Boston--Best Sports City?
Dateline: 06/26/98
When the July 6 issue of The Sporting News hits newsstands July 1, America's "Best Sports City" will be revealed... will it be Boston?
Well, so far we know that Boston has made the top 25 in the magazine's annual rankings of 245 cities that boast at least one professional or NCAA Division I team. In last year's rankings, Boston finished 13th. The rationale? According to The Sporting News, "One AFC championship (and Super Bowl loss) can't make up for basketball and hockey teams of historic awfulness."
Boston may not have a chance at unseating last year's number one, Denver, from the top spot, but for the next few days loyal New England sports fans can cast their votes for Boston and perhaps even win a trip to Boston and two tickets to the game of their choice.
In a June 22 press release, The Sporting News revealed the top 25 cities in unranked order and announced a contest at their web site for sports fans to predict the outcome of this year's rankings. Winners of the trip and tickets will be selected at random from all entrants who correctly predict this year's top-ranked Sports City.
How have the cities been evaluated? According to the release, "The judging criteria range from success of the team(s) to fan attendance. Every aspect of the cities' stadiums/arenas is judged, including ticket cost and availability, concessions, and ambiance."
And why shouldn't Boston come out on top? After all, no other city has The Green Monster--historic Fenway Stadium--which was among the pluses cited in last year's rankings. Fenway has been a Boston sports landmark since 1912! Did you know that guided tours of The Green Monster are available all summer long? The tours are conducted at 10 a.m., 11a.m., noon, and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday through September. There is also a 2 p.m. tour when there is no home game, and there are no tours when there is an afternoon game or on holidays. The cost for the tour is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for kids under 15. For reservations and information call (617) 236-6666.
And remember to hurry over to The Sporting News' Best Sports Cities Contest. Good luck!
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