From the Atlantic Seaboard to the Pacific Ocean, Americans live and breathe sports. Since there have been professional sports in America, there has always been a debate as to which city has it best.
The criteria for best cities are simply that they have a strong support for their professional teams, in all of the major sports. The teams also have to have had some success recently to be considered, along with being able to show a strong rivalry with another city or region. For example, a strong following for the Chiefs or Royals does not put Kansas City in consideration.
Honorable Mention—Dallas, San Fransisco, Miami, Washington D.C, and Atlanta
No. 5 Philadelphia—"The City of Brotherly Love" is home to the Eagles (NFL), Sixers (NBA), Phillies (MLB), and Flyers (NHL).
The Eagles are the talk of the town, especially with the resurgence of Donavon McNabb. McNabb led the Eagles to the Superbowl in 2005, when they lost to the Brady and his Patriots. Philly prides itself on their football team, especially when they are playing the Giants or Steelers.
AI (either Allen Iverson or Andre Iguodala) brought basketball back to Philly, where it had not really been since the days of Dr. J. The Sixers were in the NBA Finals in 2001, when they lost to the Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers.
The Phillies did not have nearly as much support as their counterparts until this year when they are making a deep run in the MLB Playoffs. The Phils currently have a 2-1 lead in the NLCS and hope that they can make it to the 2008 World Series.
The Flyers also have a strong showing in Philly where many of it's people breathe Flyer hockey, especially when the Penguins or Devils are in town.
Philly is a great city for any sports fan, especially if you begin to include college sports.
Hated Rivals~ New York Giants and Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers, and the Dallas Cowboys,
No. 4 Los Angeles—Even though LA has the second biggest media market, it is not a city that rallies around it's teams. With most of the attention being paid to Hollywood, Los Angeles teams do not get the following that they deserve. Los Angeles is home to the Lakers (NBA), Clippers (NBA), Sparks (WNBA), Galaxy (MLS), Dodgers (MLB), Angels (MLB), and Kings (NHL).
Kobe led his Lakers to the NBA Finals in 2008, where they were defeated by KG and the Celtics. The Lakers are the main talk of L.A., especially with the lack of a professional football team being located in the "City of Angels". The Clippers, on the other hand, have not been good enough to really garner any discussion. Even though they have had players like Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, Los Angeles still belongs to the Lakers.
The Sparks have been dominant with Lisa Leslie running the show in women's basketball.
David Beckham is all of the talk in the MLS, especially now that he plays for a team like the Galaxy.
Both the Dodgers and Angels made the MLB Playoffs this year, with the Dodgers still being in contention down 2-1 in the NLCS.
The Kings are not really a main attraction LA, but they still draw enough fan support to keep LA as a strong city for professional sports.
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