Top 6 baseball cities

[OregonDucks]

In your mind what are the top 6 best baseball cities. The cities where MLB baseball rules. The cities where even if they share the city with NFL, NBA, or NHL, the city still would rather have a World Series title over any other?

I chose to list 6 because I feel naming 3 are pretty easy, New York, Boston, St. Louis.

 

[kramer1]

Cincinnati is easily the biggest

 

[Cedrique]

In your mind what are the top 6 best baseball cities. The cities where MLB baseball rules. The cities where even if they share the city with NFL, NBA, or NHL, the city still would rather have a World Series title over any other?

I chose to list 6 because I feel naming 3 are pretty easy, New York, Boston, St. Louis.

That's a tough one. I was thinking about it focusing on your last sentence and I don't know if there are any that more that would rather have a World Series title. Maybe Seattle, but they seem very fanatical about their recent success in football. Los Angeles? I know there is a core group of people dying for a World Series in DC, but I still think the Redskins are so ingrained that more people would rather have another Super Bowl. Houston?
Philadelphia and Minnesota (Minneapolis) have big baseball fanbases but both have won the WS in the last 20 years or so and have lost a combined 10 Superbowl or NFC Championship games (that I can remember lol- the real total is probably 15 or 20), so I'm thinking a Superbowl win would be bigger.
Maybe Chicago, specifically the Cubs.

 

[calsnowskier]

LA - basketball
San Diego - football
SF (Oakland, SJ) - mix, but probably baseball
Seattle - football
Portland - basketball
Denver - football
Phoenix - ???
SLC - basketball
Milwaukee - football
Minneapolis - hockey??
Chicago - baseball??
Detroit - hockey
St Lois - baseball
KC - football
OKC - basketball
Dallas - football
Houston - football???
SA - basketball
NO - football
Nashville - football?
Memphis - basketball
Atlanta - baseball
TB - ???
Jacksonville - ???
Miami - basketball (football?)
Charlotte - football
Cincinnati - baseball
Pittsburgh - football
Cleveland - ???
Baltimore - football?
DC - football?
Philadelphia - ???
NY - baseball
Boston - baseball

I think I got most major-ish cities...

 

[Cedrique]

LA - basketball
San Diego - football
SF (Oakland, SJ) - mix, but probably baseball
Seattle - football
Portland - basketball
Denver - football
Phoenix - ???
SLC - basketball
Milwaukee - football
Minneapolis - hockey??
Chicago - baseball??
Detroit - hockey
St Lois - baseball
KC - football
OKC - basketball
Dallas - football
Houston - football???
SA - basketball
NO - football
Nashville - football?
Memphis - basketball
Atlanta - baseball
TB - ???
Jacksonville - ???
Miami - basketball (football?)
Charlotte - football
Cincinnati - baseball
Pittsburgh - football
Cleveland - ???
Baltimore - football?
DC - football?
Philadelphia - ???
NY - baseball
Boston - baseball

I think I got most major-ish cities...

That's a good list. My point of reference is Philadelphia and I think it is really close between baseball and football. But just below is a group that is smaller in numbers but more loyal and intense than any other fan and that is the hardcore Flyers fans. That team won back to back Championships just a couple years after they came to town and that bought them decades of goodwill, even after they have lost time and time again deep in the playoffs and in the Stanley Cup Finals. They need win again soon though-before everyone who remembers those Cup years dies off. The 76ers are 4th, which I guess explains how they can get away with doing what they are currently doing.

Cleveland is a tough one. I have to think either a World Series or Superbowl victory would be close to a religious experience for that city. But I guess I'd say football, just because of the fact that Icky Woods has recently done commercials and people still remember who he is.

 

[calsnowskier]

That's a good list. My point of reference is Philadelphia and I think it is really close between baseball and football. But just below is a group that is smaller in numbers but more loyal and intense than any other fan and that is the hardcore Flyers fans. That team won back to back Championships just a couple years after they came to town and that bought them decades of goodwill, even after they have lost time and time again deep in the playoffs and in the Stanley Cup Finals. They need win again soon though-before everyone who remembers those Cup years dies off. The 76ers are 4th, which I guess explains how they can get away with doing what they are currently doing.

Cleveland is a tough one. I have to think either a World Series or Superbowl victory would be close to a religious experience for that city. But I guess I'd say football, just because of the fact that Icky Woods has recently done commercials and people still remember who he is.

Why would Icky have traction in Cleveland?

 

[obxyankeefan]

Baseball is huge here in Detroit, but Detroit seems to me to be just a great sport city.

Atlanta fans are some of the most fickle you will find. I can remember going to a Dodgers Braves game in 1995, and walking up to buy our tickets.

