Ranking Boston, Massachusetts and the 11 Other Four-Sport Cities in the U.S.

There are 12 cities in the United States who have the honor to host a professional sports team from each of the four major sports (baseball, basketball, hockey, football) within their city limits or distinct metropolitan area. 

Some of these cities have given their residents lots of reason to cheer, winning multiples championships in multiple sports. 

Some of them, however, may be surprising members of the list, as their teams have long been absent from national championships and/or the media spotlight. 

From worst to best, here are the US four-sport cities. 

12. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

Minneapolis-St. Paul squads, who all use the generic "Minnesota" as their hometown name, have had bright moments in history, but 2011 is not their time. 

The Vikings have major quarterback issues and will probably struggle this upcoming NFL season. 

The NBA's Timberwolves have potential to be very good in a few years with a cast of up-and-coming players on their team, led by the dynamic Kevin Love. They also must hope that first-round draft pick Derrick Williams steps up. Currently, though, they just finished the 2010-2011 NBA Season with a 17-65 record. 

The Twins are one of the worst teams in the MLB right now, and the NHL's Wild aren't a terrible squad, but are nowhere near the level to compete in hockey's tough Western Conference. 

Minneapolis-St. Paul currently ranks as the worst four-sport city. 

11. Phoenix, Arizona

After years of mediocrity, the Cardinals gave Phoenix reason to cheer with a Super Bowl run in 2008-2009. Since then though, the Cardinals have once again become a sub-par football squad. 

The NBA's Suns seem to have their best days of this era behind them. 

The Diamondbacks and the Coyotes are both competitive, but forgettable, in the MLB and NHL respectively. 

If there is one word to describe Phoenix's sports teams right now, it is mediocre. 

10. Denver, Colorado

The Denver Broncos are coming off a terrible season and have a lot of questions to answer before they will be competitive again. 

The NBA's Nuggets are probably the best team in town, but are still recovering from the departure of star player Carmelo Anthony. 

The Rockies are playing sub-par baseball and don't appear to be going anywhere this year, and the Avalanche had their worst season in a while, going 30-44-8. 

The Denver sports scene has witnessed better days. 

9. Washington, D.C.

The bright spot in the Washington sports circuit right now is the Washington Capitals. They are one of the best teams in hockey and employ Alex Ovechkin, arguably the most dominating player in the sport. 

Besides that, the Redskins are one of the most incomplete teams in football and the NBA's Wizards are just awful.

The Nationals are playing above .500 baseball, which is more than they can say since their inception. Let's see if they can keep it up. 

Until then, think hockey, Washington. 

8. Detroit, Michigan

The Motor City sports teams have given their city a decent amount of reasons to cheer over the last decade, but currently, don't have any squad that is too dynamic. 

The Detroit Lions were, four years ago, one of the worst teams in all sports. The NFL squad went 0-16, which had never been done before. The Lions are on the upswing but still have a lot of work to do and have never really been very good. 

The NBA's Pistons had a great run in the early-to-mid 2000's but have since become an ugly mess of internal dispute. 

The NHL's Red Wings and the MLB's Tigers are consistently competitive teams who both have potential to win championships in the next few years. 

7. Miami, Florida

The only reason Miami is ranked this high is because they host the NBA's Heat, who produce enough of a media firestorm to count for four sports teams on their own. As obnoxious as they may be to 99 percent of the country, the Heat were extremely important to Miami this year and will be competitive for quite some time, as they employ three of the best players in the league. (I'll let you guess who)

Other than the Heat, the Miami sports scene is pretty awful. The NFL's Dolphins have a rich history but have been forgettable in recent years, lacking any dominating seasons or star players. 

The MLB's Marlins and the NHL's Panthers are both pretty terrible and unfortunately, receive awful attendances. 

It's basketball or bust in Miami. 

6. Chicago, Illinois

Chicago hosts not four, but five major sports teams, and they are some of the most hot and cold teams in sports. 

In baseball, the south side White Sox brought Chicago a World Series championship in 2005. They have since been very inconsistent, finishing seasons a bit above or below .500. The north side Cubs are epically cursed, as they haven't won a World Series in 102 years. Also, see: Steve Bartman. 

