25. South Bend, Indiana
Is there a city in the world that holds college football in a more sacred light than South Bend, Indiana? Home to the Notre Dame University Fighting Irish, South Bend boasts perhaps the most devout following of any professional or collegiate team anywhere in the world.
Everyone knows the stories of the legends who’ve worn the Notre Dame uniform, and the endless lineage of spectacular talent that’s passed through the program. The stadium is home to some of the greatest moments in college football lore. Even if you’re not a fan of college football, Rudy — with its saccharin-sweet story line and true Hollywood ending — probably pulled at your heartstrings.
Let’s be real: Any team whose TV rights are owned exclusively by a major broadcast network (In this case, NBA) has the kind of national pull you just can’t replicate.
Irish fans travel all over the world to see their team play. Even when the team is down — a somewhat common occurrence over the past couple decades — the fans always show up to cheer, and cheer hard, for Old Notre Dame.
They also had a fantastic year in men’s college basketball and ended up making a deep run in the tournament for the second year in a row. This is a city that breeds winners in collegiate athletics, and its Notre Dame’s rapturous following that makes South Bend a shoe-in on our list.
Next: 24. Houston