From the accompanying press release:
Dallas/Fort Worth, with the NBA champion Mavericks, AL champion Rangers,
undefeated Rose Bowl champion Horned Frogs and the home of Super Bowl XLV, is No. 1 in
Sporting News’ 18th annual Best Sports Cities rankings, presented by Gillette. A first-time winner,
Dallas/Fort Worth dethroned 2010’s No. 1, Chicago, a three-time winner and No. 4 in 2011’s
rankings.
"The Metroplex is a sports fan’s dream — great pro sports, college powerhouses and some of the
best high school sports programs in the country — and we deliver it all with typical Texas
hospitality," said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. "When it comes to big-time sports, we’ve got
plenty to cheer about and plenty to cheer for. With all due respect to Green Bay, I can safely say
that the 'Titletown, USA' claim pretty much belongs to Fort Worth, Dallas and the North Texas
region."
Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban said about bringing the NBA championship home to Dallas:
"Of course the topper was winning the trophy this season. It was right out of Hollywood casting. A
band of old rejects comes together to beat the self-proclaimed Dream Team of the NBA. Along
the way we sweep the Lakers and beat the Thunder. No one saw it coming, which made it all the
sweeter for Mavs and NBA fans everywhere."
"From the time I got here to where it’s at now is night and day," said Texas Rangers DH Michael
Young, who made his debut with the Rangers in late 2000 and hasn’t played elsewhere. "Our
fans are really passionate about our teams. It was just a matter of our fans hopping on board with
our baseball team. We had to make sure we gave them a reason to do it."