Second No More: Sporting News Names Chicago Best Sports City

Sporting News has named Chicago as the Best Sports City for ’06, primarily due to the White Sox’ World Series championship. Other reasons include the successful regular-and postseason play of the Bulls, Bears and Northwestern Univ. football team. Chicago beat out Miami for the top spot; Boston, which had taken the title the previous two years, came in at No. 7. The top 20 sports cities are listed below (Sporting News).

RANK	CITY
1)	Chicago
2)	Miami
3)	Dallas-Ft. Worth
4)	Detroit-Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti
5)	New York
6)	Denver-Boulder
7)	Boston
8)	Los Angeles
9)	Philadelphia
10)	Phoenix-Tempe
11)	Washington, DC
12)	Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
13)	Atlanta
14)	Minneapolis-St. Paul
15)	Seattle
16)	Indianapolis
17)	Tampa-St. Petersburg
18)	Austin
19)	Anaheim
20)	Cleveland

SOX APPEAL: In Chicago, David Haugh cites Scarborough Research data as showing that the Cubs and Bears each have 56% market penetration, while the White Sox have 53%. The survey of 4,182 people from March ’05-February ’06, counted the percentage of consumers that attended a game, watched a game on TV or listened to a game on the radio. The White Sox were at just 32% in ’03, and trailed the Cubs 59%-35% two years ago. The Bears’ 56% marks their best showing this decade. The Bulls came in at 40% and the Blackhawks at 10%, based in part on the NHL lockout and in part on the team’s “shortage of television exposure” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/4).

GEORGIA PEACHED: Sporting News Exec Editor Bob Hille said of Atlanta’s placement at No. 13, “It’s an underachievement that ought to look pretty familiar to, well, some Atlanta sports teams, to be honest” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/3).