The Sports Info Business

This is one of those stories that I never thought I’d be writing about today.  At least I didn’t think I would be putting into words for another 40 or 50 years.

It started with an email from a graduate of the Long Beach State Sport Management program who I stay in touch with via emails and phone calls.  It was short, to the point and very said.  Here is what it said:

Hello Charles —

I’m not sure you remember Alan Flores from my learning team.  He was the guy who worked with Scott Boras.  Sadly, I write to inform you he unexpectedly passed away. His wife found him passed out Tuesday, and rushed him to emergency where he died from a brain aneurysm. At the young age of 30…he will be missed.

I thought I would share –

I not only remember him but I just saw him about a month ago.  We normally spoke by email and it had been a while since we chatted so he suggested we get together in Newport Beach for lunch.  He wanted to share what was going on in his life and also wanted to pick my brain.  I was more than happy to do so.  It was great to see him and stay connected with an alum of the program.

Since the lunch we spoke by email a few times, but while on vacation I learned that he had passed away.

Alan attended Pamona college and was a Math/Econ major.  For Alan, getting a master’s degree was “part of the big picture,” he wrote in his one page bio for a class I taught him.  ”It was something good to have in my back pocket.  It allowed me to keep my current job.”

I ran into Scott Boras at this year’s Major League Baseball All Star game and Scott had nothing but good things to say about Alan.

For those of you that never met Alan, he was a smart, kind man.  For those in his learning team, you may remember that he once shared that he worked closely with a boxer named Javier Castillejo, during a title fight that Oscar De Le Hoya won.  Alan was in charge of Javier’s camp during the fight week.

Friends from his learning team would know this because I asked each student to share something special about themselves.  I also told that learning team as I tell all learning teams that they would have to rely on each other as they made their way in the sport management world.  No question he will be missed forever by his family and friends.  Now, there is a big hole in a learning team that can’t be filled.  We will miss you Alan.

This is one of my shots of Lyon, France. It was the firs time I ever shot at night.

Sometimes, you just need a break.  It happens to all of  us.  I experienced this recently when I packed my bags and headed off to France for a vacation.  I was not running away from anything in particular.  I love to write this blog and I sincerely hope that what is published here helps people who either want to make sports management a career and/or assists veterans by providing important links to industry resources and information.

However, every so often we all need to clear our heads and this is just what I did.  Instead of taking my computer with me to write, I put down the computer (for the most part) and picked up my Cannon camera.  What a pleasure it was to be able to concentrate on taking great photographs and do something different.  I have always enjoyed traveling the world.  When I was single, I covered most of the United States, part of Canada, Mexico, Caribbean (Club Med), Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Taiwan and Japan.  Might be missing a few places but you get the idea.

When you work in sports, vacation is limited to the off-season.  It is rather limited and you always take time off in the same season (football is spring, baseball is winter and so on…)

I know I missed a few things while I was away.  A-Rod blasted his 600th home run, Lou Pinella announced he is retiring at the end of the season, a plethora of deadline-based baseball trades, the start of the football pre-season… only to name a few.

Boats lined up in a canal in Annecy, France

In France, there was no English TV  available for me to watch, I was not attached to a computer hours on end and I did not buy a newspaper every day.  So what did I do?  I strolled the city of Lyon, France, best known for its food.  One day I hopped on a train and headed out for a two hour day trip to Geneva, Switzerland.  Another afternoon, I arrived at the train station and made my way to a small French village called Perouges, where 75 people call home.  Though hundreds come every day to see this old city, take photographs, buy a few trinkets and eat their famous Galettes (I got there late and they stopped serving by 1:00 p.m.)  Finally, I spent one other afternoon in a resort town of Annecy, France.

I took more than a thousand photographs and I used a computer to post some of the best on Flickr for others to see.  I wanted to improve a different skill, that of my photographic eye.  Here is what I discovered.  I really enjoy being outside, taking photographs and I think there is some potential here.

Back home in California, I now feel refreshed and ready to roll.  Lots happening and lots to write about.  Baseball pennant races are heating up, the NFL season is around the corner, the 2010 US Open tennis championships begin two weeks from today and on and on it goes.

From Annecy, France

Enjoy the photographs posted above and below on this blog or you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/sportsinfo101/ and enjoy some of the other shots from my journey.  You can click on the individual shots or go the link I just mentioned.

