Magazine ranks Detroit as best sports city

CHESTERFIELD, Mo., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Sporting News has rated Detroit as the top U.S. sports city for 2007 based on the overall performance of its professional teams and its fan enthusiasm.

Three of the teams, the Red Wings in hockey, Tigers in baseball and Pistons in basketball, finished their most recent season in fourth place or higher, albeit with no titles, the magazine said. Even with the hapless Lions ending the 2006 National Football League season with a woeful 3-13 record, the overall performance of the four teams was .588.

"They reflect the show-up-for-work-every-day-and-punch-the-clock roots of your city," writer Bob Hille said.

Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti were included in the honor.

Last year's No. 1 U.S. sports town was Chicago with Boston getting the nod in the Red Sox glory year of 2004 and in 2005.

The rest of the 2007 top 10 include New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago and Evanston, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver and Boulder, Phoenix and Tempe, Philadelphia and Minneapolis-St. Paul.