Phoenix ranks 7th among Best Sports Cities

The Phoenix area ranked No. 7 on the Sporting News’ annual list of Best Sports Cities.

Home to four major professional sports teams and a bevy of high profile sporting events, the area maintained its top 10 ranking from last year. The city, home to the Fiesta Bowl, FBR Open and spring training baseball, ranked No. 6 last year.

The Arizona Cardinals unlikely Super Bowl run, along with the NBA All-Star game in February, helped maintain the ranking, published in Sporting News’ Oct. 12 issue. But in addition to those bright spots in 2009, the area has suffered from the brutal real estate crash and recession causing attendance numbers to wane for the Phoenix Coyotes, Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Poor play from those teams didn’t help, as fans accustomed to riveting action saw very little this year. The D-backs fell off the playoff list before summer, while the Suns struggled throughout the year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

The Phoenix Coyotes, which finished in fourth place in the Pacific Division, made far more headlines off the ice than on it. The financially strapped franchise filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May, which led to a six-month face-off with the National Hockey League, Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, and plenty of lawyers on each side.

On Sept. 30, Bankruptcy Court Judge Redfield T. Baum nixed Balsillie’s attempt to move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. The Coyotes need to find a local buyer by the end of the year, or ownership could open to an out-of-state prospect.

Pittsburgh, which saw their beloved Steelers and Penguins take home two coveted trophies this year, topped the list.

This year’s “Best Sports City Ranking,” which features more than 400 locales in the U.S. and Canada, was determined by factors, including each city’s number of teams; regular-season won-lost records; playoff berths; bowl appearances and tournament bids; championships; power ratings; competition; fan fervor; attendance; stadium/arena quality; ticket prices/availability; franchise ownership; and marquee appeal of athletes.

Here’s a list of past cities that ranked at the top of the list:

• 2008: Boston
• 2007: Detroit
• 2006: Chicago
• 2005: Boston
• 2004: Boston
• 2003: Anaheim/Los Angeles
• 2002: Boston
• 2001: New York
• 2000: St. Louis
• 1999: New York
• 1998: Detroit
• 1997: Denver
• 1995: Denver
• 1994: Cleveland
• 1993: Chicago

Sporting News, owned by American City Business Journals, is the nation’s oldest national sports media company. Based in Charlotte, N.C., the company includes Sporting News Magazine, SportingNews.com, Sporting News Radio and the first national digital daily sports section, Sporting News Today.

The Sporting News is a sister publication of the Phoenix Business Journal.