Boston takes the prize as other metro areas knock at the door.
The rafters of TD Garden are proudly decorated with championship banners. Celtic teams, current and former, have ingrained an almost permanent sense of satisfaction and loyalty among their citizens. The same can be said for the Bruin fanbase, which, while not as dominant as the Celtics, can be the focal point of barstool discussion in and around New England.
The retired numbers in Boston range from Cousy to Russell to Bird and Pierce, or conversely, Bobby Orr to Cam Neely and Ray Bourque. Regarding legacy, history, and future projections, Boston represents the quintessential four-sports town.
The Red Sox and Patriots have shown dominance over the past two decades, with the former taking four World Series crowns and the Pats hoisting the Lombardi trophy six times. Despite being just North America’s 71st most populated city, Boston has shown throughout the 20th and the first quarter of the 21st century that its fanbase can fully house and support championship-caliber teams.
There are very few cities that can boast quite like Boston can. However, there are other North American cities whose Big Four teams (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) are doing well, and still other cities that qualify for honorable mention.
New York and Los Angeles represent the 1st and 2nd most densely populated cities in the United States, and both have fan bases loyal to the eight teams located there. Technically, the Islanders exist on Long Island, and the Ducks play their home games in Anaheim, but for geographical purposes, we will consider them representative of their respective metropolitan areas. Aside from the Clippers, all those teams have won a championship in their major sporting league or association. Moreover, “Dynasty” is an applicable term for the Islanders of the early 1980s or the Lakers of Magic/Kareem/Worthy and later Shaq/Kobe. Only NY and LA have two teams in each Big Four league.
White Sox win it all (photo courtesy Beyond the Box Score)
Chicago comes close to that stature, especially with the Windy City’s storied baseball history on the North and South sides. Iconic Wrigley Field makes it easy to favor the Cubbies, but the White Sox have put together some magical teams, too, most recently in 2005, with a convincing World Series win over the Astros. The Bulls were the NBA team of the 90s, with Michael Jordan’s run as the best baller ever (sorry, LeBron fans). Meanwhile, Toews and Kane carried the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups for five years in the 2010s. Lagging recently are the Bears, a team that has been unable to re-capture the glory of their triumphant 1985 Super Bowl year.
What other cities made our list? Let’s add Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Washington. Each metro area has had spectacular winners, including the Mavericks’ upset of LeBron, Elway’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins, Puckett’s World Series saving catch against the glass at the Metrodome, The Broad Street Bullies punching/shoving their way to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 70s, and Mark Rypien and Doug Williams leading an underdog Washington football team to Super Bowl wins. And let’s not forget the Detroit “Bad Boys,” teams lodged in NBA lore.
The dynastic in KC (photo, NBC Los Angeles)
Toronto is another city to consider. But while the Argonauts is a Canadian Football League (CFL) mainstay, I’ve heard no talk of NFL expansion. Pittsburgh and Kansas City, to other sports-crazed cities, have some pro sports but not others. Pittsburgh’s trial with pro basketball was short-lived, and Kansas City focuses on football and baseball, showing little interest beyond those sports.
Those two cities seem more like Montreal and Columbus, places with large populations, but…. There’s a CFL team in Montreal, and its MLB team is long gone. Columbus loves the Blue Jackets, but residents have nearby Cleveland and Cincinnati pro teams to cheer for, including (of course) their hometown Ohio State Buckeyes.
Looking toward the future, it’s probably a good bet that the Big Four will become the Big Six when you factor in MLS and the WNBA. At any rate, each sports town can make a case for having a solid fan base, one that can hope to one day sit in the barber shops or sports bars and rave about past champions and retired numbers, just like Beantown.
