Best and Worst States for Sports Fans

--California, Texas, Michigan, and Other Pro and College Sports 

Hotspots Dominate Top 10-

Sports fans aren’t just “fans”—they’re true fanatics.

From Yankees–Red Sox showdowns on the diamond to Lakers–Celtics clashes on the hardwood, sports rivalries elicit extreme passion and endless debate about who has the best teams, fans, and sports culture. While a lot of headlines and focus is around winning championships at the professional level – and rightfully so – true sports culture also extends to the Friday night lights of high school stadiums and the packed arenas of Division 1 colleges.

Fans in larger states may have more professional franchises to cheer for, but smaller cities with only one game in town tend to have an intense passion for their team that is hard to match. Tuscaloosa, for example, revolves almost entirely around the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In addition, Americans' love for sports goes beyond the field and into the classroom and boardroom. About 99.9% of Americans will never play professional sports but many turn their passion into a profession by pursuing sports-related degrees and careers.

With all things considered, what is the best state for sports fans?

Best & Worst States for Sports Fans

To help settle the debate, we analyzed seven categories in all 50 states and D.C. including the:

• Professional teams (NFL, NBA, MLB, NFL, MLS) within a 200-mile radius
• Professional championships
• NCAA championships
• Division 1 colleges
• Share of high school students who play sports
• Sports-related college degrees
• Concentration of jobs in the sports industry

The complete methodology with links to all sources is found at the bottom

Some of the results may feel intuitive: powerhouse states with big markets rise to the top. Others may surprise you, revealing hidden gems or unexpected weaknesses in places you’d assume were sports havens.

Key Findings

• California Is the Best State: Thanks to its unmatched combination of 26 Division 1 schools, 29 college championships and 18 professional teams. The rest of the top 10 included both heavyweights like No. 4 Texas, No. 2 Ohio, and No. 5 Pennsylvania, as well as unexpected overperformers like No. 6 Iowa and No. 3 Kansas, showing that success isn’t limited to the traditional players.
• Idaho is the Worst State: It was dragged down by a lack of pro franchises and a low rate of sports degrees. The bottom 10 is dominated by smaller or more rural states, including No. 50 Alaska, No. 48 Hawaii and No. 46 Montana, where distance, population size, and limited opportunities can make being a sports fan a tougher experience.
• Surprising Outliers: Big markets like New York (No. 15) and Florida (No. 26) did not land among the best teams, reminding us that sheer size doesn’t always translate into the best fan experience. Florida was dragged down by its low high school sports participation (28.7%) while New York has one of the lowest concentrations of sports-related jobs in the country (126 per 100,000 workers).

Best States

California ranked first due to its unmatched depth across nearly every measure of sports culture. With 26 Division 1 schools – more than any other state – and a vast professional sports presence of 18 teams across the five major leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS), it scored the highest overall.

California also has a relatively strong sports economy, ranking No. 19 in sports-related jobs (194 per 100,000 workers), and an average win rate of 49.7% across its 18 professional teams (No. 20).

Rounding out the top five were No. 2 Ohio, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Pennsylvania. Each excelled for different reasons: Pennsylvania tied California with the most pro teams (18), while Texas has a whopping 25 D1 schools and in Kansas, 67.4% of high schoolers play sports.

Worst States

Idaho ranked last, held back by a lack of professional teams and the fact that it grants just six sports-related bachelor’s degrees for every 1,000 graduates, less than anywhere else in the country. It has just three Division 1 schools (No. 35) and zero college championships.

Similar issues affected its fellow states in the bottom five: No. 50 Alaska, No. 49 Nevada, No. 48 Hawaii and No. 47 New Mexico. These states tended to have few or no professional teams, a limited rate of sports-related degrees, and low participation in high school sports.

However, Nevada is a prime example of how sports can transcend common wisdom. In 2023, the Golden Knights captured their first NHL Stanley Cup, proving how underdogs can rise to the top at any time.

Best and Worst States by Metric

Professional teams by state: This measures how many major pro franchises (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS) that fans have access to nearby, showing where rooting for a hometown team is an easy, year-round experience and where it’s harder to find a local allegiance.

Local professional teams’ win record: By averaging the win percentages of nearby pro teams across leagues, this metric reflects not only team success but also how often fans get to enjoy the excitement of following a champion.

Division 1 schools: The count of Division 1 programs highlights where college sports are most visible, shaping fan culture in states where NCAA traditions often rival or surpass professional leagues.

College championships: The total number of NCAA basketball and football titles reflects a state's historical success and national relevance in college sports, fueling passionate fan bases and long-standing rivalries that elevate its appeal to sports fans.

Sports jobs: This shows the size of a state’s sports economy, indicating where coaching, officiating and athletic careers are more common and where sports are a bigger part of daily life.

Sports degrees: By tracking how many students pursue fields like sports communication, kinesiology, or physical education, this metric reveals how deeply sports are woven into a state’s academic and professional pipeline.

High school athletes: The share of students participating in athletics reflects grassroots enthusiasm, showing which states foster the strongest cultures of youth sports pipelines as well as future fanbases.

Which Cities Have Won the Most Trophies Over the Past Decade?

Over the past decade, no city has collected more hardware than Los Angeles, racking up eight championships across its professional teams. That total outpaces even Boston and San Francisco, which tied for second with five apiece. Kansas City carved out a dynasty of its own with four titles, while Denver, Seattle, and Tampa Bay each claimed three.

The list shows how championships can cluster in surprising places. Traditional sports powerhouses like New York and Philadelphia managed just one trophy each between 2014 and 2024, while Columbus and Milwaukee punched above their weight.

From coast to coast, the past decade proved that dynasties can emerge anywhere.

Conclusion

Sports may be universal, but the fan experience is anything but equal. From powerhouse states brimming with pro teams and college dynasties to those where fans have to work harder to stay connected, geography shapes how Americans live and breathe sports. No matter where your state falls on the list, the true measure of a sports haven isn’t trophies or teams – it’s the devotion of the fans who make every game matter.

Methodology

We used the most recent data for seven metrics to determine the best and worst states for sports fans. We used a Z-score distribution to scale each metric relative to the mean across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and capped outliers at +/-3. A state’s overall ranking was calculated using its average Z-score across all of the data points. Here’s a closer look at the metrics we used:

• Number of major professional teams (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS) in the state’s borders and within a 200-mile radius of the state’s population center (ESPN, Census Bureau)
  • Four states had no teams in this radius. They received a score of 0 for this metric.
  • The Athletics were counted in Oakland because the team moved after the 2024 season.

• Average win percentage for the professional teams in a state or within a 200 mile radius of its population center (TeamRankings.com, MLS, ESPN, 2024)
• • Four states had no teams in this radius. They received a score of N/A, meaning this metric did not play a role in their final score.

• Total number of NCAA football and college championships (NCAA, all time)
• Number of NCAA Division 1 schools (Next College Student Athlete, 2025)
• Sports jobs per 100,000 workers, including athletes and sports competitors, coaches and scouts, umpires, referees and other sports officials (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024)
• High school students who play sports (National Federation of State High School Associations, 2023-2024) as a proportion of all high schoolers (Census Bureau, 2023)
• Sports-related bachelor's degrees per 1,000 graduates, including sports communication and sports, kinesiology, and physical education/fitness, among accredited schools that granted at least 50 bachelor’s degrees (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023)

Here’s more detail on the sports teams that were assigned to each state: