Websites seeking “click bait” often try to rank the best sports towns. The criteria almost always are subjective: attendance, profit, team performance, merchandise sales. Some try to quantify fan loyalty. And since the rise of social media, it’s been trendy to map the geography of fandom based upon Facebook “likes.”

When things slowed down over the holidays, I sat down and produced my own ranking of sports towns, based upon a single, factual criterion: How many options are there for a person in a particular metropolitan area to see big-time sports in person. And by “options,” I mean proximity; I did not factor in ticket pricing or availability.

Of course, “big time” is a loophole for subjectivity. I awarded one point each for franchises in the big four professional sports leagues: Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL. (Three of those four have teams north of the border, so Canadian cities are included in my rankings.) I also awarded a point each for universities from the so-called Power Five football conferences.

Cities received a half point for teams in the WNBA, MLS or Canadian Football League. (Arena football didn’t make the cut – even though I live in Phoenix and the Arizona Rattlers have won the last three ArenaBowls.) My criterion for breaking ties was an NCAA Power Five school within 60 miles – thus, Denver would benefit slightly from having the University of Colorado 28 miles away in Boulder.

Top Five

The hierarchy of the top five is clear. No ties.

To no one’s surprise, New York comes out on top, with two or more franchises in all for major professional sports leagues. That overcomes the area’s dearth of major college sports programs. Rutgers of the Big Ten is 44 miles away, but unneeded as a tie breaker.

One point behind is greater Los Angeles with a veritable Noah’s arc of options: two baseball; two basketball, two hockey and two Pac-12 – along with the WNBA and MLS.

Los Angeles expects a new MLS franchise to replace the defunct Chivas USA, but that won’t help it move up in the rankings because New York reportedly is getting a additional soccer team as well. But a Chivas USA replacement would widen the gap between LA and the San Francisco Bay area, currently a half point.

Chicago and Washington round out the top five; having a second baseball team gives Chicago the edge.

All Tied Up

As you can see above, Boston, Minneapolis, Dallas and Phoenix are tied for sixth. No, Phoenix does not get credit for the ridiculously named Waste Management Open or the Fiesta Bowl.

Denver leads the next group, with the University of Colorado in Boulder giving it the tiebreaker. Atlanta dropped into this group when the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, but could benefit from an anticipated MLS expansion team – as could Miami.

The next group is a half point behind but lacks any prospects to move up. A nearby Big Ten school breaks the tie in favor of Detroit. This bunch also includes the first Canadian city in the rankings (Toronto) and the first “not a real city” (North Carolina’s Research Triangle, boosted by the ACC and NHL).

Rounding Out the List

Houston is the best of the rest.

With only a WNBA franchise, Tulsa falls short of the one point required for ranking.

There are never-ending rumors of NHL expansion that could boost Seattle from one tie to another, or  add Las Vegas or Québec City to the rankings. Similarly hypothetical are rumors that the NFL’s Rams or Raiders might relocate – potentially boosting Los Angeles or San Antonio at the expose of the Bay Area or St. Louis.

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Stu Robinson practices writing, editing, media relations and social media through his business, Phoenix-based Lightbulb Communications.

Tags: ACC, Big Ten, Canadian Football League, Major League Baseball, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, Pac-12, WNBA