Photo: Derek Jensen
Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium
The long playoff and Super Bowl droughts that Cincinnati football fans have endured went up in smoke this season. But even during the years of loss after loss, Cincinnati supported the Bengals.
That dedication is coming through in a new study that puts Cincinnati near the top of the best football cities in the United States.
Personal finance website WalletHub released a study this week about where football's biggest fans would feel more at home. Cincinnati comes in at No. 9 overall and is No. 8 among large cities.
To determine its rankings, WalletHub reviewed data for 245 cities that have at least one professional football team or at least one college football team. The website evaluated and ranked cities by size and based on metrics such as team performance, ticket price, fan engagement and stadium capacity.
At No. 9, Cincinnati earned an overall score of 44.9 and is No. 16 for pro football and No. 12 for college football. The top overall city, Pittsburgh, had a score of 62.58.
Boosting Cincinnati's rating, the Queen City had the No. 2 lowest ticket prices for NFL games and the No. 5 most accessible NFL stadium with Paul Brown Stadium. On the downside, WalletHub put Cincinnati as the No. 26 worst-performing NFL team.
Cincinnati fared better than other regional cities. Cleveland came in at No. 26, Columbus at No. 104, Kent at No. 106 and Athens at No. 144. The only Kentucky city to crack the top 50 was Richmond, at No. 49.
The Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, Feb. 13. The Rams won the Jan. 30 NFC Championship game to advance with the Bengals, who overcame the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime just hours earlier to become the AFC champs. This will be just the third time the Bengals have gone to the Super Bowl and the team's first since 1989; the Rams have been to the big game four times and won once.
WalletHub says that Inglewood, where Super Bowl LVI will take place, will see a $38 million positive economic impact due to the game, with tourists spending an average off $250 per day. The website also claims that the average daily hotel rate for Super Bowl weekend this year is $340 and the average price of a Super Bowl ticket on the current resale market is $9,843 (a 21% increase from last year).
See WalletHub's full list of the best and worst football cities.
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