Everyone has their own opinion about which city has the best sports atmosphere and top teams, and those who ooze Spartan spirit probably think East Lansing is the athletic mecca of the Midwest.
But “The Sporting News” doesn’t think so in its 2001 edition of the nation’s Best Sports Cities.
East Lansing tumbled from 35th last year to 60th this year, but is still the second-highest city in Michigan, behind ninth-place Detroit.
“The Sporting News” has ranked the top sports cities since 1993 and this year’s winner is New York and surrounding areas. Oakland/San Francisco/San Jose, Los Angeles/Anaheim, Philadelphia and Dallas/Fort Worth round out the top five.
“I’ve never seen a ranking of the top sports cities. It seems like it’s just made up,” human resource management sophomore Beau Ballinger said.
Actually, the magazine uses a fairly sophisticated scientific formula to compile the list. Criteria include championships, playoff berths, win-loss records, attendance, abundance of teams and atmosphere, just to name a few.
Another qualification to even be on the list is the city must have at least a Division I basketball team or be home to an affiliated minor league baseball team or training site for the National Football League or Major League Baseball.
“The Sporting News” also grouped some college towns into bigger cities. For example, Ann Arbor is included in Detroit’s ranking.
The Motor City was ranked first in 1998 after a second Stanley Cup championship by the Red Wings. St. Louis took the crown last year.
The rankings are based on a 12-month period beginning in July and running through the following June.
In 2000, the MSU men’s basketball team won a national championship and the football squad won the Citrus Bowl in the same year - helping East Lansing check in at No. 35.
But a losing football season and losses in the Final Four and hockey’s Frozen Four hurt East Lansing’s standing this time around.
Mechanical engineering senior Justin Eckland agreed the list shouldn’t be taken seriously, but his choice for No. 1 would be Lincoln, Neb.
“There’s no better team,” he said of the University of Nebraska’s football squad. “Cornhusker football is different. They clap and cheer because they know they’re going to win.”
Ballinger said these rankings fluctuate a lot and it’s too hard to determine what city is actually the sports capital.
