Business of Sports April 23, 2009, 2:16PM EST

NBA Playoffs Are Paying Off

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10. Best Professional Sports Cities to Be a Fan

Forbes recently released its list of the most miserable professional sports cities in America, and as interesting as the list was, it was quite the downer. Here is my list of the five best professional sports cities in which to be a fan. The criteria for this list include recent performance, championships since 1990 (sorry Yankees fans, you don't deserve credit for World Series teams led by Babe Ruth or Yogi Berra), and off-the-field factors that make fans smile.

5. Miami. Miami may not have the best fans, but it sure is a good place to be one. Since 1990, the city has two new franchises (Marlins and Panthers), built three facilities (including the recently approved Marlins stadium), and won two World Series and an NBA Championship.

4. Detroit. If you don't judge the city by the auto industry or the Lions, Detroit is a great place to be a fan. The Red Wings are the New York Yankees of the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups in the last 11 years, and the Pistons have had separate title runs in the last two decades. Comerica Park played host to the 2005 MLB All-Star Game, while Ford Field, one of the NFL's gems, was home to this year's Final Four.

3. Chicago. Michael Jordan is singlehandedly responsible for six of the city's seven crowns (eight if you count the Chicago Fire's 1998 MLS Cup). The White Sox' 2005 World Series title was its first in 88 years, and although the Bears lost Super Bowl XLI, the recent acquisition of Jay Cutler gives fans a reason to hope. The Blackhawks are on the upswing, and the longer the Cubs lose, the more people love them.

2. Boston. Since 2000 no city has held more championship parades than Boston. The Patriots are three-time Super Bowl champs, the Celtics have returned with their 2008 NBA title, and the Red Sox snapped the pesky "Curse of the Bambino" that haunted the franchise from 1914 until 2004. The Bruins haven't won a Cup since 1972, but could this be their year?

1. New York. Titles aside (its seven since 1990 ties the city with Chicago for the most), New York has all of the intangibles you would want from a sports town. New Meadowlands included, New York is home to three of the four most expensive stadiums in the country. The Big Apple has it all, from the NBA and NFL drafts to All-Star games. One thing in particular that gives New York the edge in this poll is options. Yankees-Mets? Giants-Jets? Rangers-Isles? You decide.

Rick Horrow is a leading expert in the business of sports. As CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures, he has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and other urban infrastructure projects. He is also the sports business analyst for CNN, Fox Sports, and the Fox Business Channel.