2022’s Best Sports Cities in America – WalletHub Report

With the North American sports industry expected to reach a value of $83.1 billion in 2023, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best Sports Cities, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.

To determine the cities where the game is always on regardless of season, WalletHub compared 392 small to large cities across the five largest sports in the U.S.: football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer.

Best vs. Worst

• Jacksonville, Florida, has the lowest average ticket price for an NFL game, $81.97, which is 1.9 times less expensive than in Las Vegas, the city with the highest at $153.47.
   
• Atlanta has the highest attendance rate for MLS games, 103.45 percent, which is 6.1 times higher than in Chicago, the city with the lowest at 16.98 percent.
   
• Charlotte, North Carolina, has the lowest average ticket price for an NBA game, $63.11, which is 3.2 times lower than in San Francisco, the city with the highest at $203.30.
   
• NHL fans in Pittsburgh are 27.9 times friendlier and more engaged than their New York counterparts.
   
• Phoenix has the lowest average MLB ticket price, $22.12, which is 2.8 times lower than in Boston, the city with the highest at $61.71.

Expert Commentary
 
What makes a good sports city?
 
“There is no one formula, but I would say the easiest way is if a team is considered the primary draw for people to attend. For example, it is hard to imagine people visiting Green Bay without doing something Packers-related. This creates a year-round economy where cities are deeply invested in the fate of the local team. I also see where cities with a single professional sports team can truly embrace it more deeply (think Oklahoma City in the NBA or the San Diego Padres in MLB). This is not the only way for a city to be a great sports town (consider Pittsburgh or Boston), but there seems to be a unique quality in being able to focus on a single team.”
Andrew C. Billings – Chair of Broadcasting, Dept. of Journalism & Creative Media and Executive Director, Alabama Program in Sports Communication, The University of Alabama; Co-Editor, Communication & Sport
 
“I believe what makes a good sports city is not only a fan base that will buy tickets but a city (or surrounding cities) that will help those sports teams when it comes to new stadiums or arenas. I say surrounding cities because not all teams play in the actual city they represent, such as the Dallas Cowboys playing in Arlington, or the San Francisco 49ers playing in Santa Clara. The fan base buying tickets is not only based on how well the team plays but the surroundings that the fans will be in once they buy tickets and show up. You have cities where the teams are fleeing because of the lack of new stadiums, which results in poor ticket sales (Oakland immediately comes to mind).”
Michael A. DeLong – Professor, Keiser University Flagship
 
To what extent do sports teams reflect the cities they call home?
 
“While there are definitely examples of certain teams that reflect the cities, this is becoming less and less a reality. Historically teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers had a team that reflected a large community of middle-class blue-collar workers. This was reflected in the players and coaches. Nowadays, there might be some examples of this relationship still existing, but the reality is that free agency and sports becoming more corporate means that that might not necessarily be the case.”
Jonathan Casper, Ph.D. – Associate Professor and Sport Management Program Coordinator, North Carolina State University
 
“I believe that this is an actual thing. One that comes to mind is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The city of Pittsburgh is considered a tough, blue-collar town. The way that the Steelers play (and have played for years) is as a tough, blue-collar team. I believe that good team executives try to make their team resemble the city they play in. The Miami Dolphins this year are more of a flashy, speedy team. This resembles Miami itself, a flashy city where celebrities like to hang out. As a team executive, this is crucial to maintain your fan base, for them to purchase tickets and merchandise because they feel it is their team.”
Michael A. DeLong – Professor, Keiser University Flagship
 
What are some ways to inspire people to be involved in sports?
 
“I believe the biggest way to inspire people to be involved in sports is through the community. You see teams with their own Community Service departments, and I believe in society right now, the community is becoming more and more important to not only fans but everyone in general. Players are recognizing this, and most star players have their own foundations created to help the communities they represent, along with the communities they came from.”
Michael A. DeLong – Professor, Keiser University Flagship
 
“It depends on if you are trying to get people to play sports versus watch sports. I think when it comes to playing sports, it is all about what you are exposed to at an early age and have access to later in life. With spectator sport, it is about socialization and the fact that a person is most likely to be loyal to a team that is influenced by significant others (e.g., parents, siblings, friends). There also are environmental factors, for example, I grew up in Colorado and it is hard not to be a fan of the Denver Broncos unless you really do not like sports in general.”
Jonathan Casper, Ph.D. – Associate Professor and Sport Management Program Coordinator, North Carolina State University
 
 

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