The best of the Major League Baseball world invade Anaheim starting today and it is also a bit of a homecoming for me.  Yesterday, I briefly toured the Anaheim facility and today begin a three day stint lending a hand to the Angels by assisting with the All Star game.  I will be helping the broadcasters during Taco Bell All-Star Sunday, Gatorade All Star Workout Day and the 81st All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Why a homecoming?  I started my professional baseball career as an intern for the Angels while an undergrad at UC Irvine.  My boss then is the same man who still stands as the Angels VP of Communications today, Tim Mead.  It has been 16 years since I left my leadership position with the Dodgers and the first time I will be actually working on behalf of the team and Major League Baseball.  It is great to be back, even for a few days on this special occasion.  For the next few days, I will be writing about my experience at all-star game.

There was a Long Beach connection throughout the day.  Before arriving at the stadium, I had listened to the latest graduate student learning team from the Long Beach State Sport Management program present their finals and while walking the field with Tim to see the photo wells and the satellite compound, I wan into Amy, a grad from the program who was also working this weekend.  In this business, you always bump into old friends and make new ones as well.

As for the schedule this weekend, here is what will be taking place and when…..

ALL-STAR FAN FEST

The 2010 All-Star Fan Fest is located at the Anaheim Convention Center.  It is open from now through July 13th from 9 a.m. daily until 8:00 p.m.  It actually closes at 6″00 p.m. the night of the All-Star game.  The cost is $30.00.  I hope to write about it between now and Tuesday.   Here is how it is described by the Anaheim Convention Center Web Site:

Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest is an interactive baseball theme park and the largest baseball fan event in the world. Visiting Anaheim for the first time ever in 2010, Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest features activities and exhibits for families and fans of all ages.

Now in its 20th year, Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest will transform the Anaheim Convention Center into a celebration that captures the thrills and excitement of Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest will feature interactive exhibits and attractions, Major League clinics and seminars, free autograph sessions with Angels legends and Hall of Famers, memorabilia and much more.  All attractions are included in the price of admission.

TACO BELL ALL-STAR SUNDAY

The schedule and times are as follows:  – Remember all times are Pacific Coast.

1:00 p.m. – Gates Open

3:00 p.m. XM All-Star Futures Game (This is being broadcast live on ESPN 2)

6:30 p.m.  Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game

GATORADE ALL-STAR WORKOUT AND HOME RUN DERBY — Monday

2:00 p.m. Gates Open

2:20 – 3:15 p.m. – American League Batting Practice

3:20 – 4:15 p.m. National League Batting Practice

4:20 p.m. State Farm Home Run Derby Batting Practice

5:00 p.m. State Farm Home Run Derby (Live on ESPN)

81st ALL-STAR GAME — Tuesday

2:00 p.m. Gates Open

2:00 – 2:55 p.m. AL Batting Practice

3:20 p.m. – 4:14 p.m. NL Batting Practice

5:00 p.m. Game time (Live on Fox)

During this holiday weekend, I’d like to take a moment and tell you about  a time when I was working for the Dodgers.  I often reflect on this tragic story every fourth of July weekend.  Today , I will write about it.  When I think about the fourth of July, it is not about freedom, firework shows or great meals with family and friends.  I often remember the toughest day I ever had working in sports.

Let me take you back to 1993 and I was traveling with the Los Angeles Dodgers during a road trip which would start in Montreal, move to Philadelphia and eventually finish at Shea Stadium and the Mets.

On this day, the second game of a three-game series, the Expos (now Washington Nationals) were throwing Dennis Martinez while the Dodgers and Tommy Lasorda had countered with Kevin Gross.  It was the first and only time I failed to watch a single pitch of a game.

Normally before the game, I would split time between three areas of the ballpark:  The press box, the Dodger clubhouse and the field.  During this day game, I had already been on the field and in the clubhouse and everything was normal.  Our traveling TV and radio crew included Hall-of-Famers Vin Scully and Don Drysdale as well as Ross Porter on the English side and Jaime Jarrin broadcasting in Spanish.  They were part of a larger Dodgers media team that had seven traveling newspaper reporters in those days.

Everything changed during the pre-game when Dodgers traveling secretary Billy DeLury, the only other other team official traveling with the club, quietly pulled me aside in the back of the press box.

