Hokie ClubBlacksburg, Va., comes in at No. 58 in Sporting News’ annual Best Sports Cities rankings announced this week, down one spot from a year ago. Pittsburgh—which reclaimed its title of “City of Champions†with the Penguins and Steelers—is No. 1. Boston, last year’s No. 1 city, slips to No. 3.
“Blacksburg faces a lot of tough competition among other college towns on our list. It’s a tribute to the atmosphere and the success of Virginia Tech’s teams that it’s able to hold steady in the rankings,†said Sporting News chief of correspondents Bob Hille, who has coordinated the rankings since their expansion 13 years ago. “Win or lose, fans there support their team in that community.â€
This year’s Best Sports Cities list features 399 cities and towns in the U.S. and Canada, ranked by a system that assigns points to a variety of categories, including a city’s number of teams, their regular-season won-lost records, playoff berths, bowl appearances and tournament bids, championships, applicable power ratings, fan fervor, attendance and more.
“We identify with our sports teams as cities and communities, and, right or wrong, that affects how we feel about ourselves, not just as fans but as citizens,†said Hille. “That’s what we’re getting at with this list. We’re not just celebrating success but that sense of community in so many great sports cities in the U.S. and Canada.â€
The full list can be found here.