Many cities will claim superiority, but only one can have the best year. Here are the American sports cities that had the best years in 2024.

2024 is almost in the books, and how great a year it was is in the eye of the beholder. 

When it comes to sports, some fans will remember this year as one of the best of their lives. Others will do their best not to remember the year at all.  

Last year, we took a look at the 13 American metro areas with at least four big-four (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL) professional sports franchises and ranked them by winning percentage. We ranked each of these metro areas by combining each team’s regular-season winning percentage and weighing them equally. That way MLB teams don’t tip the scale more than NFL teams due to playing significantly more games. We’ve done the same thing this year.  

Because we’re looking at the calendar year of 2024, this counts parts of two seasons for every sport but MLB and only counts games that took place from Jan. 1 to Dec. 29, 2024. And, unlike last year, there was a runaway first-place metro area and runaway last-place metro area. 

1. Minneapolis (Combined Win Percentage: .629) 

Minneapolis had a solid sports year in 2023 but took a big step forward in 2024 to move from fourth to first in these rankings. The Vikings gave the team a big boost, going from an average team to a dominant one with an .824 winning percentage in 2024. Minneapolis also benefitted from being the only metro area on the list with all of its teams over .500, with the Timberwolves (.598), Wild (.589) and Twins (.506) all being above average.  

However, most Minneapolis fans won’t be satisfied until one of their teams takes home a championship. Minneapolis has the longest championship drought of metro areas with four or more big-four teams, as the city hasn’t celebrated a championship in any of these leagues since the 1991 Twins. But, with the Vikings, Timberwolves and Wild all looking like real contenders, Minneapolis feels closer to a championship celebration than it has been in a long time. 

For now, this title will have to do. 

2. Philadelphia (.575) 

A .575 winning percentage wouldn’t be a step down for most cities, but it was for Philadelphia coming off a .621 winning percentage that led these rankings in 2023.  

The 76ers extremely slow start to the 2024-25 season was the culprit, as the team was the worst in the city in 2024 with a .468 winning percentage. The Flyers (.482) also dipped below .500 this year after being above it last year. 

But Philadelphia still sits in second due to the great play of the Eagles (.765) and Phillies (.586). And, like Minneapolis, Philadelphia is hungrier for a championship than most cities, with only two big-four titles in the past 30 years. 

3. Dallas (.560) 

Keep in mind that the data for these rankings is through Dec. 29, and the next three spots are so close that they could change in the final couple of days.  

For now, though, Dallas gets the bronze ranking, with a clear line of haves and have nots. 

Both the Stars (.659) and Mavericks (.630) finished the year with winning percentages over .600. The Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals, while the Stars lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Edmonton Oilers. 

Meanwhile, the Rangers (.481) and Cowboys (.471) both had disappointing campaigns and finished under .500 in 2024. The Rangers couldn’t maintain momentum following a World Series victory in 2023, and the Cowboys had their season derailed with key injuries to Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons.  

4. Detroit (.559) 

Breathing down the neck of Dallas is Detroit, which jumped all the way from 10th in 2023. 

The Lions (.875) were again the dominant team in Detroit this year, with the best winning percentage of any team in the 13 metro areas after tying for the top spot with the San Francisco 49ers last year. 

But big improvements from the Tigers (.531), Red Wings (.525) and Pistons (.305) are what drove the upward mobility for Detroit in 2024. The Pistons’ winning percentage may not seem impressive, but keep in mind that is coming on the heels of a .125 winning percentage in 2023. It’s a pretty big step in the right direction. 

5. Los Angeles/Anaheim (.555) 

Los Angeles had a lot of great teams in 2024, with four teams over a .600 winning percentage. No other metro area had more than two. 

The Rams (.647) led the way, but the Clippers (.610), Lakers (.608), Dodgers (.605), Kings (.594) and Chargers (.588) all had strong years as well. The Dodgers took home the World Series after grabbing Shohei Ohtani in the offseason.  

Unfortunately for Los Angeles/Anaheim, the team the Dodgers took Ohtani from was also in the area, and the Angels (.389) partnered with the Ducks (.401) to prevent Los Angeles/Anaheim from being even higher in the rankings. 

6. Denver (.545) 

Denver got strong years from three of its four teams but was brought down by the usual suspect. 

