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Hello everyone and welcome to my first edition of my "Summer Rankings" blog series. Each week I am going to give you guys some sort of power ranking on a different category. Some of they may be very simple like today's blog. Others may be extremely hypothetical and random. Today as you can tell I'm going to be ranking some of the best sports cities in America... and some of the worst over the last decade. Now there's a lot I took into affect into this. The amount of teams, expectations, results, and impact. Now I may piss off you and bash your city but it's well deserved. There is absolutely ZERO chance of bias in any of my blogs by the way. I am easily one of the most fair guys I know.
You always got to save the best for last, so that's what we will do. So here are the five worst sports cities in America over the last decade.
5. Dallas, TX.
Major Sports Teams: 4 (Cowboys, Rangers, Stars, Mavericks)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 16
Combined Championship Appearances: 1
Championships: 0
Dallas is a beautiful sports city. The downtown area is beautiful, especially outside of the American Airlines Center. An old school arena with a great outside atmosphere. Head a little bit west and you find yourself at one of the best facilities in all of sports. AT&T Stadium. As an NFL fan this is a stadium you can only dream of having. There aren't many stadiums in the league, let alone the United States, that you can even compare to it. The thing is, it’s filled with nothing but disappointment. The Dallas Cowboys, year in and year out, are a disappointing franchise. The analysts believe each year this is the year they will compete in the postseason and it never comes to. They have four playoff appearances in the last decade and only one playoff win. Having all of their first round games being played at home, the Cowboys have managed to win only one game. With such high expectations, the constant disappointment from the Cowboys is a major reason that Dallas has fallen upon my list. Looking outside of the Cowboys at the rest of Dallas, it’s also been pretty disappointing. The Mavericks have had 6 postseason appearances, only once making it past the first round. The Rangers after winning the AL West in 2015, had a 2-0 lead on the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. They went on to lose 3 straight games, and then were swept in 2016 by the Blue Jays. Once again… disappointing. The Stars have the cities only championship appearance in which they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With four major teams in a city you should expect at least one ring in 10 years..
4. Phoenix, Az.
Major Sports Teams: 4 (Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Coyotes, Suns)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 7
Combined Championship Appearances: 1
Championships: 0
The city of Phoenix and their sports teams have gone through lots of ups and downs in the last 10 years. Multiple rebuilds for each franchise. The Cardinals started off the last decade hot. Bruce Arians had turned the franchise around with a revived Carson Palmer. They just ran into the best team in the league in the NFC championship in the Carolina Panthers and in years after that Carson Palmer's age had caught up with him. Just recently they have now rebuilt their roster and are back into the postseason. The Suns have been the bright spot in Phoenix these last years after missing the postseason for 10 straight seasons. In their first postseason back they went all the way to the NBA Finals before running into the superior Milwaukee Bucks. Things haven’t been the same for the Diamondbacks or Coyotes. They have 2 combined postseason appearances in the last decade. Another major market city with four teams in all of major sports with no rings. A huge lack of postseason presence is the main reason they’ve fallen upon my list.
3. Minneapolis, MN.
Major Sports Teams: 4 (Vikings, Twins, Wild, Timberwolves)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 14
Combined Championship Appearances: 0
Championships: 0
Now I know Minnesota maybe has a better track record than Phoenix does when it comes to the postseason, but the expectations have been higher here in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Wild really carry the city in postseason appearances but have never been able to do anything with it. Especially after being the favorites in this last season over the St. Louis Blues and losing in 6 games. The Twins going back to back years winning their division and getting swept in their first round series. Especially 2019 after winning 101 games. The Vikings are in the same boat. In 2017 they had Case Keenum at the helm and went all the way to the NFC championship game. The following season they invested big money into Kirk Cousins and have only one playoff appearance since and have a 33-31-1 record. The Vikings have been the definition of mediocre since 2017 and their expectations each year have been the postseason and beyond. We don’t even have to mention the Timberwolves over the last decade because in all honesty no one has paid attention to them until they drafted Anthony Edwards who really seems to be turning around their franchise. Mid-eapolis.
2. Detroit, MI.
Major Sports Teams: 4 (Lions, Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 9
Combined Championship Appearances: 0
Championships: 0
Oh Detroit. You’re lucky your expectations are extremely low or you would undoubtedly be #1. The Tigers, who haven’t made the postseason since 2014, are the only team to make it past their first round series. As big as the rivalries are between my Chicago teams and the Detroit teams, I have a large amount of respect for both their teams and their fans. It’s a blue collar city that fights for every bit of respect they don’t really get. Matt Stafford was a perfect fit for that city. A fighter that the city could get behind. Unfortunately the Lions franchise couldn’t build enough around him to get them anywhere. Only twice could they get Matthew Stafford a team to the postseason. The Pistons haven’t had any success or even players to root for. Blake Griffin was a major disappointment and they haven’t had any draft lottery luck up until just recently when they landed #1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. As bad as the Pistons have been, they’ve only had one top 5 pick and that was in 2021. The Redwings and Tigers haven’t been relevant in a long time and are the final straw in why they are ranked so low.
