Philadelphia ranked a Top-5 college basketball city in questionable new study
A new study from Betway ranked Philadelphia among the Top-5 best college basketball towns in America. This is surprising because in recent seasons and the somewhat dubious status of Villanova as a “Philly school,” many in Philly wouldn’t exactly call this city a center for basketball excellence at the collegiate level.
Here’s Betway ranked “The 40 best college basketball towns in America”:
Comparing all US cities that have either two college basketball teams or at least one championship title, we’ve ranked each to reveal the best cities for college basketball fans to experience live NCAAB action, considering their teams’ historic success, stadium capacities and average attendances, and Google search volume.
I understand Philadelphia is steeped in basketball history, and names of college basketball greats still echo through sports radio and conversations with my dad. I’m aware of the weight of these accomplishments, but they really don’t pertain to how I view the state of college basketball in this city.
Even the author of the study didn’t give Philadelphia a glowing review in terms of basketball success. They really zeroed in on us having the highest combined fan capacity, which just shouldn’t be involved at all.
“Rounding out the top five NCAA basketball locations, we have Philadelphia, with an index score of 2.933. Despite being home to six colleges, the city can only boast a combined four NCAAB championship titles, with three of those coming through the Villanova Wildcats. However, Philadelphia stadiums do have the highest combined fan capacity of any US city (49,354).”
So, basically, we have a lot of teams with their own stadium, but none of them are very good. Jesus Christ, that is bleak.
Honestly, no matter how you view Villanova, you have to admit they’ve been carrying the load of the city’s college hoops reputation for an extended period of time. That’s a serious weight to bear.
And that’s while being viewed the same from a geographic standpoint as Gonzaga or Creighton by a majority of fans at the national level. That is, to say, “they’re damn good, where the hell is that school anyway?”
Of course, with national perception changing after championship success, that is less so the case. But I’ve gotten away from the heart of the issue, which is the current state of college basketball in this fine city.
Philly really can have an incredible college basketball scene. It’s been done before, and Philadelphians don’t leave our hometown at the same rate as others. With the right moves, schools can reinvigorate local fans and alumni with better programs, which will lead to meaningful crosstown rivalry games.
On the latter front, I do hope the new Big 5 format will be a step in the right direction. I’ll see next week when it’s all announced.
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Mandatory Credit: The Temple News
