Chicago Among Country's Best Sports Cities: Study

CHICAGO, IL — With the Chicago Cubs and their loyal fans still basking in their 2016 World Series win, the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup three times in the last seven years and the Bears ... well, never mind ... it should come as little surprise that the Windy City ranks among the top five "best sports cities" in the country.

Financial data website WalletHub rates Chicago behind only Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh after analyzing 50 key metrics related to football, baseball, hockey, basketball and soccer teams. Among them were the performance of a city’s professional teams and ticket prices.

In analyzing the data. WalletHub determined that Chicago is the ninth-best cities for basketball fans — after all, it's home to Michael Jordan's legendary Chicago Bulls and not one, but two "three-peats." Chicago, home to two Major League Baseball teams, earned the same ninth-place designation among baseball fans and ranked at No. 7 for hockey fans. The city did not crack the top 10 for football and soccer fans.

But sports management experts said there’s more than data involved in determining the overall quality of a city’s sports experience. Brian Wood, an associate professor of sports management, compared an excellent sports city to a spouse in a strong marriage.

“The city’s fans adore their teams, players and owners and their support is reciprocated,” he said. “They stand by each other during tough seasons, community struggles, social change and so much more.”

The nation’s best sports cities, according to WalletHub:

1. Boston
2. New York
3. Los Angeles
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago
6. Philadelphia
7. Detroit
8. Washington
9. Dallas
9. Atlanta (tie)

Image: Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game Seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)