1. New York City, NY.
Major Sports Teams: 8 (Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Nets)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 27
Combined Championship Appearances: 2
Championships: 0
BING BONG! Undoubtedly the absolute worst sports city in the last decade. It’s pretty simple, you have eight teams. Two in each major U.S sport. They have all been nothing but absolute disappointments. I mean we are talking about some of the most storied franchises in all of sports. The Yankees, Giants, Rangers, Mets, and Knicks are some of the best franchises in sports. So to see a city with such high expectations, and do nothing with it year after year, it’s clear why they are #1 here. The Yankees always have the one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball and haven’t sniffed the World Series since 2009. The Mets went into the 2015 World Series with split odds with their opponents, the Kansas City Royals. They were bounced in 5 games. The Knicks have spent the last decade repairing from the Carmelo Anthony disappointment and got one mickey mouse playoff appearance. They were bounced very quickly by Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. The Nets spent millions and millions on KD, Kyrie, and James Harden only to have maybe the worst failed big 3 since Kobe, Nash, and Dwight Howard. Before that they were still repairing from the god awful Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade. The Giants and Jets have been two of the worst teams in football the last 5 years by far. They’ve both been a constant top 8 pick lock. The Rangers and Islanders have both been solid recently but the Islanders haven’t been able to get over the hump. In 2022 the Yankees and the Mets look like two of the best teams in baseball. The Rangers are two wins away from their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 2012. Too damn bad that this blog isn’t about the best sports cities in 2022. When you have 8 major sports teams, and not a single ring to show for since 2009, it’s pretty sad. Until New York City starts acting like the largest sports market in the U.S, they need to be treated like the worst sports market in the U.S.
That was bad. Now let's get to the good stuff. The top five best sports cities in America the last decade!
5. Chicago, IL.
Major Sports Teams: 5 (Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Bulls)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 20
Combined Championship Appearances: 3
Championships: 3
No this isn’t biased. Should Chicago have more for being the 3rd largest sports market in all of major sports? Yes. They still have 3 rings in the last decade and all 5 teams have multiple postseason appearances. They have one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the NHL becoming the first team in the salary cap era to win 3 Stanley Cups. Only two of which happened in the last decade. They have had numerous future hall of fame players come through the city of Chicago and hoist Lord Stanley. The city of Chicago also broke the curse of the billy goat when the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series over the then Cleveland Indians. The longest championship drought in the history of professional sports. 108 years is a long damn time. I feel like the fact of perfection within the cities Championship appearances over the last decade says something as well. When they got to the biggest stage, they showed up. The Bears have had their highs and lows along with the Bulls but have been decent enough not to carry them off the list. The Bulls have a couple playoff series wins as well. The White Sox struggled for most of the decade but over the last two seasons they have become the baseball team in Chicago. If Chicago wants to be on this list again in 10 years they are really going to have to turn things around for the future.
4. Tampa Bay, FL.
Major Sports Teams: 3 (Buccaneers, Rays, Lightning)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 14
Combined Championship Appearances: 5
Championships: 3
Tampa Bay has been one of the hottest sports markets since over the last 3 years. They’ve racked up three titles since 2020 and could potentially have a fourth title if the lightning can get back for the 3-peat. Before 2020 the Buccaneers hadn’t done much. Luckily, if you land the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, odds are it’s going to work out in your favor. Which it did right out of the gate. In year one with Tom Brady as their quarterback they went on to rout the Kansas City Chiefs and win their first Super Bowl since 2002. Unfortunately, they ran into the power house Los Angeles Rams on their way to repeat. The Lightning on the other hand haven’t seemed to slow down. In 2015 they were an extremely young team who ran into my Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals. The lightning were a great team then but the Championship DNA from the Blackhawks was too much to handle. The older they got, the better they got. Four years later they would return to the Stanley Cup and get their first Cup since 2004. The following year they went back to back and now they’re in the Eastern Conference Finals looking to 3-peat. The Tampa Bay Rays have also made a name for themselves over the last few seasons finishing first place in 2020 and 2021 in the stacked AL East. They lost to the Dodgers in six games, but for a team who probably had half the payroll, it was pretty damn impressive. I know that before 2019 none of these teams were that relevant but their last few seasons alone speak for themselves. They absolutely deserve a spot on this list.
