Using Math to Rank All US Cities by Sports (Part 3)
Throughout the last week or so, I have been unveiling my city rankings based on the success of their big 4 sports. You can find parts 1 and 2 on the home page, as well as the rules to the rankings in part 1, which I would recommend reading if you are confused.
The main rule: rankings consider any regular season and playoff games from April 1, 2010 to Jan 21, 2023 as well as playoff games after Jan 21, 2023.
Here’s part 3!
18. Seattle (52.09)
Seahawks, Mariners, Kraken
Record (9th): Seahawks (128-81-1), Mariners (965-1039), Kraken (54-63-11)
Championships (20th): Seahawks (2013), Mariners (None), Kraken (None)
Great Seasons (25th): Seahawks (2013: 13-3, Champions), Mariners (2022: 90-72, ALDS), Kraken (2023: 27-14-5)
Great Players (12th): Seahawks (Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner), Mariners (Felix Hernandez, Nelson Cruz), Kraken (None)
We’re in the top half of the rankings, but not at the point yet where there is always all-around success. Seattle is a perfect case. The Mariners and the Kraken have each appeared in the playoffs once since 2010, but the Seahawks, led by their fear-inflicting defense have posted the 5th best record in the NFL, a super-bowl win, multiple one-seeds, and have played host to multiple future hall-of-famers. A case can be made that outside of the Patriots, the Seahawks have been the second best team in football in the past 13 years, giving Seattle a top-half ranking of 18. I can only imagine how much higher they’d be if they just ran the ball…
17. Philadelphia (52.68)
76ers, Eagles, Phillies, Flyers
Record (22nd): 76ers (461-534), Eagles (114-95-1), Phillies (995-1028), Flyers (462-366-131)
Championships (17th): 76ers (None), Eagles (2017), Phillies (None), Flyers (None)
Best Season (8th): 76ers (2020: 49-23, 1 seed), Eagles (2022: 14-3, 1 seed), Phillies (2011: 102-60, 1 seed), Flyers (2010: 47-23-12, 2 seed)
Best Players (28th): 76ers (Joel Embiid), Eagles (Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox), Phillies (Aaron Nola, Bryce Harper), Flyers (Claude Giroux)
Here’s a much more rounded city, which you can see from their numerous dominant seasons. Philly has been great at stacking some 1 seeds and playoff appearances over the years (no one is better at making the second round than the 76ers), and won one of the best Super Bowls in NFL history, but hasn’t been great otherwise. Surprisingly, the Eagles have rarely had standout players, and Joel Embiid is the only man that the 76ers can proudly boast. The winning percentages have also been sup-bar, with the 76ers and Phillies both going through miserable periods in the mid to late 2010s. God bless Nick Foles.
16. Atlanta (53.05)
Hawks, Falcons, Braves, Thrashers
Record (19th): Hawks (498-492), Falcons (107-103), Braves (1066-933), Thrashers (34-36-12)
Championships (18th): Hawks (None), Falcons (None), Braves (2021), Thrashers (None)
Great Seasons (16th): Hawks (60-22, 1 seed, ECF), Falcons (2016: 11-5, made SB), Braves (2021: 88-73, won WS), Thrashers (2010: 34-36-12)
Best Players (15th): Hawks (Trae Young), Falcons (Matt Ryan, Julio Jones), Braves (Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel), Thrashers (None)
Perhaps the most mediocre city in the entirety of the rankings lands a tick above average at 16. They were middle of the pack in every category including record where each team was barely above .500. Season wise, they’ve had a one-seed or two, and some deep playoff runs. They’ve had two MVP’s in Matt Ryan and Freddie Freeman, making players their best category. The Braves have become a powerhouse including a 2021 World Series. As you can tell, I’m not really sure what to say about Atlanta except for one thing that would probable put them in the top 10. 28-3.
15. Washington DC (53.22)
Record (29th): Wizards (441-553), Commanders (83-125-2), Nationals (1025-998), Capitals (554-304-109)
Championships (14th): Wizards (None), Commanders (None), Nationals (2019), Capitals (2017)
Great Seasons (22nd): Wizards (2016: 49-33, R2), Commanders (2012: 10-6), Nationals (2019: 93-69, WS), Capitals (2015: 56-18-8)
Best Players (9th): Wizards (John Wall, Bradley Beal), Commanders (Kirk Cousins), Nationals (Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto), Capitals (Alexander Ovechkin, John Carlson)
“Which city has been the most forgettable of anyone on this list in the last few years?” To that question, you’d probably answer, Washington D.C., unless you forgot about them altogether. Some teams represent the bigger picture; the Wizards and Commanders have not been good, with neither making it past the second round of the postseason. However, for the Capitals and Nationals, there have at times been excellence. The Nationals won a World Series late in the decade, and were fantastic in the prior years, winning 90+ games 4 times in 6 years. The same can be said about the Capitals who have excelled. The biggest strength of D.C. has been their players. Alexander Ovechkin has been dominant for 15+ seasons, Max Scherzer won 2 Cy Young awards, and Juan Soto finished second in MVP voting to Bryce Harper—the man who won in MVP in 2012 with the Nationals.