The NFL's Bears have had great years and terrible years all in the last decade, and very few consistent, star players. 

The NHL's Blackhawks have been good recently, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, while the Bulls seems to be entering a new era of success.

Chicago sports are a little bipolar, but they just have to enjoy the good moments. 

5. San Francisco Bay Area, California

The San Fran area enjoys six major sports teams, mostly because of the fact that they share a market between San Francisco itself, Oakland, and San Jose. 

In San Francisco proper, there is an MLB team, the Giants, and an NFL team, the 49ers. The Giants are currently a great team who won an exciting World Series last year, while the 49ers have a rich history but have been weak as of late. 

In Oakland, the Warriors represent the area in the NBA. They haven't been very good. Neither have Oakland's football team, the Raiders. The Athletics, of the MLB, are always a competitive team, however, in the AL West. 

Finally, the Sharks, who play for the NHL in San Jose, have been a great hockey team over the past few years. They have finished multiple times as one of the best teams during the season but haven't been able to reach the Stanley Cup. 

San Francisco sports have seen better days, but they are still a complete and dominating sports city. 

4. New York City (and Metro Area), New York

New York fans have a lot of reason to cheer. That's because the city and it's surrounding area hosts nine major sports teams. 

Over the years, the NFL's Giants and Jets, MLB's Mets and Yankees, NHL's Devils, Islanders, and Rangers, and NBA's Knicks and Nets have all enjoyed their fair share of success. 

The Yankees are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. They have won 27 World Series and are currently enjoying see Derek Jeter chase the 3,000 hit mark. 

The Mets and the Islanders have been the worst NY squads as of late, while the Nets, who have also been bad, look to regroup with a move from Newark, New Jersey to Brooklyn. 

There is always something to root for in New York. 

3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is one of the best sports cities in history and lately has remained one of the best. 

The Phillies are baseball's most complete team and have been to two of the last three World Series, winning one. 

The Eagles have been a very competitive football squad since the late '90s. Andy Reid has done a great job there as head coach and the Eagles are always competing for the postseason. 

The Flyers are a historic NHL franchise who have put together multiple playoff seasons over the last few years. 

Finally, the NBA's 76ers are the cities weakest franchise, as they haven't been dominant since the end of the Allen Iverson era. They are still looking for their next big star. 

Basketball aside, however, Philadelphia has a lot of reason to be happy. 

2. Dallas, Texas

Dallas has given their city a lot of reason to cheer lately. 

The Cowboys are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. Dubbed "America's Team," the Cowboys always have potential and are always exciting. 

The Rangers are one of the best teams in baseball and contended for the World Series last year, but lost to the San Francisco Giants. They have a good chance to return this year. 

The Dallas Stars, of the NHL, are the cities weakest franchise, having not made the playoffs since the 2007-2008 season. They have one of the best players in the league with Brenden Morrow though, and potential to be good. 

Finally, the kings of Dallas and much of the sports world, the NBA's Mavericks. Once a forgotten and awful organization, the Mavs have been exciting and competitive since flamboyant owner Mark Cuban bought the team in 1999 and acquired German superstar Dirk Nowitzki. To round out a decisive era, Dallas beat the big and mighty Miami Heat in one of the most publicized NBA Finals ever. 

1. Boston, Massachusetts

Boston sports have excelled over the past decades in a way that no city has ever done before. 

The Patriots of the last ten years are a dynasty, having gone to four Super Bowls and winning three. Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. 

The Celtics have been one of the most successful basketball teams since acquiring all-stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The two, paired with longtime Celtic Paul Pierce, are one of the most dominating trio in sports. 

The Red Sox were long cursed but broke that in 2004 with and EPIC World Series run, which included a comeback to win the AL Championship over their division rivals, the New York Yankees. 

Finally, the Boston Bruins just took home the Stanley Cup, their first since the '70s, and thus rounded out Boston as the most complete sports city in the country. 

It is a very special time to be a Boston sports fan. I wish I was one!