3. San Francisco, CA.
Major Sports Teams: 4 (49ers, Giants, Warriors, Sharks)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 20
Combined Championship Appearances: 9* (Including 2022 Warriors)
Championships: 4
San Francisco has been an absolute power house city to deal with over the last decade. A major part of their reasoning for being this high is obviously the Golden State Warriors six championship appearances in the last 8 seasons. The first team to do so since the 90’s Bulls. On the other hand all 4 of their major sport teams have appeared in their respective championship game/series. Honestly if I didn’t cut this list off at the 2013 season for baseball, there would be another ring and Championship appearance on this list as well. Steph Curry and the Warriors have established themselves as one of the greatest franchises in the history of the NBA over the last decade. That alone puts them on this list even if you get rid of every other team in the bay area. The Giants won their last big game in 2014, but have had two playoff appearances since then, including winning the stacked NL West in 2021. The 49ers made their way back to the Super Bowl in 2019 but just fell short of the Kansas City Chiefs and just recently were a quarter away from another Super Bowl bid before the Rams staged a comeback to take that away from them. So many what if’s could easily have this city at the #1 spot but I think they can live with #3.
2. Los Angeles, CA.
Major Sports Teams: 8 (Rams, Chargers, Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 33
Combined Championship Appearances: 7
Championships: 4
The City of Angels, Hollywood, whatever you want to call it, Los Angeles has gone about their sports business in style. Some new teams coming back, and some historic ones keeping up. Although it’s tough to consider the Chargers truly a part of this list considering they’ve only been there for five seasons, we have to. They actually didn’t contribute a single thing to this list other than one playoff appearance. Six years ago beautiful Los Angeles was the home to every major sport outside of the NFL. That all changed when owner Stan Kroenke moved the Rams back to Los Angeles for the first time since 1995. Shortly after, the Chargers followed suit and left San Diego to return to Los Angeles. Their first time back since their inaugural season back in 1960. 8 combined teams to tie up the city of New York for most teams in a single city. Unlike New York City, Los Angeles actually knows how to act like a big city. Within the last decade they have had a team win a championship in one of four major sports. (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB). The Kings won their second Stanley Cup in 2014 and have been to the Western Conference Finals twice. They were one of the best teams in the 2010’s winning two Stanley Cups and making the postseason 6/10 years. On the other side of town the Anaheim Ducks were also a team who has been in the postseason plenty over the last decade. They appeared in 6 straight postseasons from 2013-2018 carried by aging vets Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Two of those six years they fell just one series short losing twice in the Western Conference Finals. The Clippers were always the team that underperformed and choked when it mattered most. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Deandre Jordan were a force to be reckoned with… until the postseason. They blew multiple, 2 game series leads throughout their underachieving reign. Since then they signed both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and have lost two straight Western Conference Finals. The Lakers haven’t had much success other than a Mickey Mouse ring in the bubble, and a first round bounce. At the end of the day, a ring is a ring, so it counts for something. The Dodgers have easily been the best team in baseball over the last decade making an appearance in the World Series three times, winning one. Appearing in the NLCS six times, and not once missing the postseason. The Angels on the other hand have wasted a decade's worth of Mike Trout. They have one postseason appearance in the last decade all while having the greatest baseball player on the planet. In the Rams short time being back in Los Angeles they have gotten right to work. In their six seasons they’ve made two Super Bowls, winning one of them, along with four postseason appearances. They’ve been one of the best teams in the NFL since 2018 and are a major reason for them being on this list. When the lights come on in Los Angeles, it's show time. These teams meant business, and I'm not talking show biz. 33 postseason trips isn't a joke and being the second best sports city of the decade isn't either.
1. Boston, MA.
Major Sports Teams: 4 (Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins)
Combined Postseason Appearances: 30
Combined Championship Appearances: 9* (Celtics 2022 incl.)
Championships: 5
The absolute, no doubt, king of them all when it comes to sports cities. You’re lucky we didn’t do the last two decades because we could double the numbers here. 30 postseason appearances with four teams! The most is Los Angeles with 33 appearances but they have double the teams! The Celtics and Bruins have accounted for zero championships in the last decade but have remained both dominant forces. Each team has combined for 16 postseason appearances. The Bruins have gone all the way twice but fallen short both times to the Blackhawks and Bruins. The Celtics have been to four eastern conference finals but lost their first three until finally this year they overcame the Miami Heat in seven games to earn their first finals bid since 2010. The Red Sox have two World Series wins since 2013. Their first one was in 2013 carried on the shoulders of Big Papi Ortiz who batted .688 over 6 games. Their second World Series win was in 2018 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Maybe another reason as to why Boston is ahead of Los Angeles on this list. Red Sox over the Dodgers and Patriots over the Rams in 2018 as well. Speaking of the Patriots, easily the biggest reason for the city of Boston being #1 is due to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Four trips to the Super Bowl, winning three of them. They’ve had one of the greatest defensive plays in Super Bowl history, the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, and overall one of the defensive performances in history over the Rams. Let alone they’ve also been to five AFC championship games as well. As much as I envy this city, I respect this city. Their owners and front offices understand what it takes to win in Boston. If you don’t know how to win you the boys from Bean Town will let you hear about it. There’s no doubt at all that Boston reigns as the best sports city in America over the last decade, and probably of all time.
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