Chicago came in 27th among the 245 cities examined in a new study by the WalletHub website showing which cities are most friendly to fans of either professional football or college football games.
The city that is home to the Chicago Bears earned a total score of 30.98 out of 100 in the analysis, which ranked the cities based on 21 measures favorable to football fans. Chicago came in 26th in the pro football division and 236th for college football.
Among the categories examined in the WalletHub analysis were the number of NFL and college teams in each city, stadium capacity, fan engagement, ticket prices and team performances.
The cities finishing first and second in the study were Pittsburgh and Dallas, with the former earning the top score of 62.58.
Nationwide, football remains the favorite sport among Americans, with a popularity exceeding basketball, soccer and baseball combined, the researchers said. In total, 62% of Americans say they’re either fans or quasi-fans of the sport, the study said.
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The Top-50 U.S. Cities for Football Fans
| Rank | City | Overall Score | Pro Football | College Football |
| 1 | Pittsburgh, PA | 62.58 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Dallas, TX | 56.06 | 2 | 236 |
| 3 | Green Bay, WI | 55.57 | 3 | 236 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | 53.57 | 4 | 189 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | 48.77 | 5 | 47 |
| 6 | New York, NY | 48.76 | 6 | 32 |
| 7 | Miami, FL | 45.89 | 11 | 28 |
| 8 | New Orleans, LA | 45.43 | 7 | 171 |
| 9 | Cincinnati, OH | 44.9 | 16 | 12 |
| 10 | Indianapolis, IN | 43.18 | 13 | 143 |
| 11 | Kansas City, MO | 43.17 | 8 | 236 |
| 12 | San Francisco, CA | 43.11 | 9 | 236 |
| 13 | Glendale, AZ | 42.87 | 10 | 236 |
| 14 | Buffalo, NY | 42.22 | 14 | 178 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | 41.81 | 12 | 236 |
| 16 | Baltimore, MD | 39.98 | 15 | 222 |
| 17 | Seattle, WA | 39.98 | 18 | 184 |
| 18 | Minneapolis, MN | 39.65 | 17 | 213 |
| 19 | Philadelphia, PA | 39.29 | 24 | 10 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | 37.38 | 21 | 100 |
| 21 | Tampa, FL | 36.66 | 19 | 225 |
| 22 | Washington, DC | 36.62 | 23 | 119 |
| 23 | Las Vegas, NV | 36.16 | 20 | 226 |
| 24 | Nashville, TN | 35.97 | 22 | 170 |
| 25 | Charlotte, NC | 32.47 | 27 | 183 |
| 26 | Cleveland, OH | 32.06 | 25 | 236 |
| 27 | Chicago, IL | 30.98 | 26 | 236 |
| 28 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 30.58 | 31 | 1 |
| 29 | Houston, TX | 30.17 | 30 | 25 |
| 30 | Detroit, MI | 29.27 | 28 | 236 |
| 31 | Clemson, SC | 28.53 | 31 | 2 |
| 32 | Jacksonville, FL | 27.47 | 29 | 236 |
| 33 | Fayette, MS | 25.72 | 31 | 3 |
| 34 | Fargo, ND | 23.76 | 31 | 4 |
| 35 | State College, PA | 22.1 | 31 | 5 |
| 36 | Tallahassee, FL | 21.95 | 31 | 6 |
| 37 | West Point, NY | 21.13 | 31 | 8 |
| 38 | Norman, OK | 21.08 | 31 | 9 |
| 39 | Boone, NC | 20.99 | 31 | 11 |
| 40 | Athens, GA | 20.6 | 31 | 13 |
| 41 | Baton Rouge, LA | 20.52 | 31 | 14 |
| 42 | Hanover, NH | 20.46 | 31 | 15 |
| 43 | Princeton, NJ | 20.22 | 31 | 16 |
| 44 | Stanford, CA | 20.08 | 31 | 17 |
| 45 | Provo, UT | 19.76 | 31 | 18 |
| 46 | Hamilton, NY | 19.49 | 31 | 19 |
| 47 | Stillwater, OK | 19.44 | 31 | 20 |
| 48 | San Diego, CA | 19.39 | 31 | 21 |
| 49 | Richmond, KY | 19.1 | 31 | 22 |
| 50 | Williamsburg, VA | 18.99 | 31 | 23 |
Source: WalleltHub.com