 

[Cedrique]

Why would Icky have traction in Cleveland?

lol, good point. He was a Bengal. My brain doesn't work the way it used to. I was thinking back to the Dog Pound days of the Browns and then I remembered a friend I had it college that was about 6'4" 250 pounds,from Cleveland, loved all Cleveland sports but still loved demonstrating the "Icky Shuffle", which was quite hilarious. So I guess that's why I associate Icky with Cleveland.

 

[Wazmankg]

Baseball is huge here in Detroit, but Detroit seems to me to be just a great sport city.

Atlanta fans are some of the most fickle you will find. I can remember going to a Dodgers Braves game in 1995, and walking up to buy our tickets.

The Lions are really the only team people care about when they're crappy though... maybe the Tigers somewhat, too. Regardless of the "Hockeytown" business, interest in the Wings would fall off the map here if they started sucking just as it has for the Pistons.

 

[obxyankeefan]

The Lions are really the only team people care about when they're crappy though... maybe the Tigers somewhat, too. Regardless of the "Hockey Town" business, interest in the Wings would fall off the map here if they started sucking just as it has for the Pistons.

I have only lived in this area for 9 years, but in that time the things I have seen are

Lions. Are loved and hated regardless of how they are doing.
Wings. Have been winners since I got here, but have some of the most intense fans I have ever met
Pistons. You still have a large amount of Pistons fans, they just are not as vocal about it as when the Pistons are winning
Wolverines. Most delusional fans around.
Tigers. The attendance drops when the Tigers have a year like last year, but we still were listening to every game at work. They would still talk about what to do in the off-season to get back to the top of the division.

 

[Cedrique]

The Lions are really the only team people care about when they're crappy though... maybe the Tigers somewhat, too. Regardless of the "Hockeytown" business, interest in the Wings would fall off the map here if they started sucking just as it has for the Pistons.

I think NFL teams are more important to cities that have a longer winter, like Detroit, Buffalo,Minneapolis,etc. In Jacksonville or Atlanta, people are probably like "I just watched 10 hours of my favorite sport (College Football) yesterday and it is 70 degrees today so maybe I'll play golf instead of watch the Falcons".

 

[tducey]

St.Louis Boston Chicago Los Angeles Cincinatti Detroit

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

New York
Chicago
St. Louis
Cleveland
Pittsburgh
Minneapolis

 

[Forever]

Kansas City is most certainly a baseball city....it deserves to be in the top 6 imo, i don't see how you say it's a football town

@yoga≈surfing Cleveland? really? they get 10k fans a game

 

[Voltaire26]

I have only lived in this area for 9 years, but in that time the things I have seen are

Lions. Are loved and hated regardless of how they are doing.
Wings. Have been winners since I got here, but have some of the most intense fans I have ever met
Pistons. You still have a large amount of Pistons fans, they just are not as vocal about it as when the Pistons are winning
Wolverines. Most delusional fans around.
Tigers. The attendance drops when the Tigers have a year like last year, but we still were listening to every game at work. They would still talk about what to do in the off-season to get back to the top of the division.

Detroit is a great sports town ... as far as baseball goes: I would put up our All-Time team against anyone other than the Yankees and Cardinals!!

 

[dredinis21]

Detroit is a great sports town ... as far as baseball goes: I would put up our All-Time team against anyone other than the Yankees and Cardinals!!

Giants?

 

[SFGRTB]

LA - basketball
San Diego - football
SF (Oakland, SJ) - mix, but probably baseball
Seattle - football
Portland - basketball
Denver - football
Phoenix - ???
SLC - basketball
Milwaukee - football
Minneapolis - hockey??
Chicago - baseball??
Detroit - hockey
St Lois - baseball
KC - football
OKC - basketball
Dallas - football
Houston - football???
SA - basketball
NO - football
Nashville - football?
Memphis - basketball
Atlanta - baseball
TB - ???
Jacksonville - ???
Miami - basketball (football?)
Charlotte - football
Cincinnati - baseball
Pittsburgh - football
Cleveland - ???
Baltimore - football?
DC - football?
Philadelphia - ???
NY - baseball
Boston - baseball

I think I got most major-ish cities...

As much as it pains me to say, I think SF is a football town. To me it's a baseball town because f*ck football, but I think since the Warriors and Giants have recent rings, people are just craving a football ring. Which blows. Because the 49ers are such a poorly run organization. And if we're including the Bay Area in this, the Raiders have been looking to move away for years so it's hard to say they're really committed to bringing a Super Bowl to "Oakland". People are PISSED when the 49ers are bad. I'm not sure about the Giants in that scenario. When the Giants were bad 2005-2008, we had Bonds chasing records (2008 people weren't all that mad, more curious about post-Bonds life), and I wasn't really aware of how the fan base acted when the Giants were bad before that stretch.

