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 Large Sports Cities |
| 1. Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. Boston, MA |
| 3. New York, NY |
| 4. Pittsburgh, PA |
| 5. Dallas, TX |
| 6. Miami, FL |
| 7. Philadelphia, PA |
| 8. Denver, CO |
| 9. Washington, DC |
| 10. Atlanta, GA |
| Best Midsize Sports Cities |
| 1. Green Bay, WI |
| 2. Buffalo, NY |
| 3. Glendale, AZ |
| 4. Salt Lake City, UT |
| 5. Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 6. Orlando, FL |
| 7. Ann Arbor, MI |
| 8. Tallahassee, FL |
| 9. Durham, NC |
| 10. Baton Rouge, LA |
| Best Small Sports Cities |
| 1. Clemson, SC |
| 2. West Point, NY |
| 3. Fayette, MS |
| 4. State College, PA |
| 5. Hanover, NH |
| 6. Princeton, NJ |
| 7. Morgantown, WV |
| 8. Buies Creek, NC |
| 9. Stanford, CA |
| 10. Stillwater, OK |
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.
