Ranking the 30 best sports cities in America for 2016

28. Austin, Texas

While the instinct is to look for cities dominated by professional sports teams, a select few of America’s college towns are some of the best sports cities anywhere. With its fierce loyalty to the beloved University of Texas Longhorns, Austin is just that city.

As one of the largest universities in the United States, UT is all about atmosphere, and nowhere is that vibe better embodied than on the bustling streets of Austin, where the night life has led many a college athlete astray — visitors included. Despite it being larger than many metropolitan cities in the U.S., Austin has never had a professional sports team, making their Longhorn loyalty all the more fervent.

Along with hosting the X-Games each year, Austin also boasts a Formula 1 track. So whether it’s college sports (football, basketball, and baseball included) or more niche offerings, Texas’s capital city has the kind of passion and engagement to rival many pro-sports towns.

At the amateur level, nothing captures what sports are all about better than game days and game nights in college towns, and Austin is one of the absolute best there is.

Next: 27. Baltimore