Bay Area Challenging Boston as the Best Sports City
Posted on January 25, 2013 by nickkoop
Boston has been a hub for professional sports success for over decade and created the standard for the rest of the country to follow. Over the past 10 years, all four of its major pro teams–Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins–have brought home championships, and few have had down years.
But a new city–a better word is region–is challenging Boston for the title of top sports town and it lies over 3,000 miles west. That’s right, the Bay Area.
Consider the recent success in the Bay:
–San Francisco Giants win two World Series in 2010 and 2012, led by catcher Buster Posey, who in just three career seasons has an impressive list of accolades: NL Rookie of the Year, NL Comeback Player of the Year, and NL MVP to go along with the two World Series.
–San Francisco 49ers go to back-to-back NFC Championship games and will play in the Super Bowl next week. In just two seasons, Jim Harbaugh has turned the 49ers into one of the best teams in the league.
–Oakland A’s, a team that was widely projected to finish last in the AL West, surprise everyone by winning the division before falling to the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs.
–Golden State Warriors currently sit at fifth place in the Western Conference after battling the Sacramento Kings for last place in the Pacific Division for several years.
–San Jose Sharks, while still searching for the Stanley Cup, have remained one of the top teams in the Western Conference for several years, making the playoffs for eight straight seasons.
I left out the Oakland Raiders for obvious reasons. After losing in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Raiders haven’t finished over .500 once.
Granted, having two baseball and football increases a region’s chance for success, but the Bay Area has been starved for talent for a while. Between 2004 and 2009, the Sharks were the franchise consistently putting out competitive teams with the A’s and Warriors making occasional appearances in the postseason.
Not only are the vast majority of the teams enjoying success and respect, they also have some of the best young talent in all of sports.
Posey is 25 years-old and already has one of the most impressive resumes of any current player. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has taken the NFL by storm and has a chance to win a Super Bowl in just his 10th career start. Only two quarterbacks won a Super Bowl with fewer career starts. And with Stephen Curry and David Lee, the Warriors have one the best guard-forward combos in the NBA.
Boston has set the standard for consistent relevance and success with its sports teams, but the Bay Area isn’t far behind and should be a hotbed for professional sports for years to come.
