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.
Top 10 Cities For Football
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Dallas, TX
- Green Bay, WI
- Boston, MA
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York, NY
- Miami, FL
- New Orleans, LA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
Top 10 Cities For Basketball Fans
- Los Angeles, CA
- Boston, MA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Francisco, CA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Miami, FL
- San Antonio, TX
- Washington, DC
- Houston, TX
- Oklahoma City, OK
Best Small Sports Cities
- Clemson, SC
- West Point, NY
- Fayette, MS
- State College, PA
- Hanover, NH
- Princeton, NJ
- Morgantown, WV
- Buies Creek, NC
- Stanford, CA
- Stillwater, OK
- East Lansing, MI
- Kingston, RI
- Hamilton, NY
- Boone, NC
- Oxford, MS
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Conway, SC
- Fairfield, CT
- Starkville, MS
- Lynchburg, VA
Other NC/SC Cities:
35. Greenville, SC
38. Spartanburg, SC
39. Boiling Springs, SC
43. Cullowhee, NC
57. Elon, NC
100. Orangeburg, SC
Best Midsize Sports Cities
- Green Bay, WI
- Buffalo, NY
- Glendale, AZ
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- Orlando, FL
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Tallahassee, FL
- Durham, NC
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Fargo, ND
- Norman, OK
- Birmingham, AL
- South Bend, IN
- Provo, UT
- Cambridge, MA
- New Haven, CT
- Athens, GA
- Charleston, SC
- Greensboro, NC
Other NC/SC Cities:
43. Columbia, SC
62. North Charleston, SC
74. High Point, NC
75. Wilmington, NC
77. Cary, NC
101. Fayetteville, NC
Best Large Sports Cities
- Los Angeles, CA
- Boston, MA
- New York, NY
- Pittsburg, PA
- Dallas, TX
- Miami, FL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Denver, CO
- Washington, DC
- Atlanta, GA
- San Francisco, CA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Seattle, WA
- Chicago, IL
- Kansas City, MO
- Indianapolis, IN
- Minneapolis, MN
- New Orleans, LA
- Houston, TX
- Nashville, TN
NC/SC Cities:
26. Charlotte, NC
42. Raleigh, NC
30. Clemson, SC
Total Score: 22.57
Football: 31
Basketball: 52
Baseball: 45
Soccer: 43
Hockey: 450
29. Glendale, AZ
Total Score: 25.09
Football: 13
Basketball: 450
Baseball: 450
Soccer: 450
Hockey: 19
28. Charlotte, NC
Total Score: 26.31
Football: 25
Basketball: 25
Baseball: 75
Soccer: 41
Hockey: 450
27. Las Vegas, NV
Total Score: 27.27
Football: 23
Basketball: 252
Baseball: 73
Soccer: 40
Hockey: 18
26. Tampa, FL
Total Score: 27.3
Football: 21
Basketball: 228
Baseball: 89
Soccer: 102
Hockey: 8
25. Cleveland, OH
Total Score: 28.49
Football: 26
Basketball: 20
Baseball: 11
Soccer: 112
Hockey: 450
24. Detroit, MI
Total Score: 29.67
Football: 30
Basketball: 23
Baseball: 22
Soccer: 38
Hockey: 3
23. Baltimore, MD
Total Score: 29.69
Football: 16
Basketball: 78
Baseball: 19
Soccer: 94
Hockey: 450
22. Nashville, TN
Total Score: 29.97
Football: 24
Basketball: 66
Baseball: 30
Soccer: 23
Hockey: 23
21. Buffalo, NY
Total Score: 30.44
Football: 14
Basketball: 155
Baseball: 124
Soccer: 108
Hockey: 7
20. Houston, TX
Total Score: 30.75
Football: 29
Basketball: 9
Baseball: 17
Soccer: 15
Hockey: 450
19. New Orleans, LA
Total Score: 31.93
Football: 8
Basketball: 16
Baseball: 214
Soccer: 450
Hockey: 450
18. Minneapolis, MN
Total Score: 32.52
Football: 18
Basketball: 28
Baseball: 9
Soccer: 245
Hockey: 49
17. Green Bay, WI
Total Score: 32.76
Football: 3
Basketball: 226
Baseball: 450
Soccer: 137
Hockey: 450
16. Indianapolis, IN
Total Score: 33.23
Football: 10
Basketball: 21
Baseball: 33
Soccer: 35
Hockey: 450
15. Kansas City, MO
Total Score: 34.24
Football: 11
Basketball: 249
Baseball: 20
Soccer: 5
Hockey: 450
14. Chicago, IL
Total Score: 34.55
Football: 27
Basketball: 17
Baseball: 6
Soccer: 12
Hockey: 11
13. Seattle, WA
Total Score: 35.83
Football: 17
Basketball: 144
Baseball: 21
Soccer: 2
Hockey: 21
12. Cincinnati, OH
Total Score: 35.95
Football: 9
Basketball: 55
Baseball: 7
Soccer: 22
Hockey: 450
11. San Francisco, CA
Total Score: 36.58
Football: 12
Basketball: 4
Baseball: 8
Soccer: 202
Hockey: 450
10. Atlanta, GA
Total Score: 37.34
Football: 20
Basketball: 14
Baseball: 4
Soccer: 8
Hockey: 450
9. Washington, DC
Total Score: 37.48
Football: 22
Basketball: 8
Baseball: 23
Soccer: 6
Hockey: 15
8. Denver, CO
Total Score: 37.75
Football: 15
Basketball: 24
Baseball: 24
Soccer: 18
Hockey: 6
7. Philadelphia, PA
Username: jharden13
Team: Philadelphia 76erTotal Score: 38.54
Football: 19
Basketball: 5
Baseball: 18
Soccer: 16
Hockey: 14
6. Miami, FL
Total Score: 38.84
Football: 7
Basketball 6:
Baseball: 26
Soccer: 14
Hockey: 450
5. Dallas, TX
Total Score: 42.38
Football: 2
Basketball: 18
Baseball: 313
Soccer: 19
Hockey: 17
4. Pittsburgh, PA
Total Score: 46.48
Football: 1
Basketball: 99
Baseball: 12
Soccer: 31
Hockey: 2
3. New York, NY
Total Score: 47.09
Football: 6
Basketball: 12
Baseball: 1
Soccer: 7
Hockey: 5
2. Boston, MA
Total Score: 50.88
Football: 4
Basketball: 2
Baseball: 5
Soccer: 13
Hockey: 1
1. Los Angeles, CA
Total Score: 50.91
Football: 5
Basketball: 1
Baseball: 3
Soccer: 1
Hockey: 24