A Countdown of the 13 Best Sports Cities

There are many ways to compare cities in America. You can speak of demographics, economics, or the cleanliness of the city. However, that is not the most important aspect of a city.

A cities sports teams are.

This is a countdown of the Top 13 cities for sports.

I only counted the cities that had a sports team in the "big three" of American sports. (Baseball, Football, and Basketball). I used historical data as a means for judgment, and made a decision based off of that data. It in no way reflects which teams are on top right now.

I included FRANCHISE championships, even if they moved.

No. 13: Denver, Colorado

NFL: Denver Broncos (394-352) (.528) (2 Championships)

NBA: Nuggets 1665-1763 (.490) (0 Championships)

MLB: Rockies 1281-1411 (.476) (0 Championships)

Combined Win Percentage: .498

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 2

Best Team: The Denver Broncos are the love of Denver. The John Elway era put Denver sports on the map.

Worst Team: The Rockies have yet to do anything spectacular in their young existence.

No. 12: Atlanta, Georgia

NFL: Atlanta Falcons 276-390 (.415) (0 Championships)

NBA: Hawks 2312-2418 (.489) (1 Championships)

MLB: Braves 9854-9883 (.499) (3 Championships)

Combined Win Percentage: .468

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 4

Best Team: Easily the Atlanta Braves. Many people consider the Braves not only Atlanta's best team, but the team of the south. They are the Yankees antithesis.

Worst Team: Sorry Falcon fans, you are doing much better. However, historically you are worse than the Cardinals. The team is mostly known for the Michael Vick incident. Things are definitely looking up, however.

No 11: Pheonix, Arizona

NFL: Arizona Cardinals 483-680 (.416) (2 Championships)

NBA: Suns 1848-1463 (.558) (0 Championships)

MLB: Diamondbacks 970-974 (.499) (1 Championship)

Combined Win Percentage: .491

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 3

Best Team: The first difficult choice on the list. One could look at the Cardinals two pre-Super Bowl championships and pick them. One could look at the sterling record of the Suns and choose them. Maybe you prefer one close to the middle? The Diamondbacks sport close to a .500 record and a championship.

I am going to go with the established consistency of the Suns. They play well almost every year. If they had won a championship this would be a no-brainer.

Worst Team: Even though this team sports the most championships for this city, they also hold the dubious honor of being the laughingstock of a league for many years. The Arizona Cardinals are becoming players in the NFL again, but it has taken them many years of futility to get back to that point.

No. 10: Washington, D.C.

NFL: Washington Redskins 541-506 (.517) (5)

NBA: Wizards 1771-2104 (.457) (0)

MLB: Nationals 3098-3409 (.476) (0)

Combined Win Percentage: .483

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 5

Best Team: This is probably the easiest call of the bunch. Historically, the only team to amount to more than mediocre is the Washington Redskins. However, Dan Snyder is doing everything he can to ensure that the Washington D.C. area falls quickly down this list.

Worst Team: The Washington Wizards narrowly beat out the Washington Nationals. The Wizards fail in so many levels. They have the worst mascot in history, and they have failed to win with some god players.

No. 9: Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota

NFL: Minnesota Vikings 407-326 (.555) (1)

NBA: Timberwolves 667-922 (.420) (0)

MLB: Twins 8138-8748 (.482) (3)

Combined Win Percentage: .486

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 4

Best Team: The Twins are the best team in this area. However, the Vikings are coming up strong. With another championship, the Vikings would be the best team in Minneapolis.

Worst Team: The Timberwolves are just terrible. If they even have a mediocre program, this city would be much higher on the list. What is a timberwolf, anyway?

No. 8: Miami, Florida

NFL: Miami Dolphins 387-281 (.579) (2)

NBA: Heat 805-866 (.482) (1)

MLB: Marlins 1283-1403 (.478) (2)

Combined Win Percentage: .513

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 5

Best Team: Tougher than you would think, but you have to go with the second winningest program (in terms of win percentage) in the NFL: the Miami Dolphins. They sport a .579 average with two championships and an undefeated NFL season to boot.

Worst Team: The Florida Marlins have the worst winning percentage in Miami. However, they have been key players as of late, and even won a championship.