“Drysdale is not at the ballpark,” he whispered.  Our minds raced to places we did not want to think about.  Hospitals?  Jails?  The Police?

Together, we quickly devised a plan.  I would call emergency rooms and other places where he might be while DeLury would head back to the hotel to see if maybe Don overslept and just missed the second team bus to the ball park.

I quickly borrowed an office from the Expos and began making calls.  The office would eventually turn into a mini command center.

The Dodgers and Expos began playing the day game as DeLury and I scampered around trying to find out what happened to Don.

I finished my calls and I still had no answers.  I checked in with DeLury to get an update from the hotel.  He had the staff visit Don’s hotel room.  They found it was locked from the inside.  When they were able to open it, Don Drysdale was dead.  He had died from a heart attack.

At that point, we were in crisis mode.  Dodger owner Peter O’Malley, general manager Fred Claire and a few other executives were now all involved.  Led by Peter, we had one goal.  Find his wife Annie and inform her before the press found out and ran with the story.

Remember, this was 1993, before Twitter and the Internet, so breaking news still depended on TV, newspapers and radio reporters.

Annie, Don’s wife, usually watched our road games an d would probably be looking for him to broadcast part of the game.  However, we could not locate her.

The third inning passed, then the fourth and the fifth.  Our local beat reporters by then had figured out something was amiss and approached me to find out what happened to Don.  I could not tell them as we were not ready to make the announcement.

Then, while in between conversations while sitting in a secluded Expos front office, I received a call from a reporter at ESPN Radio out of Chicago.  He wanted confirmation from me that Don was dead.  I could not and did not do it.  We were not ready to make a statement, I told him.

Annie had not yet been notified.  I asked him not to run with any story, as parts or all of it could be inaccurate.  I did say that I would honor his request and make him the first call when we were ready.

I do not remember his name, but what I did remember was that he didn’t care much for my words.  He went ahead and started reporting the story.

I felt good about one point.  I remember getting a call back from Peter and the sixth or seventh inning  He said  that he had found Annie and told her before she found out from TV or radio reports.  We had worked hard to protect one of our family members as best we could during an incredibly difficult time.

From there, the events turned a bit blurry.  Vin Scully made the announcement over the air that Don had died.

I remember the pre-game show the next morning when Vin and a few others celebrated Don’s life with fans.  It was a sad, sad day.

I do remember not sleeping for 24 hours and that the office sent ahead the next day’s game notes.  This one, sad event, confirmed that sometimes life does not turn out how you plan it. I grew up a lot in 1993.  It was certainly my toughest day ever working in sports.

People often ask me what are the most memorable sports stories of 2009.  While most have taken the obvious road with the enthusiasm of a Tiger, I have chosen a different path with two moviing stories you probably do not know about.  Let’s see.

Enough of words today, here are a couple of inspirational videos we all need to see.

The second, titled The amazing story of Mark Herzlich is also a keeper for 2009.

Sports can certainly serve as an inspiration.  Pass these the link from today’s videos on to people that need a bit of hope.

This post is as far away from a regular post as you can get.

In California, unemployment is at 12.5%, and not much better in the rest of the country.  A former co-worker posted this short video on facebook today and I thank her for sharing it.  I think it is something that everyone needs to see and  remember.  It is short so it won’t take up a lot of your time.  Watch it and continue reading……

People are questioning themselves today.  With so many folks out of work and many more suffering from an economic crisis that does not appear to be ending anytime soon, it is easy to feel a bit lost.  Other are hoping they are not the next person getting tapped on the shoulder for a visit with a Human Resource Specialist.

I share with you brief stories of two friends.  No names, but their stories are telling.  One is from a close friend, who lives in California.  Once upon a time, he attended college, earned an undergraduate degree and then a master’s degree.  From there he only spent the next 19 years working for the same company, generating a decent income while his superiors up-sold his services by about 400 percent.  Dedicated, loyal and consistent he did his job.  Recently, he was tapped on the shoulder and told he was being let go.  The friend, asked for a day or two to get his things in order.  He was given a little over an hour and two months severance.

Story number two has a similar ending at a workplace.  This person worked in professional sports, 10 years with the same team, and recently told me that in all of his years there, he never heard a complaint.  Then, after a successful event he helped organize, my friend was called in and given his walking papers.

