CHICAGO – Many area basketball fans would be quick to say Chicago’s “got game” when it comes to the sport. But one study says otherwise.
On WalletHub’s list of 2022’s Best & Worst Cities for Basketball Fans, Chicago comes in at No. 17 in the rankings and is second in the Midwest behind Milwaukee, which ranked 13th. Los Angeles is at the top of the list as the best city for basketball fans with Boston, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia rounding out the Top 5.
Researchers for the WalletHub study compared nearly 300 cities to find the best cities for fans of the game whether it’s professional or college.
They used a variety of metrics ranging from stadium accessibility to ticket prices and even the performance level of each city’s NBA and NCAA Division 1 basketball teams.
Here’s a look at how Chicago scored in a few categories:
26th – Performance Level of NBA Team(s)218th – Performance Level of NCAA Div. 1 Basketball Teams(s)23rd – Avg. Ticket Price for NBA Game201st – Minimum Season-Ticket Price for NCAA Div. 1 Basketball Game25th – NBA Stadium Capacity273rd – College Basketball Stadium Capacity3rd – Number of NBA Championship Wins12th – NBA Fan Engagement269th – College Basketball Fan Engagement
Chicago ranks 15th when measured among large cities. You can check out the map below to see where other cities rank on the list for basketball fans.
Source: WalletHub