The Best Sports Cities North Carolina Represented Well On The List

What would you say are the best sports cities North Carolina? Here in both of the Carolinas, we love our sports. I can personally attest to them being a way of life. Whether you follow professional or college athletics (or both) North Carolina has something to offer. So when Sports Business Journal came out with their best sports business cities list for 2024 I had to take a look. And when it comes to the best sports cities North Carolina certainly made the list.

This was the second year Sports Business Journal compiled this list. They say its focus is "cities that have been the most successful at attracting and hosting sporting events". They actually have two sections of the list one for cities that include a "Big 5" sports team and the other for those without. If you aren't familiar the big 5 sports are Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).

Of those 5 leagues all but the MLB is accounted for in North Carolina. Charlotte is home to 3 of the 5- NFL, NBA, and MLS. While Raleigh is home to the NFL Hurricanes. The capital is also in the running for Major League Baseball. And while both of those cities were included on this list, it was the cities without a Big 5 team where North Carolina ranked the highest.

Greensboro ranked number two on the best sports cities list representing North Carolina. Greensboro hosts a variety of events many of which take place at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. This includes many ACC Championships including this year Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, and many years the Men's Basketball. So many that the city has earned the nickname "Tournament Town".

In a press release, Henri Fourrier the Greensboro Area Convention and Vistors Bureau president said, “This recognition underscores our city's unparalleled dedication to hosting world-class events and showcases our ability to thrive in the sports industry." He went on to say that, "it's a testament to the collaborative spirit and unwavering commitment of our community to create unforgettable experiences for athletes, fans, and visitors.”

When looking at the cities that are home to Big 5 teams Charlotte ranked 20th while the market of Raleigh/Durham/Cary came in at 23rd. While both cities have in the past hosted major events like the NBA All-Star Game (Charlotte 2019) and the NHL All-Star Game (Raleigh 2011). The period of time considered included January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2023 and was reflective of more than 1,500 events nationwide. And considering the minimal number of major sporting events hosted having the best sports cities reflect North Carolina is still an honor.

Hopefully, shortly we can secure an event like a Super Bowl or the NFL Draft. The Carolina Hurricanes are on a roll and could play host to some NHL Playoff Games later this year. You can read the full list from Sports Business Journal here.

It's no secret that the US loves its sports. Whether it's NFL, NBA, MLB, college athletics, NHL, or something else. There are passionate fans everywhere. Anyone who knows me will tell you I definitely fall into that category. But if you love sports there are certainly "better" places to be if you want to be fully immersed in the culture (and a winning one at that). In fact, I'd tell you there are two types of sports fans, those who are fans of teams first, and those that are fans of the game first. Those in the latter are the ones this study is most relevant for. I'd argue that the best sports city to be in is the one where you can see your team play most often. But this study by WalletHub focused on the best overall fan experience. And in that metric, a South Carolina town topped the Best Small Sports City list.

The study compared 392 cities across more than 50 key metrics related to the five largest sports in the U.S.: football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer. This is on both the pro and collegiate levels. They ranked the cities overall as well as in small, mid-sized, and large cities. Below you'll find the rankings across all categories including which South Carolina college town is considered the best sports city. (It pains me to write it and give them this recognition more than I care to admit). In fact, many smaller North and South Carolina cities faired well in these rankings. The larger cities? Not so much. When compared to sports hubs with numerous professional teams, I suppose it's to be expected. Be sure to read until the end to see where the champion small city ranked in the overall results.

Other NC/SC Cities:

35. Greenville, SC

38. Spartanburg, SC

39. Boiling Springs, SC

43. Cullowhee, NC

57. Elon, NC

100. Orangeburg, SC

Other NC/SC Cities:

43. Columbia, SC

62. North Charleston, SC

74. High Point, NC

75. Wilmington, NC

77. Cary, NC

101. Fayetteville, NC

NC/SC Cities:

26. Charlotte, NC

42. Raleigh, NC

A combination of small, midsize, and large cities.