It is hard to control your own destiny when you don’t hold all of the marbles.  But this video, which mentions Michael Jordan, The Beatles, Lucile Ball, Ulysses S Grant, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney and Abraham Lincoln.  Love the ending.  Life = Risk.

Watch the video again and forward this post to someone who needs to see it.

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December is here and the holiday rush to buy presents is on.  In a related move, I recently posted a one question poll and asked, would you consider purchasing a comprehensive 2010 event schedule with a focus on sports?  The overwhelming majority, 66% said, yes, there is an interest in this solution.

Since then, I have been hard at work creating something that would fit everyone’s need.  You can visit it here at SportsCalendarPro.com

First, I created a master sports calendar.  It has every major sports event in the United States.  What did I include?  In no particular order, here is a listing of just SOME of the events.  The Super Bowl, The 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2010 World Cup, College Bowl Games, The Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, the men’s and women’s college basketball NCAA tournament and Final Four, sports conferences for sports related events like the IEG Sponsorship Summit and the 2010 World Sports Congress.  There are about 100 sports events in all.

As a sports executive and dedicated sports fan, I want and need to know what is happening and when it is happening.  It would be nice to find everything in one place for the enter year.  I am tired of searching for the Next event.  It is also great for planning events.  Not a sports fan, but you may be involved in major life events like getting married or you are just planning major events like fundraising dinners?  Then this is ideal for you as well.  I cannot remember how many times a major golf event or fundraising dinner collided with a major sports event and either a TV was wheeled in an event or continuous updates were given to keep people informed.

Belowis a snap shot of the calendar for two weeks in April.  If you click on the image you can see it in a full screen view.

If you want additional details of the event itself, you can click on say The NCAA Frozen Four dates and you will see this

At SportsCalendarPro.com, I created the site where you can view it online via a gmail account and from there, you can easily download this or sync it with Outlook and iphone.  I did it and it now runs as event dates on my master calendar.

The second option is to purchase the 2010 Master Calendar.  This includes not only al of the sporting events, but also includes the 2010 Entertainment Calendar, the 2010 Technology Calendar and major U.S. holidays.  For example, want to know when the 2010 Academy Awards take place or the ESPYs?  Maybe you want to visit the Sundance Film Festival, CES in Las Vegas or Macworld?  Then, this option is for you.

Last, which you won’t find on the home page but you will find on the ordering page, is the 2010 Custom Calendar.  It includes all of the above and allows you to add four (total) sports team schedules to the mix. For example, say you live in New York or the Boston area.  You can add the 2010 schedule for the Yankees, Mets, Nicks and Islanders in one place.  Hate NY teams but love Boston sports?  Then you can choose the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics schedules.

You write a sports related blog?  This allows you to preview the event since you know what is coming up.

Okay, it is the first time I have blatently plugged a product in the year I have been writing this sports business blog, but it is my product and I really believe in it.

Please, visit the site, Re-Tweet and Post this onto facebook or Digg for others to see.

Consider purchasing this unique holiday gift for the sports fan or event planner in your life.

I have taken a few days off from blogging for several reasons.

First, the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and with that, there is so much to do.

Family friends, cooking and the possibility of planning a day hike or two.

Second, based on the terrific response from the poll last week (see previous post), I have been finalizing a 2010 sports calendar that will fit your needs.

Look for the debut of this next week.  This has taken a lot of time and research.

Third, I admit it.  I needed a short break.  The blog takes a lot to provide what I think is interesting information for this space.  For the millions of people that write about subjects that interest them,it takes a lot of energy, time and creativity.

This weekend has football games galore to take in, both college and pro.

The NFL kicks off football action on Thursday with three games.  The Detroit Lions, who always play on Thanksgiving take on Green Bay.  Other games include the Cowboys vs the Raiders and the New York Giants vs the Denver Broncos.  See below for information on all three games.

On the college side:

Florida State vs. Florida (Tim Tebow’s final game at the Swamp).

Alabama vs. Auburn

USC vs. UCLA

Texas vs. Texas A&M

ESPN has a nice briefing on some of these games this weekend in a segment called College Football Live Extra

I thank you to those that continue to come back to this blog.  You help continue to set record numbers each month and I appreciate the loyalty and interest.  I will continue to search and provide interesting content for you to digest.

