Forbes Sports List: Why Atlanta Sports Fans Should Boycott Forbes and the AJC

Forbes has released their list of the 10 most miserable sports cities in the United States, and at least one of the cities comes as a great surprise to me. It should come as disgust to sports fans in the city of Atlanta.

I recently came up with my own top 10 list of the toughest cities to be a sports fan—and it is a far more accurate ranking in comparison to the one put out by Forbes.

When coming up with the most miserable cities for their list, Forbes takes into account a "sports heartbreak index" as opposed to futility and embarrassment. They do not take many other factors into consideration.

Forbes also ranks some cities on this list with only one or two professional franchises. To me, a city cannot experience true heartache unless they have at least three pro teams for which they cheer in their hometown.

Before I get into why Atlanta fans should be irate, here is a look at my top 10 list, followed by the one put out by Forbes.

Rob Kelley's Toughest 10 U.S. Cities To Be a Professional Sports Fan:

10. Minneapolis, Minnesota
9. St. Louis, Missouri
8. Houston, Texas
7. Miami, Florida
6. Phoenix, Arizona
5. Denver, Colorado
4. Dallas, Texas
3. Washington, D.C.
2. Detroit, Michigan
1. Cleveland, Ohio

You may agree with the cities on my list. You may not. But I feel as I was able to justify the majority of them, and if you disagree, I encourage you to read the full article.

Here is America's most miserable sports city, according to Forbes:

10. Cincinnati, Ohio
9. Denver, Colorado
8. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Kansas City, Missouri
6. Houston, Texas
5. San Diego, California
4. Buffalo, New York
3. Phoenix, Arizona
2. Atlanta, Georgia
1. Seattle, Washington

You may have noticed that we actually agree on four of the 10 cities, but fans in Atlanta will notice that Forbes has them at number two.

How can that be? Has any team in Atlanta won a championship recently? No. But they are competitive, headed in the right direction and under fairly solid leadership.

That should count for something in my opinion.

In fact, Atlanta was almost number one on their list, but Seattle barely edged out Atlanta for the top spot because it earned a bonus point for the relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008.

You can clearly see my flaws with the Forbes list. Not to boast, but I feel my list is a far more accurate depiction.

So that is my problem with Forbes. I'm sure Atlanta fans would agree.

You may be asking where lies the problem with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Believe it or not, Atlanta fans should be more upset with them.

Forbes backed up their list with the fact that Atlanta's misery includes 14 playoff appearances for the Braves between 1991 and 2005 with just one World Series title, in 1995. They failed to discuss the great season the Falcons just had, or the consistency that the Hawks reach the playoffs.

No need to discuss the Thrashers.

But the AJC, while most likely attempting humor, came out and said that the city was "so lousy we can't even top the misery index."

Some may find that humorous. But sports fans will most likely not be amongst them.

Not in Atlanta, at least, where they take their sports serious.

Maybe the AJC should try the same.