Total Score: 22.57

Football: 31

Basketball: 52

Baseball: 45

Soccer: 43

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 25.09

Football: 13

Basketball: 450

Baseball: 450

Soccer: 450

Hockey: 19

Total Score: 26.31

Football: 25

Basketball: 25

Baseball: 75

Soccer: 41

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 27.27

Football: 23

Basketball: 252

Baseball: 73

Soccer: 40

Hockey: 18

Total Score: 27.3

Football: 21

Basketball: 228

Baseball: 89

Soccer: 102

Hockey: 8

Total Score: 28.49

Football: 26

Basketball: 20

Baseball: 11

Soccer: 112

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 29.67

Football: 30

Basketball: 23

Baseball: 22

Soccer: 38

Hockey: 3

Total Score: 29.69

Football: 16

Basketball: 78

Baseball: 19

Soccer: 94

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 29.97

Football: 24

Basketball: 66

Baseball: 30

Soccer: 23

Hockey: 23

Total Score: 30.44

Football: 14

Basketball: 155

Baseball: 124

Soccer: 108

Hockey: 7

Total Score: 30.75

Football: 29

Basketball: 9

Baseball: 17

Soccer: 15

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 31.93

Football: 8

Basketball: 16

Baseball: 214

Soccer: 450

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 32.52

Football: 18

Basketball: 28

Baseball: 9

Soccer: 245

Hockey: 49

Total Score: 32.76

Football: 3

Basketball: 226

Baseball: 450

Soccer: 137

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 33.23

Football: 10

Basketball: 21

Baseball: 33

Soccer: 35

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 34.24

Football: 11

Basketball: 249

Baseball: 20

Soccer: 5

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 34.55

Football: 27

Basketball: 17

Baseball: 6

Soccer: 12

Hockey: 11

Total Score: 35.83

Football: 17

Basketball: 144

Baseball: 21

Soccer: 2

Hockey: 21

Total Score: 35.95

Football: 9

Basketball: 55

Baseball: 7

Soccer: 22

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 36.58

Football: 12

Basketball: 4

Baseball: 8

Soccer: 202

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 37.34

Football: 20

Basketball: 14

Baseball: 4

Soccer: 8

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 37.48

Football: 22

Basketball: 8

Baseball: 23

Soccer: 6

Hockey: 15

Total Score: 37.75

Football: 15

Basketball: 24

Baseball: 24

Soccer: 18

Hockey: 6

Total Score: 38.54

Football: 19

Basketball: 5

Baseball: 18

Soccer: 16

Hockey: 14

Total Score: 38.84

Football: 7

Basketball 6:

Baseball: 26

Soccer: 14

Hockey: 450

Total Score: 42.38

Football: 2

Basketball: 18

Baseball: 313

Soccer: 19

Hockey: 17

Total Score: 46.48

Football: 1

Basketball: 99

Baseball: 12

Soccer: 31

Hockey: 2

Total Score: 47.09

Football: 6

Basketball: 12

Baseball: 1

Soccer: 7

Hockey: 5

Total Score: 50.88

Football: 4

Basketball: 2

Baseball: 5

Soccer: 13

Hockey: 1

Total Score: 50.91

Football: 5

Basketball: 1

Baseball: 3

Soccer: 1

Hockey: 24

In order to determine the best sports cities, WalletHub combined the results from its previous rankings listed below. Each sports category was assigned a weight corresponding with the total percentage of adults in the U.S. who claim to follow that particular sport, according to Gallup.

Each sports category was also graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for sports fans. Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all sports categories to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Our sample includes a total of 392 U.S. cities, categorized according to the following population-size guidelines:

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, TN Bets, Team Marketing Report, ESPN, NCAA, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sports Reference, Forbes, Minute Media, Sports Business Journal, MLB Advanced Media, Minor League Baseball, YouGov, Sports Reference, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The National Collegiate Athletic Association, Forbes, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, NBA, NHL.com, U.S. College Hockey Online, TicketIQ, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, USL, Soccer Stadium Digest, FlashScore, Google Trends, National Soccer Hall of Fame and WalletHub analysis.