14. St. Louis (53.27)
Cardinals, Blues
Record (2nd): Cardinals (1112-890), Blues (544-314-102)
Championships (13th): Cardinals (2011), Blues (2018)
Great Seasons (23rd): Cardinals (100-62, 1 seed, NLDS), Blues (52-23-7, 2 seed)
Great Players (22nd): Cardinals (Paul Goldschmidt, Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina), Blues (Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Pietrangelo)
St. Louis may seem like they’ve been under the radar in the last 13 years, but all they’ve done is win. In 26 seasons of combined play, the Cardinals have made the playoffs 19 times, won the first round in 12 of those seasons, and captured two rings in 2011 and 2018. The Cardinals huge 100-win season in 2015 does well to bump St. Louis up a couple spots. The Cardinals have also had the bulk of success in the players department, with Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina spending long solid careers in St. Louis, and MVPs Albert Pujols and Paul Goldschimdt spending a few years each in St. Louis. Vladimir Tarasenko also had a great career in Missouri, including back to back seasons where the Blues won 50+ games. Make no mistake though, in St. Louis, it’s all about the winning.
13. Dallas (54.96)
Mavericks, Cowboys, Rangers, Stars
Record (13th): Mavericks (527-471), Cowboys (116-94), Rangers (993-1012), Stars (485-348-110)
Championships (16th): Mavericks (2010), Cowboys (None), Rangers (None), Stars (None)
Great Seasons (12th): Mavericks (2010: 57-25, champions), Cowboys (2016: 13-3, DR), Rangers (96-66, WS), Stars (2015: 50-23-9, QF)
Great Players (8th): Mavericks (Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic), (Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott), Rangers (Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton), Stars (Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin)
Halfway through part 3 is is where we find the powerhouse that is Dallas. With four teams that have all had success at some time, Dallas has had their fair share of star power. Dirk Nowitzki is the 6th highest scorer ever, and Luka Doncic has played at an MVP level for the last four years. The Cowboys have had some fantastic offensive linemen, and the Rangers and Stars have played host to some of the most solid athletes of the decade. The Mavericks championship ranks very high on the hierarchy of NBA championships, and should make the rest of Dallas fortunate that it boosted their ranking to 13.
12. San Francisco (55.64)
Warriors, 49ers, Giants
Record (17th): Warriors (130-135), 49ers (109-100-1), Giants (1038-966)
Championships (3rd): Warriors (2021), 49ers (None), Giants (2010, 2012, 2014)
Great Seasons (13th): Warriors (2021: 53-29, Champions), 49ers (2019: 13-3, SB), Giants (2021: 107-55)
Great Players (21st): Warriors (Stephen Curry), 49ers (Frank Gore, Nick Bosa), Giants (Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey)
Could you imagine if the Warriors spent five extra years in San Francisco? They’d be first in championships, probably second in seasons, and top 5 in record. Most likely top-4 in the entire rankings. But if you read my last article, you know that while what if’s are fun, they have no meaning. The reality is that most of San Francisco’s success comes from the even-year Giants victories, where Madison Bumgarner and MVP, Buster Posey, commanded the bump and the plate for many years. And oh by the way, they posted an astonishing 107-55 in a year when they didn’t win a championship. The 49ers are not to be slept on either; they reached a Super Bowl in 2019, have a winning record since 2010, a DPOY, a multi-time pro-bowl runningback in Frank Gore, and a football mastermind with Kyle Shanahan.
11. Miami (55.68)
Heat, Dolphins, Marlins, Panthers
Record (24th): Heat (596-401), Dolphins (98-112), Marlins (874-1128), Panthers (465-385-127)
Championships (9th): Heat (2011, 2012), Dolphins (None), Marlins (None), Panthers (None)
Best Season (11th): Heat (66-16, won championship), Dolphins (2016: 10-6, made playoffs), Marlins (31-29, made 2nd round), Panthers (58-18-6, won division, made 2nd round)
Best Players (11th): Heat (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler), Dolphins (Cameron Wake, Xavien Howard), Marlins (Giancarlo Stanton), Panthers (Evgenii Barkov, Aleksander Dadanov, Matthew Tkachuk)
There is one city with one dominant team and a slew of mediocre teams with a higher rank than Miami; you’ll have to wait until Part 4 to see that city. But it’s true, without the Heat and their four years of dominance at the start of the decade, Miami would find themselves in the bottom five of the rankings, which makes sense when you look at the Dolphins, Marlins, and Panthers records. All in all, the Heat posted 2 MVP awards (tied for 1st in the NBA), 2 championships (2nd), 6 Finals appearances (tied for first), and 22 all-star selections (22nd). Three more things give South Beach a small boost: the Panthers miraculous run to the Stanley Cup this past season, Giancarlo Stanton’s MVP award in 2017, and LeBron James’ prime being the second greatest of any prime in the history of the NBA.
10. Houston (56.09)
Rockets, Texans, Astros
Record (23rd): Rockets (537-457), Texans (93-116-1), Astros (1019-985)
Championships (12th): Rockets (None), Texans (None), Astros (2017, 2022)
Great Seasons (9th): Rockets (2017: 65-17 CF), Texans (2012: 12-4, DR), Astros (107-55, WS)
Great Players (5th): Rockets (James Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard), Texans (Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins), Astros (Dallas Keuchel, Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman)
Houston is more of a two team show. While the Astros have earned all of the jewelry (perhaps with a handicap), the Rockets’ masterful, innovative, game-changing season in 2017, James Harden’s scoring dominance, and two conference finals appearances have done well in guiding Houston to the top of part 3. But let’s not kid ourselves here. In the last six seasons, Houston has appeared in the playoffs all six years, made the World Series 4 times, and won it twice. They had Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel’s Cy Young seasons, a José Altuve MVP, and top seasons out of Alex Bregman and Gerrit Cole. Deshaun Watson and De’Andre Hopkins also had great production for the Texans, which puts Houston at 5th in the player rankings—the primary reason why they are in the top-10.
Part 4 coming soon!