I wish all of you a happy and healthy extended weekend.

Charles

Sunday mornings offer me a time when I’m able take you on a personal road trip with a sports related story that has happened during my career.  Today is no different.

Ever since I was a young kid, I have always enjoyed playing racquetball. It started when I was living in Chicago and my parents used to take me to a racquetball club. My father says I have a great memory and if I am not mistaken it was called the Courthouse and was located in Northbrook.  During one visit as a young boy, I was able to meet a couple of heroes of mine in Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger and Ron Santo. If you are an older Cubs fan who know who these guys are. I remember watching them in awe and they seemed larger than life.

I have played on and off throughout college and well into my adult life.  Never consistent but have always had fun.

Until they build a good Pickleball court near my home I will continue to play racquetball.  One of my favorite stories happened on a fog filled morning during the off-season after the 2004 Major League Baseball campaign.   I was invited to play cut-throat with Angels closer Troy Percival.  My days of looking at players as if they were an idol were lost a long time ago, yet  I had immense respect for the Angels legend as an athlete.  I immediately began to wonder as I took the court if I even had a chance against the 6′-3″ right-hander from Fontana, CA.

Cut-throat, by the way, is a three man game of racquetball where each player plays against the other two in a rotating fashion.

One of the advantages I have always had playing sports, be it baseball, basketball, tennis or racquetball was that I am left-handed.  Most people are used to playing other right handers and in a racquet sport, it certainly can help.  Well, I was dreaming if anything was going to help in the first game of cut-throat.  I did not win the game.  When it was finished, my friend tossed me the ball and said, you guys go one and one and I will take on the winner.  He disappeared to another court and I was left to see if I could keep up with Percy.

He began serving and immediately scored a point.  I do not recall point for point, but we had a decent battle of a game.  I certainly remember that I could not use a ceiling shot easily to move him to the back of the court since he was so darn tall.  In the end I was able to close out the game and beat the Angels pitching legend.

What made it so interesting is that I am an average athlete yet was able to beat a world class athlete in a different sporting event.  There has been no stopping Troy on the mound, but on this morning, I had enough for a win.

It is not the first time I have played a major leaguer in racquetball.  While working for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1990′s I was often asked to travel with the team on road trips and serve as the company spokesperson.  I was always happy when we would travel to Philadelphia to play the Phillies.  The hotel that we stayed at always had a half a dozen racquetball courts built into the facility.

The problem was, I was not able to ask a player to play racquetball and risk injury.  Those types of bonehead moves could have cost me my job.  I did find a player however and it came in Dodgers coach Ron Roenicke. Currently the bench coach on Mike Scioscia‘s current Angels team, Rags was always up for playing when his back cooperated.  He did be me some, but I think I got the better end of our times on the court.  I do not think there is a nicer man in baseball.  Ron Roenicke deserves his shot at being a manager.

As for racquetball, I still remember the day I beat Troy Percival.

If you not know the rules of racquetball, I have included a short video I found on the web.  it is not more than a minute.

I love lists and rankings.  When someone decides to rank something, I am always curious as to why and where and how.  The editors at The Sporting News, the once outstanding sports magazine during the pre-Internet era, might be asleep at the wheel.  The site recently ranked the top #399 sports cities and Pittsburgh, with a Super Bowl Championship team in the Steelers and a Stanley Cup winner in the Penguins, came out on top.

Now, the site says that it looked at the 12 months from roughly October 2008 to October 2009, and based its decision on point values assigned to various categories, “including but not limited to won-lost records, postseason appearances, applicable power ratings, number of teams and attendance.”

Fair enough. Why did I say the editors were sleeping?  Let’s take a closer look.  As a resident of Southern California, I know the cities and towns better than the rest of the country so it is easy for me offer judgement, than say Zebulon, North Carolina, which finished in the 333rd spot, just ahead of Altoona, PA at #334.  For the first any maybe the last time in my life, I Googled Zubulon, North Carolina to see why they finished 334.  The web site says, it is the town of friendly people.  Must have gotten points for that tag line.  The neighborhood which, in 1970 had 1,839 resients had blossomed to 4,606 by 2005.

I really had to research and finally found out why they were ranked at all.  They are home to the Carolina Mudcats a minor league baseball team.  I sincerely mean no disrespect to owner Steve Bryant nor the parent team, the Cincinnati Reds.

