, focusing only on the city’s local team for that sport.

Note: Some cities may be missing because they don’t have a team in that sport.

For our overall score, we used the data for each sport and averaged the results for each city. Using this information we once again normalized the factors to get a score out of 10 and took an average of all the scores to get our final result.

References

  • https://www.stadium-maps.com/facts/sports-franchises.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_champions
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Series_champions
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_champions

WRITTEN BY

Austin Harper

Austin is a co-founders at Betsperts and a devoted father of 2. Born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, Austin is passionate about the Atlanta Hawks, Braves, and Falcons. Austin received his Bachelors of Science from Clemson University and gets back for Clemson football and basketball games every chance he gets!

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