Can Miami be considered an anything town? No one shows up to any of their sports.

Philadelphia is so passionate about all their sports teams that they just end up hating all of them.

Also, that's kinda sad about San Diego.

 

[Smart]

Kansas City is most certainly a baseball city....it deserves to be in the top 6 imo, i don't see how you say it's a football town

@yoga≈surfing Cleveland? really? they get 10k fans a game

It's easy to sell out when a team is good. Cleveland was one of the best supported teams in the league for decades when they were competent. That's why Kansas City doesn't belong. KC was in the bottom eight in attendance year after year until they got good.



STL is the best supported team in the league and it isn't close. It's probably because they win a lot, but after 20+ years, it's no longer a fluke. They are always top five in attendance despite being in a small market.

Chicago is clearly a football town, but the Cubs are perennially in the top 10 in attendance, even when they suck. That can't be ignored. NY is up there as well. Population helps both cities, but density should be relevant. Both belong.

Boston is a no-brainer as well, nearly selling out all their games year after year and generally having passionate fans.

Colorado is pretty damn good at getting high attendance despite being a smaller market that is never really that great. Denver should be on the list.

The sixth choice is the tough one. San Francisco is fairly well supported, but I can't help but wonder if this is because of them consistently being good. The Dodgers have led the league in attendance a bunch, including in 2015, but part of that may be their massive stadium getting huge figures for prime games. Their percentage figure has never been very good. I'll go with San Fran, but it's a close one.

 

[dredinis21]

As much as it pains me to say, I think SF is a football town. To me it's a baseball town because f*ck football, but I think since the Warriors and Giants have recent rings, people are just craving a football ring. Which blows. Because the 49ers are such a poorly run organization. And if we're including the Bay Area in this, the Raiders have been looking to move away for years so it's hard to say they're really committed to bringing a Super Bowl to "Oakland". People are PISSED when the 49ers are bad. I'm not sure about the Giants in that scenario. When the Giants were bad 2005-2008, we had Bonds chasing records (2008 people weren't all that mad, more curious about post-Bonds life), and I wasn't really aware of how the fan base acted when the Giants were bad before that stretch.

Can Miami be considered an anything town? No one shows up to any of their sports.

Philadelphia is so passionate about all their sports teams that they just end up hating all of them.

Also, that's kinda sad about San Diego.

People are pissed at the scenario. Niners were good and ownership couldn't play nice and because of that the Niners go from Super Bowl contender to toilet bowl contender virtually overnight. The wounds were self inflicted. That and the fan base for the Niners has gotten very "Tenderloin District" over the past 5+ years.

When the Giants sucked from 2005-2008, the knowledgable fanbase knew that the Giants were trying to sign vets during Bonds' prime windows in pursuit of a WS Championship. They swung and missed with 2002 being the closest they would sniff. 2005-2008 was dealing with the consequences of the FO's attempts. It was a penance that I, for one, understand and accepted as I saw them focus more intently (and financially) in the farm. I guarantee you that (God forbid) if the Giants had the same sort of fall from grace right now, there would be a HUGE part of the population that would be just as irate.

 

[dredinis21]

It's easy to sell out when a team is good. Cleveland was one of the best supported teams in the league for decades when they were competent. That's why Kansas City doesn't belong. KC was in the bottom eight in attendance year after year until they got good.



STL is the best supported team in the league and it isn't close. It's probably because they win a lot, but after 20+ years, it's no longer a fluke. They are always top five in attendance despite being in a small market.

Chicago is clearly a football town, but the Cubs are perennially in the top 10 in attendance, even when they suck. That can't be ignored. NY is up there as well. Population helps both cities, but density should be relevant. Both belong.

Boston is a no-brainer as well, nearly selling out all their games year after year and generally having passionate fans.

Colorado is pretty damn good at getting high attendance despite being a smaller market that is never really that great. Denver should be on the list.

The sixth choice is the tough one. San Francisco is fairly well supported, but I can't help but wonder if this is because of them consistently being good. The Dodgers have led the league in attendance a bunch, including in 2015, but part of that may be their massive stadium getting huge figures for prime games. Their percentage figure has never been very good. I'll go with San Fran, but it's a close one.

They have sold out every game since 2000, when the new park was opened. They sucked from 2005-2008 with sellouts every game. They STILL have a sellout streak intact. Just clarifying to make #6 a bit easier. That and if you choose LA, I'd punt you in the twig and berries.