10 Reasons Philadelphia Is the Best Sports City
PHILADELPHIA - The birthplace of the United States has another reason to rebel 250 years later. Philadelphia didn't get enough votes to register in a recent Sports Business Journal poll of best American sports cities. New York City led the way at 20%, followed by Pittsburgh (16%) and Chicago (13%). Philadelphia didn't make the top 11. From a sports perspective, this is more than enough reason to start another revolution.
The poll results might not come as a surprise to anyone who loathes Philly as a sports town. But the things you don't like about the city are the reasons it should have been at the top. The spirit of '76 still animates the fan base. They're passionate. They don't put up with tyrants or unwanted interlopers. And they're not afraid to fight.
The founding fathers were not that much different than callers into the all-sports station. If WIP was around back then, you might have heard calls like: "Angelo, this is taxation without representation. The King is a bum. We should fire his ass. Buddy Ryan wouldn't have stood for this crap."
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to protest a sports business poll, Philadelphians will be there. Here are 10 reasons my hometown is the No. 1 sports city in America….
1. Most loyal fans
Much like the founding fathers, Philadelphia sports fans put local interests above all else. The attitude is that if you're not with us, you're against us and you're going down. No professional fan base hates their enemies more. Just try wearing opposing jerseys at an Eagles game. Sometimes it goes too far with the inappropriate behavior. But it points to the camaraderie and common goal of everybody in the stadium. They also boo their own players, which speaks to how much they live and die for their teams.
2. Rocky
Yes, it's fictional. But there's a reason Apollo Creed wanted to fight Rock in Philadelphia in 1976. He wanted to give a local guy a shot on the nation's birthday because he knew that's what the city was all about. Rocky represented America taking down England, or something like that. Now the Art Museum steps that Rocky ran up are one of the enduring symbols of sports greatness.
3. Dr. J
You can debate Jordan vs. LeBron for the greatest player all you want … but there's no debate about who is the coolest of all time. That's Julius Erving, whose style on an off the court transcends time. Honorable Mention: Allen Iverson is right behind Dr. J when it comes to defining an era.
I can't even think of a close second. Early Dr. J? pic.twitter.com/02NmLqMZYW
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) March 18, 2024
4. NFL Films
Ed Sabol started the company in Philadelphia and used local anchor John Facenda to voiceover his incredible football highlights. NFL Films' commitment to quality is an underrated factor in the sport's ascendence to the national pastime and Philly played a big part in its growth.
5. The Phillie Phanatic
His only real mascot rival might be the San Diego Chicken, but the Phanatic stood the test of time and has set the gold standard throughout the last 48 years. Anyone who has been to a Phillies game has been entertained by the friendly green monster. In 1988, Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda tried to fight the Phanatic in the funniest moment in mascot history.
6. Hockey violence
While the fame of the "Broad Street Bullies" might have faded over the years, there is no team in all of pro sports that seemed more fiction than reality than the ‘70s Philadelphia Flyers. They leaned into their reputation as bruisers in a way no other team ever has or ever will. Players like Dave "The Hammer" Schultz and Andre "Moose" Dupont would fight, while actually talented guys like Bobby Clarke would win a lot of games. The group likely inspired the greatest hockey movie of all time, Slapshot, and defined a long-lost era in the sport.
7. The Palestra
The "Cathedral of College Basketball" is living basketball history. It used to host games of the big five colleges (‘Nova, Temple, LaSalle, St. Joe's and Penn). And some of the greatest high school stars of all time - from Wilt Chamberlain to Rasheed Wallace to Dawn Staley - played there. The only national comparison is Butler's Hinkle Field House, but so much more talent came through the Palestra.
8. The NFL Draft
Forget the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The city's real claim to fame is creating the draft. Eagles owner Bert Bell was tired of stinking and not being able to sign players, so he created a system to reward bad teams and keep player salaries down. The first draft was on Feb. 8, 1936, in Philly. Mel Kiper nailed his first mock that year.
9. The Philly Special
No play is more synonymous with a city than the Philly Special in Super Bowl LII. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles mistakenly called for "Philly Philly" before catching the fourth-down touchdown to help beat the Patriots. Nothing is more Philadelphia than accidentally naming the play after the city.
10. The Wing Bowl
Radio personalities Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti created the annual chicken wing eating contest that could only happen in Philly. Fans lined up before sunrise to get in to cheer the over-the-top, sometimes insane competition. While not always pretty, it was the perfect showcase for how deep the connection was between fans and Philadelphia sports talk radio. Ben Franklin definitely would have made a guest appearance at the Wing Bowl back in the day.
Related: Why Philadelphia Fans Love Scottie Scheffler Even Though He's a Cowboys Fan
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This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 7:30 AM.