Philadelphia Ranked As 15th Best Basketball City In U.S.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- From Big Five hoops to the 76ers, Philadelphia basketball is rich in history and tradition -- professional and collegiate.
According to a new study released by Wallethub.com just days away from the start of the NCAA Tournament, Philadelphia is the 15th best basketball city in the country. The website compared the largest cities in the country based on 18 key NBA and NCAA Divison I metrics.
Team performance, along with cost and fan engagement, were key factors in determining the list. Naturally, the struggling 9-57 Sixers hurt Philly's ultimate ranking, but surprisingly not as much as fan engagement. 76ers fans were actually ranked the least friendly and engaging group in the country.
Michael A. Leeds, an economics professor at the Tempe University Fox School of Business and Management, described what he felt makes a good basketball fan to Wallethub.com.
"Someone who has played basketball in the past or who at least has experienced it as a fan and absorbed the basic of the game into his/her psyche."
The No. 1 basketball city in the U.S., according to the study, is Los Angeles. Boston, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, and Oakland round out the top-five.