The Best US Sports Cities for the Fans
by Richard Janvrin,
April 02, 2025
Throughout the United States, there are some cities known for different things.
Be it food, travel, amusements, or the focus of this page, the best US sports cities.
The top sports cities have ample history, giving fans something to look forward to whenever they visit.
With the rise of sports betting, these sports cities have gained even more intrigue.
So, whether you’re doing online sports betting in NYC or betting at a Massachusetts online sportsbook, take a moment to check out the best US sports cities below.
- Boston, Massachusetts
- New York City, New York
- Chicago, Illinois
- Los Angeles, California
- Pennsyvlania, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is home to several professional franchises, including the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics.
Then, in nearby Foxborough, about an hour south with traffic, there’s the New England Patriots and New England Revolution.
Between these five teams, there are 39 championships, making them one of the top sports cities.
The Celtics have 18, the Bruins have 6, the Red Sox have 9, and the Patriots have 6.
The Bruins and Celtics share a facility, the TD Garden, and numerous commuter rails from all over Massachusetts can be routed directly into the TD Garden’s North Station to enjoy a game.
As for Fenway Park, you can take a “The T” from the North Station to Kenmore, and the walk to Fenway takes just a few minutes.
Then, the Revolution and Patriots share Gilette Stadium.
The Red Sox broke their World Series “curse” in 2004, further cementing Boston as one of the best sports cities in the US.
After decades of mediocrity, the Patriots scored Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, who went on to win six Super Bowls.
New York City, New York
Multiple sports teams compete in the New York Metropolitan area, including the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL.
The New York Giants and New York Jets are technically across a bridge in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants have eight Super Bowls, while the Jets have won one.
The New York Yankees, founded in 1901 and with an astonishing 27 World Series titles, are based in the Bronx. If that doesn’t make New York City one of the best US sports cities, I’m not sure what does.
Tying New York and Boston together, Boston sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, starting the Red Sox’s “Curse of the Bambino”.
In Queens, there’s another MLB team, the New York Mets. They opened in 1962 and have two World Series titles.
As for the NHL, Madison Square Garden houses the New York Rangers with four Stanley Cups. There’s another New York squad, the New York Islands, in Elmont. They also have four Stanley Cups.
There is a third NHL team, the New Jersey Devils, but you’d have to venture out to Newark, New Jersey, to find them.
The New York Knicks share Madison Square Garden with the Rangers.
Speaking of Newark, the Brooklyn Nets played there from 2010 to 2012 as the New Jersey Nets. They rebranded to Brooklyn and now play at the Barclays Center.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago, also known as the Windy City, also has a collection of professional franchises and is one of the best sports cities in the US.
The city was considered a potential site for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but the games eventually went to Rio de Janeiro.
The city’s oldest team is the Chicago Cubs, founded in 1870. They have just three World Series titles, with their most recent coming in 2016. This came after not winning one since 1908. They play at Wrigley Field and have been there since 1916.
After them, there’s the Chicago White Sox, founded in 1900. Like the Cubs, they also have three World Series.
Like the Cubs, the Chicago Bears have played on the same field their entire tenure. The Bears were founded in 1919 and have played at Soldier Field since. They have just one World Series title, beating the Patriots.
Then, over at the United Center, there’s the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls. Both teams have six titles in their respective leagues, but the Bulls had perhaps the biggest sports star of all time, Michael Jordan, who infamously retired from the Bulls to play baseball in the White Sox’s farm system.
Los Angeles, California
There are nine teams in the state of California that have “Los Angeles” ahead of them.
These teams are the Angels, Dodgers, Kings, Sparks, Lakers, Clippers, Los Angeles FC, Galaxy, Chargers, and Rams.
The Chargers and Rams have had two separate stints in Los Angeles, most recently coming back in 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Two teams play within 18 miles of each other: the Clippers and Lakers. They shared an arena for many years.
The Lakers have 12 NBA titles, and they continue to add stars. As of Feb. 2025, they have both LeBron James and Luka Doncic. They acquired Doncic via trade, and he’s drawn more eyeballs than ever on the team.
In baseball, the Dodgers are coming off a World Series title in 2024 with superstar Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani used to play for the other Los Angeles team, the Angels. Still, the Angels do have Mike Trout, another star in the league.
If you’re looking for one of the top sports cities that also has its share of stars, Los Angeles has exactly that.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, is the most recent city to win a championship. As of Feb. 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. This was their second Super Bowl since 2017.
With the recent win, it’s arguably one of the best cities for sports.
The city has one team in each of the major professional sports.
The city has the Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, and Flyers.
The Phillies are the oldest team in the city, founded in 1883. They have won two World Series, with the most recent coming in 2008. Before that, it happened in 1980.
Finally, over at the Wells Fargo Arena, the 76ers and Flyers share a home. The 76ers have three titles but haven’t won one since 1983.
As for the Flyers, they won back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons, but none other than that.
The fans in Philadelphia tend not to have the best of reputations, though. They’re considered the “Meanest Fans in America” by 6 ABC Action News.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, also known as The Steel City or the City of Champions, had its first professional hockey, football, and baseball games played all before the 20th century in 1892. In addition to those nicknames, you can add “one of the best sports cities in the US” to it.
There are some excellent professional teams, including the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates. There’s also the college team, the Pitt Panthers.
The Steelers were especially dominant in the 1970s, winning four that decade from 1974 to 1979. They won their two others in 2005 and 2008.
The Penguins won five Stanley Cups: 1990-91, 1991-92, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2015-16, and 2016-17.
Finally, the Pirates. They were founded in 1882. They haven’t had much recent success, last winning the World Series in 1979. They won two World Series that decade, with the other coming in 1971.