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August 21, 2024
Introduction
With the Celtics latest championship, Boston's four major pro sports teams (Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins) have now won 13 championships this century. The Los Angeles area is second with 12 titles since 2000 but they have eight teams (including Anaheim) competing in the four major sports. Among the 21 pro sports cities with three or more teams, only Minnesota is titleless in the 21st century.
Looking at the period from 1970 to the present, Los Angeles has the most titles with 21. Boston is second with 20. However, Los Angeles area teams have played a total of 338 sports seasons during that time vs only 216 seasons for the Boston Area Four. So Boston teams have won championships in 9.3% of their seasons played compared to 6.2% for Los Angeles. Among cities with three or more teams, Pittsburgh ranks second in championship rate behind Boston with 13 titles in 161 seasons (8.1%).
My analysis of North American pro sports cities in broken up into two parts. The first (this page) looks at total championships by city since the 1970 sports season. Part II limits the analysis to 2000-2024 and takes a wider of view of the best sports cities by not only looking at championships but playoff appearances and advancement in the playoffs. My focus will be on cities with three or more teams but the data for every city in the MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL will be included.
Some things to note:
Analysis (125+ seasons played)
To rank the pro sports cities, I simply counted the number of championships won since 1970 and divided by the number of completed seasons for all of that city's pro teams. For example, Boston has won 20 championships since 1970 while playing 216 total seasons (53 for the Sox, 54 for the Pats, 55 for the Celtics and 54 for the Bruins). So Boston teams won championships in 9.3% of their seasons played. I chose 1970 as a starting point because the late 60s and early 70s began the rapid expansion era in the major sports. It's difficult to compare championships of today to championships of earlier decades because there were a lot fewer teams competing for the title. In 1970, major baseball and the NFL had 24 and 26 teams, respectively. The NBA was at 22 teams by 1976-77 and the NHL expanded to 18 teams in 1975-76. Today, each pro league has between 30 and 32 teams.
I know I am biased, but let's be honest. Boston is the best sports city of the 21st century and in the time period since 1970. The city has won a total of 20 championships and all four of their pro teams have won at least three titles since 1970. The Celtics have seven, the Patriots six, the Red Sox four and the Bruins three. The Celtics have won a title in every decade since the 1950s with the exception of the 1990s. As I mentioned earlier, Boston has won a championship in 9.3% of seasons played during the analysis period.
All four of Boston's pro teams won championships in a six year span between 2005 and 2011 (also from 2008 to 2014). No other city came close to matching that until recently when Los Angeles won in all four sports over a seven year period (but with eight teams). All four Philadelphia pro teams won titles between 1960 and 1980. New York City won in each of the four major sports between 1973 and 1994. The Los Angeles area had championships in all four major sports between 1984 and 2007. Chicago won in the four majors between 1986 and 2010.
Among cities that have played in 125 or more sports seasons since 1970 (essentially three or more team cities), Pittsburgh is a strong second place at 8.1%. They have accumulated 13 championships with six by the Steelers, five from the Penguins and the Pirates grabbing two in 1971 and 1979. Oakland is in third place, largely due to great runs by the A's in the early 1970s and the Warriors over the past decade. The Raiders won two of their three Superbowl championships in Oakland.
Los Angeles has won more titles than anyone but they rank fourth in percentage because they have so many teams. LA area teams that have won titles are the Dodgers, Angels, Raiders, Rams, Lakers, Kings and Ducks. The Chargers have not won a Superbowl but have only been in Los Angeles a few years. The weak link in Los Angeles is the Clippers who have not won a title, or even advanced to the Finals, in their 40 years in LA.
New York has five fewer championships (15) than Boston despite playing in 120 more seasons. They are at 4.5% so they win at less than half the rate of Boston's teams.
On the other end is lowly Cleveland. The Guardians/Indians, Browns, Cavaliers and Cleveland Barons NHL team (two seasons) have just one championship in 160 seasons of play since 1970. That was LeBron's Cavs in 2016. Phoenix is nearly as inept with one title in 144 seasons, the incredible Diamondbacks of 2001. Minnesota and Atlanta each have two titles courtesy of their baseball teams with Seattle grabbing one from the Sonics and one from the Seahawks.
Top Sports Cities since 1970 (minimum 125 seasons played)
| Rank | City | Titles | Seasons | Titles/ Season |
| 1 | Boston | 20 | 216 | 9.3% |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 13 | 161 | 8.1% |
| 3 | Oakland | 11 | 150 | 7.3% |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 21 | 338 | 6.2% |
| 5 | Miami | 8 | 150 | 5.3% |
| 6 | Dallas | 8 | 179 | 4.5% |
| 7 | New York | 15 | 336 | 4.5% |
| 8 | Chicago | 12 | 269 | 4.5% |
| 9 | Denver | 7 | 166 | 4.2% |
| 10 | Detroit | 8 | 216 | 3.7% |
| 11 | Washington | 6 | 175 | 3.4% |
| 12 | St. Louis | 5 | 146 | 3.4% |
| 13 | Philadelphia | 6 | 216 | 2.8% |
| 14 | Houston | 4 | 155 | 2.6% |
| 15 | Toronto | 3 | 129 | 2.3% |
| 16 | Seattle | 2 | 136 | 1.5% |
| 17 | Atlanta | 2 | 181 | 1.1% |
| 18 | Minneapolis | 2 | 189 | 1.1% |
| 19 | Phoenix | 1 | 144 | 0.7% |
| 20 | Cleveland | 1 | 160 | 0.6% |
Analysis (Less than 125 seasons played)
I must mention a few cities that have just one or two pro teams in the four major sports and did not make the 125+ season cut. Edmonton has won five championships since 1970 (since 1984 to be exact) courtesy of the Edmonton Oilers. Their Canadian Football League club was not included in my analysis but I will mention that the Edmonton Elks/Eskimos have 11 CFL titles since 1970. So I am pretty certain that Edmonton is the best Canadian pro sports city. Montreal has won eight Stanley Cups since 1970 but none have come since 1993.
