This Is the No. 1 Sports Travel Destination in the U.S.

Even if you’re not a die-hard, all-in sports fanatic, odds are, you’ve still got a favorite team. In the U.S., sports is a big draw and incredibly big business. As WalletHub noted, sports franchises in the U.S. “bring in nearly $40 billion in yearly revenue, with money coming from ticket and merchandise sales, media rights, and sponsorship fees.”

And though most games are streamed right into our living rooms, people still love to travel to see their favorite all-star in action. And that’s why WalletHub made it their mission to find the best sports cities in the nation. 

To find out which cities absolutely dominate when it comes to tourism and sports, WalletHub compared 400 cities across more than 50 key metrics, each related to the five most popular sports in the nation: football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey. Each sports category was assigned a weight that corresponded to the total percentage of adults in the U.S. who claim to follow that particular sport, according to Gallup. (Football was given a total weight of 60 percent, followed by baseball at 14 percent, basketball at 13 percent, soccer at 7 percent, and hockey at 6 percent.) 

“Each sports category was also graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for sports fans,” WalletHub explained. “Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all sports categories to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.” 

After looking at all that data, WalletHub named Los Angeles its Best Overall City and its Best Large City for sports.

“Los Angeles tops the list of the best sports cities this year because of its strong appreciation for all types of sports, numerous professional teams, and proximity to iconic stadiums and arenas,” WalletHub explained, pointing to venues like Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Memorial Coliseum, and the Rose Bowl as must-see spots.

“The City of Angels ranks as the best city for basketball fans, in large part due to the monumental success of the Lakers and the abundance and affordability of Division 1 college basketball,” it added. “It’s also No. 1 for soccer fans, as the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC have brought the city more MLS Cup titles than any other.” The city also ranked second for best baseball cities — though really, it should be No. 1 following the 2024 World Series. (Sorry, Yankees fans.)

Green Bay, Wisconsin, was also named the Best Midsize City thanks to “its deep-rooted sports culture, highlighted by the Green Bay Packers. The city is known for its enthusiastic fans and a passion for local football, ranking as the third-best football city in the country overall.” 

And Clemson, South Carolina, took home the title of Best Small City as it’s particularly for “college sports enthusiasts.” WalletHub noted, “Clemson University has very strong athletic programs, including its highly successful football team. The Clemson Tigers have won 15 ACC conference championships since 1978, along with three national titles, and they have a large stadium capacity and extremely engaged fans. As a result, Clemson ranks 31st overall among the best football cities, despite not having an NFL team.” 

“The best sports cities overall tend to be those with the highest-performing, most popular professional teams, like Los Angeles, Boston, Pittsburgh, and New York,” Chip Lupo, an analyst at WalletHub, shared. “When you filter by city size, though, there are a ton of amazing local sports scenes to discover. For example, Green Bay, WI, is a midsize city with one of the richest football cultures in America, and Clemson, SC, is a small city with high-level, affordable games across multiple sports at the collegiate level.”

Ready to see where your city landed? Check out all the big, mid, and small city rankings at wallethub.com.