I just have a hard time swallowing the fact that in Orange County, CA, where I call home, did not have any representation.  Take for example Cal State Fullerton or UC Irvine.  So the Titans did not win another College World Series but that made it to the big dance last year.  That alone should have them ranked.  As for UCI, which I am biased as an alum, but maybe the committee left out the school since the Anteater is the mascot.  Other than that, men’s volleyball won a national title, baseball was nationally ranked as was soccer, golf yada yada yada.  No ranking at all?

Neighboring city Long Beach was also left off the map.  Okay, the city may be just a tad lower than say number 87. Piscataway, N.J., but come on, the city has Long Beach State, the Long Beach Grand Prix, and the Long Beach Armada

Maybe it was bribery.  That is the excuse I am using for No. #336 Napa, CA which is best known for its outstanding wine, countryside and weekend getaways.  The next time I visit there, I must pick up a sports event schedule for down time between wine tastings.

In any case, here is their top 100 cities according to the web site.  If you want to see all 399, click here.

1. Pittsburgh
2. Philadelphia
3. Boston
4. Chicago + Evanston
5. Los Angeles
6. New York
7. Phoenix + Tempe
8. Miami
9. Dallas-Fort Worth
10. Detroit + Ann Arbor + Ypsilanti
11. Houston
12. Nashville
13. Atlanta
14. Washington
15. Tampa-St. Petersburg
16. Minneapolis-St. Paul
17. Raleigh + Durham + Chapel Hill, N.C.
18. Denver + Boulder
19. Salt Lake City + Provo
20. Indianapolis
21. Anaheim
22. Cleveland
23. Charlotte
24. San Jose + Palo Alto + Santa Clara
25. New Orleans
26. Milwaukee
27. Orlando
28. Baltimore
29. Cincinnati
30. St. Louis
31. San Diego
32. Portland
33. Oakland + Berkeley
34. Columbus
35. San Antonio
36. Toronto
37. Oklahoma City + Norman
38. Austin, Texas
39. Vancouver
40. Buffalo
41. Gainesville, Fla.
42. Calgary
43. Storrs, Conn.
44. East Lansing, Mich.
45. Montreal
46. San Francisco
47. Memphis
48. State College, Pa.
49. Kansas City
50. Jacksonville
51. Green Bay
52. Seattle
53. Edmonton
54. Ottawa
55. Sacramento
56. Columbia, Mo.
57. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
58. Blacksburg, Va.
59. Tucson, Ariz.
60. Stillwater, Okla.
61. Lawrence, Kan.
62. Morgantown, W.Va.
63. Lubbock, Texas
64. College Park, Md.
65. Oxford, Miss.
66. Clemson, S.C.
67. Louisville, Ky.
68. Eugene, Ore.
69. Boise, Idaho
70. Iowa City, Iowa
71. Corvallis, Ore.
72. Lincoln, Neb.
73. West Lafayette, Ind.
74. Tallahassee, Fla.
75. Madison, Wis.
76. South Bend, Ind.
77. Athens, Ga.
78. Lexington, Ky.
79. Baton Rouge, La.
80. Knoxville, Tenn.
81. Columbia, S.C.
82. Tulsa, Okla.
83. Winston-Salem, N.C.
84. Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
85. Waco, Texas
86. College Station, Texas
87. Piscataway, N.J.
88. Auburn, Ala.
89. Charlottesville, Va.
90. Syracuse, N.Y.
91. Manhattan, Kan.
92. Albuquerque, N.M.
93. Reno, Nev.
94. Fayetteville, Ark.
95. Starkville, Miss.
96. Las Vegas
97. Hattiesburg, Miss.
98. El Paso, Texas
99. Annapolis, Md.
100. Greenville, N.C.

Just in case you had to know, here are the previous winners of the Sporting News “Best Sports Cities”

2008: Boston
2007: Detroit
2006: Chicago
2005: Boston
2004: Boston
2003: Anaheim + Los Angeles
2002: Boston
2001: New York
2000: St. Louis
1999: New York
1998: Detroit
1997: Denver
1995: Denver
1994: Cleveland
1993: Chicago

If you noticed that no one won in 1996, it is because the site said “the Sporting News expanded and refined the rating system” that year.