The Nuggets (.654) and Avalanche (.622) were both very good, and the Broncos (.529) turned their fortunes around and finished above .500 for the year as well. But it’s been a while since the Rockies (.377) as an organization seemed to care about winning baseball games, and 2024 was no exception. The Rockies are likely thankful for the ineptitude of the Chicago White Sox because no one outside of Denver mentions that Colorado had the second-worst record in MLB this year. 

7. Miami (.513) 

Miami fell from second to seventh in the rankings, with three of its four teams having worse years in 2024 than they did in 2023. 

The team that improved, however, was the Florida Panthers (.663), who also won the Stanley Cup a year after falling in the Stanley Cup Final. 

The Heat (.538) and Dolphins (.471) took steps back, and the Marlins (.383) went from a surprise playoff team to one of the worst teams in the league. 

8. Boston (.507) 

Boston is the last city to finish over .500 this year, and it’s also the final city on this list to have won a title this year. The Celtics (.744) led the way in winning percentage en route to a championship. 

The Bruins (.606) had another strong year, while the Red Sox (.500) managed to find their way to an even record. 

As you might have guessed, that means the Patriots (.176) held down Boston as a whole, with New England having the worst winning percentage of any team in the 13 metro areas. But even that might feel like a small victory for Boston fans, as the Patriots are currently in line to get the No.1 overall draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft. 

9.) Phoenix (.484) 

Sadly, this will be Phoenix’s last year on these rankings for the foreseeable future, as the Coyotes move to Utah gives Phoenix only three teams in the metro area. 

To add insult to injury, the Coyotes (.394) had the worst winning percentage among teams in the metro area, while the Cardinals (.412) weren’t far behind.  

The Diamondbacks (.549) followed a surprise World Series runner-up season by finishing over .500 again, but the Suns (.580) took the crown as the best team in Phoenix in 2024.  

10.) New York/New Jersey (.481) 

It might be surprising to see New York/New Jersey down this low with the strong years from the Knicks (.671), Rangers (.585), Yankees (.580) and Mets (.549). Even the Devils (.535) and Islanders (.518) managed to finish over .500. 

But New York was dragged down by its two NFL teams even more than last year. The Jets (.294) and Giants (.235) were the two worst teams in the area in 2023 but somehow managed to be even worse in 2024. The Nets (.358) also fell off dramatically, resulting in New York/New Jersey being the fourth-worst metro area in the rankings. 

James Murphy, your city’s a borderline sucker. 

11. Washington D.C. (.466) 

Ranking 11th out of 13 teams may not seem great, but it’s a step up from 2023, when Washington D.C. was dead last.  

The Wizards (.177) continue to drag Washington D.C.’s ranking down, finishing just 0.1% better than the Patriots. But the rest of Washington D.C. seems to be on the upswing.  

The Nationals (.438) turned in a more respectable season than most prognosticators expected, the Capitals (.601) rebounded, and the Commanders (.647) look completely rejuvenated by Jayden Daniels. Washington D.C. is a sports area on the rise. 

12. Bay Area (.439) 

The 49ers (.375) descent from one of the best teams in the NFL in 2023 to well below average in 2024 doomed the Bay Area this year. Only the Warriors (.580) were able to finish above .500, with the Giants (.494) once again being close.  

The Bay Area loses the Athletics (.426), who have been an anchor in previous years but were actually middle of the pack for Bay Area teams this year. With the Athletics’ improvement, the Sharks (.321) easily took the prize for the worst team in the Bay. 

13. Chicago (.360) 

How bad were things in Chicago this year? The White Sox (.253) set the record for most losses in a season in MLB and weren’t even the worst team in the city. 

That distinction belongs to the Bears (.235) whose once-promising 4-2 start has been followed by 10 straight losses. The Blackhawks (.325) weren’t much better, and the Bulls (.475) continued to be the definition of where you don’t want to be in the NBA (too good to tank, not good enough to matter). The Cubs (.512) were the only team over .500 in Chicago in 2024. 

Four of the five big-four teams in Chicago have fired their head coaches since November 2023, leaving Bulls coach Billy Donovan as the only coach in the city with more than a year with his current team. After finishing 12th in the rankings in 2023, things have gone from bad to worse for Chicago. 

There is still some reason for optimism in 2025, however. The Bears and Blackhawks both feature an incredibly talented recent No.1 overall pick – Caleb Williams and Connor Bedard – who could grow with the right coaching and players around him. And the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker, who could give the team the star-power it’s been lacking.  

Perhaps Chicago is lined up for a better 2025. After two years of nonstop losing, the fan base deserves it.  

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