Study Reveals Miami Is One of the Best Towns for Football Fans in 2021

It may not seem like it right now, but according to a new study, there are few better cities to live in if you're a football fan.

By Ryan Yousefi

February 15, 2021

Apparently, some perspective is needed. Photo by Christina Mendenhall

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Miami Dolphins and Hurricanes fans are once again feeling empty as football heads into hibernation until August. It may not seem like it right now, but according to a new study, there are few better cities to live in if you're a football fan.

Now that Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers have put a bow on the NFL season, it's as good a time as any to decompress, take a look in the rearview mirror, and appreciate — at the very least — that there was a 2020 NFL season at all. COVID could have easily led to a long hiatus for America's favorite sport, but through it all, the season progressed.

And according to a new study by the personal-finance website WalletHub, Miami is at the top of the list of football towns. While a 10-6 season for the Dolphins and an 8-3 season for the Hurricanes wasn't exactly the worst Miami has ever seen, it left fans thirsty for more. Apparently, some perspective is needed.

WalletHub compared more than 240 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team across 21 key metrics, ultimately ranking Miami as the sixth-best place to be. Only Pittsburgh, Dallas, Boston, Green Bay, and New York ranked higher.

Tampa Bay — home of the Super Bowl champs — came in 24th. We're sure they're very broken up about this as they nurse those boat parade celebration hangovers and plan for another season of Tom Brady as their quarterback.

Source: WalletHub

Miami's high ranking was in large part a product of the city's balanced attack. WalletHub ranked Miami the eighth-best NFL city and the 11th-best college football town. By comparison, second-place Dallas was ranked as the third-best NFL city, but the 237th-best college football town.

Metrics taken into account included the success of the teams, prices of the tickets, accessibility of the stadiums, and engagement of the fans. Historical measures, such as how many coaches a team has had recently, and financial measures, such as each team's value, were also taken into account.

So while Miami sports fans turn their collective attention to the Miami Heat and Miami Marlins, it's good to know that our standards for football are so high that our complete disappointment with the last season pales in comparison to almost everywhere else in America. It's also a good indication of the health of the sport in general in the region, something that isn't ever questioned.

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Ryan Yousefi, a sports journalist and MBA holder in business healthcare management, has been a dedicated weekly contributor to the Miami New Times since 2013. Beyond his sports journalism career, he's held leadership roles in web3 gaming companies. He enjoys southeast Asia travel, pho, and whiskey, but most of all, being Lincoln's dad.

Contact: Ryan Yousefi

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