Sports Town USA is officially... Miami.
You heard me, Miami. The city of sun, south beach, the art-deco design, the funky peach/orange, teal colors, Little Havana, the home of the Hurricanes, Heat, Marlins, and Dolphins is officially Sports Town USA.
Yes, I know St. Louis is the home of the world series champs, New York is home of the super bowl champs, and Dallas is home to the NBA champs. St. Louis has nothing else, good luck getting the Rams to win another championship. New York always has the Yankees, but it also has the Mets... Dallas has the Rangers and the Cowboys, the Rangers have a shot at a championship, but the Cowboys? I'm a fan and I know that they don't have a chance anytime soon.
So why Miami? It's the hottest place in sports right now. The Heat will be odds on favorites to win NBA championships the next 3 years, The Dolphins, well, if they get Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne (I think they will), they become super bowl contenders. Manning a QB, Reggie Bush/Daniel Thomas back field, Jake Long and a solid O-line, Cameron Wake and a solid D, Brandon Marshall and Reggie Wayne? That's a more talented team than Peyton EVER had in Indianapolis and he led them to two super bowls, one win. The Miami Marlins just picked up Jose Reyes and Marke Buerhle, have some young prospects in Mike Stanton, they still have Hanley Ramirez. That's a promising team.
The challenger to Miami's reign? New York of course, the Knicks stand a genuine shot of being a legit contender if Amare can turn back into 2006 Amare and Melo and Lin can get along. The Yankees are always among the best teams in baseball and can win a World Series any year. The Giants can sneak up and win one when no one expects it.
The wild card to Miami's reign? Detroit. Yes, Detroit. Home of the Red Wings (NHL's best), the Tigers have potentially the most dangerous line up in baseball (Carbrera, Fielder, Martinez) and have the games most dangerous pitcher (Verlander), the Lions are a nice up and coming team and even in college you have Michigan football on the rise and both UM and MSU basketball teams are highly rated. The problem? It's a Detroit, nobody cares.
Current SportsTown USA rankings:
1. Miami
2. New York
3. Boston
Future SportsTown USA rankings
1. Miami
2. New York
3. Detroit
Of course, if Peyton Manning signs with the Jets, New York automatically shoots to the top of the list. Even if the Dolphins don't land Manning, if they can get a good QB (Matt Flynn in free agency or Ryan Tannehill in the draft) their futures ranking will stay high. The key is the Heat, if they win a title this season or next, it will trump all because of all the fanfare that comes with LeBron. Despite the Giants just winning the super bowl, the Yankees have not won a championship in 3 years (a long time for them), the Mets stink, and the Jets are in turmoil, and thus Miami without a championship in forever still ranks above them.
Am I giving the Heat too much credit? probably, but it's my blog and I can do what I want to.
Tell me how you feel!
As much as I lean towards Miami being the future Sports Town with the potential of adding Peyton to the Dolphins and the promise of the new look Marlins, I still think NYC holds the crown. Sports Town USA aka NYC has a championship contender in every sport in 3 of the 4 major sports including hockey, which you failed to mention. Although championships have eluded the Yankees the last few years, they continue to be in the hunt and have a legit chance of winning EVERY year. The Rangers are also a contender this year. As for the Jets...every ying has its yang. Lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd as much as it pains me to say it you have to consider Boston. The Bruins, Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics are nothing to ignore. They have a strong and sometimes fanatical fan base. And as for championships, they are contenders most year as well.
My two cents of course...do with it as you feel.
Reasons I didn't select NY: The Jets, Mets, Islanders. It's tough with New York because there are SO many teams, we tend to only think about the ones we want. Also, with teams such as the yankees, the bar is set so high, being a contender means nothing.
ReplyDeleteMiami, has never been mistaken as a sports town but the splashes their teams have made (Miami with the Big 3, Marlins with Reyes, Buerhle and the run at Pujols, Dolphins pursuit of Manning). The energy around Miami is undeniable.
I don't want to take anything away from the Giants, but coming into the season they weren't even New York's "best" team, many considered the Jets. The Jets underperformed and Giants overperformed. NY fans are just fortunate enough to be able to pick which team they want to root for. Jets or Giants, Knicks or Nets, Yankees or Mets, Rangers or Islanders. Half, if not more of them stink. The Rangers and Yankees are only legit teams (Knicks can be legit, but aren't yet).
And i'm telling you, todays Miami/Chicago trade set the table for Manning/Wayne in Miami.
Expectations in New York are so high, not winning a championship is more demoralizing than promising. A City like Miami is being morphed into a big time, legit, sports city. Maybe, i'm not being objective, but I tell you what, Miami almost gets as much sports coverage as NY does, and that is telling.
And as the trades and free agents signings unfold so does Miami's hopes of becoming Sportstown USA. Wayne stays put in Indy, hoping Luck is the next Manning. Arizona moves up in thrankings as an alternate destination for Manning. I just find it funny we handicap perennial winners and give super extra credit to the underdogs who have the potential, not actual, possibility of winning. Last I checked the Dolphins still play in the same division as the Tom Brady Patriots who have for the most part handled Manning's teams.
ReplyDeleteAnd its funny you mention the three NY teams that "stink". The Jets are still better than the Dolphins (made the playoffs in the last few years) and the buzz around them is frenetic, although sometimes dysfunctional. The Mets and Islanders are well...nevermind.
Did I forget NY is also getting another franchise...Brooklyn Nets. More buzz and more reason NYC wears the crown and may for years to come.