No. 7: Dallas-Ft.Worth, Texas

NFL: Dallas Cowboys 434-314 (.580) (5 Championships)

NBA: Mavericks 1140-1187 (.490) (0)

MLB: Rangers 3657-4134 (.476) (0)

Combined Win Percentage: .513

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 5

Best Team: The Dallas Cowboys are one of the best franchises in any sport. They sport an iconic (albeit slightly crazy) owner in Jerry Jones, legendary players, and a fairly consistent team.

Worst Team: The Rangers own this distinction in Dallas. They always seem to be the picture of mediocrity in the MLB.

No. 6: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles 499-535 (.483) (3)

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers 2531-2194 (.536) (3)

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies 9038-10167 (.471) (2)

Combined Win Percentage: .497

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 8

Best Team: The Philadelphia 76ers have a sterling historical record and three championships. Considered one of the NBA's elite for many years, the Sixers have come into hard times lately, but will become a player again one day.

Worst Team: The Phillies have a fervent fan base (just like all Philly sports), and two championships, but they do have a sub .500 record.

No. 5: Detroit, Michigan

NFL: Detroit Lions 490-583 (.457) (4 Championships)

NBA: Detriot Pistons 2393-2397 (.499) (3)

MLB: Detroit Tigers 8564-8356 (.506) (4)

Combined Win Percentage: .487

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 11

Best Team: The Detroit Red Wings...if I was counting the NHL. Since I am not...the Detroit Tigers have won 4 championships and have a .506 winning percentage. They have made the city proud on numerous occasions.

Worst Team: The Detroit Lions are the picture of NFL futility (even though they won three pre-Super Bowl championships). Still, they were good once, and the management currently in place seems to be making good choices.

No. 4: San Francisco, California

NFL: San Francisco 49ers 503-410 (.551) (5 Championships)

NBA: Golden State Warriors 2259-2638 (.461) (3 Championships)

MLB: San Francisco Giants 10344-8888 (.538) (5 Championships)

Combined Win Percentage: .517

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 13

Best Team: In a close one, the San Francisco 49ers take the best team title for San Francisco. They have a great winning percentage, and some legendary names (Montana, Rice, Young... no first names needed).

Worst Team: The Golden State Warriors. They have won three championships and a sub .500 record. They have a youth movement brewing right now that may make them competitive soon.

No. 3: Chicago, Illinios

NFL: Chicago Bears 693-507 (.577) (9 Championships)

NBA: Bulls 1765-1710 (.508) (6 Championships)

MLB: Chicago Cubs 10165-9601 (.514) (2 Championships)
Chicago White Sox 8540-8339 (3 Championships)

Combined Win Percentage: .526

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 20

Best Team: I am going against my current trend of picking the team that wins the most championships...and say the Chicago Bulls. When people think of Chicago sports, they think of the iconic Michael Jordan and the Bulls. The Bears have the best resume (and best team picture... Super Bowl Shuffle FTW).

Worst Team: It is really tough to call any of these teams a worst team. Pick one of the good baseball teams, and call them inferior to the Bears and Bulls.

No. 2: Boston, Massachusets

NFL: New England Patriots 387-360 (.518) (3 Championships)

NBA: Boston Celtics 2909-1994 (.593) (17 Championships)

MLB: Boston Red Sox 8730-8160 (.517) (7 Championships)

Combined Win Percentage: .543

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 27

Best Team: The Boston Celtics are the best team in Boston. They are also one of the top three most successful franchises in any sport (behind the Yankees and Lakers).

Worst Team: The New England Patriots just recently joined the "Above Five Hundred" team and won their three championships over the course of the last 10 years. Before that, they were a very sub-par football team.

No. 1: New York, New York

NFL: New York Jets 340-408 (.455) (1 Championship)
New York Giants 626-518 (.547) (7 Championships)

NBA: New York Knicks 2447-2450 (.499) (2 Championships)

MLB: New York Yankees 9575-7294 (.568) (27 Championships)
New York Mets 3655-3981 (.479) (2 Championships)

Combined Win Percentage: .510

Total Championships (Including Pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships): 39

Best Team: Easily the Yankees. Easily the most hated team in America, the Yankees (or Bankees as they are lovingly called by others) continue to spend money and bring in the best players. 27 championships is just absurd.

Worst Team: Sorry Jets... you are the red-headed stepchild of the New York sports community. You have had your moments...The Joe Namath championship may have changed the course of NFL history.

There you have it. Based on data and information I collected, the city of New York is the best sports city. (Which is hard for me to write, because I dislike the Yankees and hate the Jets).