San Antonio's only team, the Spurs, have won five NBA championships in their 48 seasons. That's 10.4%. San Francisco came up just short of my 125+ season requirement. They have primarily been a two sport city with the 49ers (5 Superbowl victories) and the Giants (3 World Series wins). Their 7.3% would tie them for third with Oakland, ironically enough, if they had qualified. The San Francisco Bay area has 19 combined championships since 1970. I did consider combining Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose into a Bay Area group. You could make a case for that.
If I did combine San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose into a San Francisco Bay Area group, they would have 19 championships in 291 seasons (6.5% championship rate). That would be the third most championships and eighth in percentage in the table below. Currently, San Francisco and Oakland are tied for eighth so it didn't make much difference. Among cities in the first table (125+ seasons), the Bay Area would be in third place which is where Oakland ranks by itself.
There have been 17 cities in the four major professional sports who have participated since 1970 but won no championships. Among these cities, the one that has played the most seasons without winning is San Diego. The Padres, Chargers, Clippers and Rockets (left for Houston in 1971) have played in 108 seasons without winning the title. Only the Padres remain there. Charlotte (0 for 63) and Vancouver (0 for 59) are next.
Top Sports Cities since 1970 (all cities)
| Rank | City | Titles | Seasons | Titles/ Season |
| 1 | Edmonton | 5 | 44 | 11.4% |
| 2 | San Antonio | 5 | 48 | 10.4% |
| 3 | Boston | 20 | 216 | 9.3% |
| 4 | Montreal | 8 | 88 | 9.1% |
| 5 | Las Vegas | 1 | 11 | 9.1% |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | 13 | 161 | 8.1% |
| 7 | Long Island * | 4 | 51 | 7.8% |
| 8 | San Francisco | 8 | 109 | 7.3% |
| 9 | Oakland | 11 | 150 | 7.3% |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 21 | 338 | 6.2% |
| 11 | Miami | 8 | 150 | 5.3% |
| 12 | Baltimore | 5 | 99 | 5.1% |
| 13 | Tampa Bay | 5 | 105 | 4.8% |
| 14 | Dallas | 8 | 179 | 4.5% |
| 15 | New York | 15 | 336 | 4.5% |
| 16 | Chicago | 12 | 269 | 4.5% |
| 17 | Denver | 7 | 166 | 4.2% |
| 18 | Kansas City | 5 | 122 | 4.1% |
| 19 | New Jersey * | 3 | 76 | 3.9% |
| 20 | Raleigh | 1 | 26 | 3.8% |
| 21 | Detroit | 8 | 216 | 3.7% |
| 22 | Green Bay | 2 | 54 | 3.7% |
| 23 | Washington | 6 | 175 | 3.4% |
| 24 | St. Louis | 5 | 146 | 3.4% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | 6 | 216 | 2.8% |
| 26 | Cincinnati | 3 | 110 | 2.7% |
| 27 | Houston | 4 | 155 | 2.6% |
| 28 | Toronto | 3 | 129 | 2.3% |
| 29 | Calgary | 1 | 43 | 2.3% |
| 30 | Milwaukee | 2 | 108 | 1.9% |
| 31 | Portland | 1 | 54 | 1.9% |
| 32 | Seattle | 2 | 136 | 1.5% |
| 33 | New Orleans | 1 | 81 | 1.2% |
| 34 | Indianapolis | 1 | 88 | 1.1% |
| 35 | Atlanta | 2 | 181 | 1.1% |
| 36 | Minneapolis | 2 | 189 | 1.1% |
| 37 | Phoenix | 1 | 144 | 0.7% |
| 38 | Cleveland | 1 | 160 | 0.6% |
| 39 | Buffalo | 0 | 115 | 0.0% |
| 40 | San Diego | 0 | 108 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Charlotte | 0 | 63 | 0.0% |
| 42 | Vancouver | 0 | 59 | 0.0% |
| 43 | Nashville | 0 | 52 | 0.0% |
| 44 | Salt Lake City | 0 | 45 | 0.0% |
| 45 | Sacramento | 0 | 39 | 0.0% |
| 46 | Orlando | 0 | 35 | 0.0% |
| 47 | San Jose | 0 | 32 | 0.0% |
| 48 | Ottawa | 0 | 31 | 0.0% |
| 49 | Winnipeg | 0 | 30 | 0.0% |
| 50 | Jacksonville | 0 | 29 | 0.0% |
| 51 | Memphis | 0 | 23 | 0.0% |
| 52 | Columbus | 0 | 23 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Hartford | 0 | 18 | 0.0% |
| 54 | Oklahoma City | 0 | 16 | 0.0% |
| 55 | Quebec | 0 | 16 | 0.0% |
In Part II of my Best Pro Sports City analysis, I looked at all playoff appearances since 2000. Click HERE for Part II.
