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Top 6 Best Sports Cities in America: 2023 Edition

best sports cities in america

What are the best sports cities in America? We take a look at the history and the winning habits of franchises to decide the best cities. 

Best Sports Cities in America

When deciding what the best sports cities in America are, we took into consideration aspects such as the historical Fenway Park, or the incredibly futuristic SoFi Stadium.

We also took a look at the players that represented the cities and how many championships have been won. Let’s take a look at our top six sports cities in America.

6. Philadelphia

Philadelphia fans are passionate to say the least, and the city makes the list of best sports cities in America. Philadelphians love their sports and are extremely knowledgeable about it too. 

The Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and 76ers have all won national championships in the MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA respectively. 

When it comes to winning however, Philadelphia falls short compared to other cities. The Phillies hold the unfortunate record for the most losses by a single franchise in any pro sport.

Legends like Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain, Brian Dawkings, Reggie White, Mike Schmidt and Bobby Clarke have all called Philadelphia home. 

Despite the lack of success across all their pro sports teams, Philadelphia fans still have high expectations for anyone who’s brave enough to represent the city.

5. Chicago

Michael Jordan alone is reason enough for Chicago to be one of the best sports cities in America. The Bulls won six NBA championships in the 90’s with the best NBA player of all time, and he helped drive the popularity of the league on a global scale.

The Blackhawks, Cubs and White Soxs have all won national championships in the NHL and MLB. Founded in 1870, the Cubs are the oldest active professional teams in North America. 

Wrigley Field is one of the best MLB stadiums, is intimately set in a residential neighbourhood and has a world famous ivy-covered brick outfield wall.

A little south of Wrigley Field is the United Center which is the second largest indoor arena in the America and was the centre of the basketball universe during the 90’s. 

Chicago fans go so crazy for the Bulls and Blackhawks that the United Center on Madison St is known by some as the ‘Madhouse on Madison’. 

Stars like Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Ernie Banks, Stan Mikita, Brian Urlacher and Dick Butkus have all called Chicago home and have put Chicago on the map. 

Chicago has the sports attitude, loyalty, and game day atmospheres that lands Chicago fifth best of all sports cities in America.

4. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has punched above their weight and are one of the best sports cities in America. They’re ahead of others on our list because of how successful their three major league teams have been – the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates of the NFL, NHL and MLB. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers have almost won more Super Bowls than national championships that Philadelphia has won across professional major sports.

Every Steelers home game has been sold out since 1972. The Steelers are so big across America that during away games, Steelers fans often outnumber home fans at games.

PNC Park is the best MLB stadium, and Pittsburgh is hopeful of being one of the next NBA expansion teams, and could utilise PPG Paints Arena, where the Penguins play their NHL games. The Pittsburgh Steelers also appear on the list of biggest NFL rivalries multiple times. 

Among Pittsburgh’s greatest sports stars include Hall of Fame players. Greats such as Mario Lemieux, Ben Roethlisberger, Jerome Bettis, Troy Polamalu, Honus Wagner, Joe Greene and Sidney Crosby have represented Pittsburgh. 

3. New York

The world famous New York Yankees by themselves makes New York one of the best sports cities in America.

The Yankees are joined by the Mets, Giants, Jets, Islanders, Rangers, Nets, Knicks, the New Jersey Devils and Brooklyn Nets in representing New York.

Sports culture is huge in New York. Both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are among the best ballparks in the MLB.

The Knicks and Rangers play their NBA and NHL games out of the historical Madison Square Garden. The arena has also hosted top events, from Michael Jackson, to the WWE, to the UFC.

The city has the largest media market in America. As a result the media and New York fans can be extremely hard on players and coaches. That’s the sort of passion you’d expect from the third best sports city in America.

New York has been blessed with some of the most beloved athletes of all-time. Christy Mathewson and Tom Seaver are among the best pitchers of all time and have delivered World Series victories for New York teams. 

Superstars that have represented New York include the best baseball player of all time Babe Ruth, some of the best shortstops ever in Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, and other stars including Mickey Mangle, Lou Gehrig, Patrick Ewing, Joe Namath and Joe DiMaggio.

2. Boston

Boston is the second on the list of best sports cities in America. Historically, Boston’s pro sports teams are always in contention and collectively, they’ve won over 40 championships in total. 

The Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox of the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB, have all been remarkably consistent over a long period of time and have created a habit and culture of winning.

Tom Brady won six Super Bowl rings in his 20 years with the Patriots. The Boston Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history with 17 NBA championships.

Along with Brady, Boston has also been home to superstars such as David Ortiz, Bobby Orr, Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce, with the latter three having helped to develop a fierce hatred with Los Angeles.

1. Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the best sports city in America. The Chargers, Rams, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, Angels and Dodgers all represent the city. Collectively Los Angeles has more than 30 national championships.

SoFi Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the world and the Lakers are one of the most well known and most valuable sports franchises.

Some of the greatest athletes of all-time have lit up Los Angeles including some of the greatest single franchise NBA players of all-time like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Jerry West, as well as Fernando Valenzuela and Wayne Gretzky.

Los Angeles has the second largest media market in America and it’s the centre of the entertainment industry. It continues to evolve as a pro sports destination with the Rams and Chargers establishing themselves in the city in recent times.

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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