The Sporting News has published its annual ranking of the "Best Sports Cities" for 2007, and Los Angeles ranks, ahem, fifth. L.A., which won the honors in 2003 (teamed with Anaheim), was ranked behind 1) Detroit, 2) New York, 3) Dallas-Fort Worth, and 4) Chicago.
Anaheim (13), Oakland (17), San Diego (18), San Jose (25), San Francisco (42) , Sacramento (52), and Las Vegas (95) were also in the Top 99.
The Sporting News arrived at its rankings by taking "a 12-month snapshot, roughly July to July, of each city's sports, putting a heavy premium on regular-season won-lost records (from the most recently completed season); playoff berths, bowl appearances and tournament bids; championships; applicable power ratings; quality of competition; overall fan fervor as measured in part by attendance as percentage of venue capacity; abundance of teams, though we reward quality over quantity; stadium and arena quality; ticket availability and prices; franchise ownership; and marquee appeal of athletes."
