A recent arti
cle in Forbes came out ranking the top college sports town and there it was DB's alum city - Ann Arbor. Mikey Hart stills sings the praises.. (I know have to reach back two years to find a winning smile on the football sidelines - but how can you resist!). Ann Arbor! Blimpy's, Cottage Inn Pizza, the Brown Jug, Backroom Pizza and the Diag along with over a hundred years of winning tradition in all of our sports. Many of the DB fans are puking all over their keyboards reading this. So, if you'd like to see for yourself you doubting Thomases - here's the link:Ann Arbor Rocks College Sports Towns
But the other question remains - what would the top five professional sports towns be? DB took his stab at ranking them:
5. Los Angeles - two MLB teams, two hockey teams (one named the Mighty Ducks - major point deduction), two NBA teams. Lose major points for a really crappy and fair weather fan base and NO NFL team. Still don't understand that in the cradle of capitalism - no NFL team.
4. New York - avid fan base. For some teams. Yankees! And that's about it. Mets are loved when they show up to play. The Knicks are a joke. The two hockey teams haven't amounted to much in years and one of them is on the Long island. Football teams spread apart and the Jets fans love to have something to complain about and the Giants fans are content for now. Great sports town - just loses points for all the whining.
3. Detroit - no biased here. One of the most loyal, proud and avid fan bases in America. Usually one of the teams is winning and can count on the Lions to be losers (but still pack 65,000 in Ford Field every weekend). Red Wings and Tigers have such amazing history and the Pistons have rocked the 90-s and naughts.
2. Boston - no not my new favorite teams as I've been accused of selling out in the move east. Fan base is amazing. Rabid. Loyal. Mean. Argumentative. When you can understand them. Celtics and Red Sox are the storied franchise. The Patriots have been invincible and the Bruins are hot again.
1. Chicago - bar none. None come close to this sports town. Fans love sports. Periods. South siders love their Sox. Gay Chicagoans love their Cubs. Da Bears pack it in. The Bulls have fallen on not so good times post Jordan and the Black Hawks lost a bit of luster. But it's the passion that separates this town from the rest!
DB welcomes your feedback!
2 comments:
DB,
Can't complain much about the list, only that you left out probably THE most rabid of all fan bases located not only in one city, but across the nation as well...Pittsburgh. I know there are major deductions for no NBA team (and arguably, no MLB team), but a well-chronicled historic hockey franchise and an even more sucessful football team, ....I mean, come on!
This anecdote might sum up a lot of things, but fandom is definitly one of them...it's no strange sight to see a Pittsburgher walking down the street wearing a Bucco's jersey, Steelers hat and a pen's jacket...it's just normal....wierd, but normal.
You also have to take into account that it is also arguably one of the most fan-wallet-freindly sports towns in America. Nowhere can you get seats 10 rows behind homeplate on the day of the game for $23 - it's baseball! Beer in all of the stadiums is still under $5!!!! and they have the best sandwich shop in America in all three venues...Primanti Bros!
There is somethng to be said for blue-collar sports fan appeal and Pittsburgh oozes it!
I hope I made a solid arguement, and that you reconsider the listing. At least knock LA off the list, they've tried NFL more than twice and failed miserably every time...and the Clippers? really?
DB says in hindsight probably should have kept LA off the list and put Philadelphia as maybe high as 4. Pittsburgh - leave it man. Get over it!!!!
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