There are only eleven cities that boast a team from all four of the major sports leagues in America. These cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, “Minnesota”, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, and DC (Phoenix was included, until the Arizona Coyotes moved in 2024). Only one of those cities has the nickname, “Titletown”: Boston, MA. Spread across the four major sports in North America (known for the rest of the article as the “Big Four”, Boston claims thirty-nine championships.
What’s most significant is that these championships didn’t come over the span of one decade. Their rings span well over an entire century, with the earliest championship coming from the Red Sox in 1903. The most recent championship came from the Boston Celtics, just this past year (2024). Since 2001, there’s been one year a team wasn’t competing for a championship in Boston. What turns a city into one of the greatest sports cities in the US, if not the world?
Tradition and History
Some specific teams have tradition written into their handbooks. The New York Yankees have a rule that no player can have a beard. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, players take the “Lambeau Leap” into the stands after scoring a touchdown. While these “one-team” traditions are important in preserving their history in sports books, Boston takes it one step further. Boston sports, because they’ve been at the forefront of the establishment of most of the Big Four (excluding the Patriots, who were established in 1960 when the NFL was established in 1920), have a history of success. Winning is not only a privilege, but a traditional right.
Created in the establishment of the American League, the Red Sox won a championship two years after their creation. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903, setting a standard few could equate to. The Boston Celtics, home of eighteen NBA championships, won eleven rings before a man stepped foot on the moon. Boston sports are created with the notion of winning in mind. As my friend said regarding Boston sports, “We don’t hope for excellence, we expect it.”
Family and Unity
They often say tragedy brings a people together. For example, the tragedy of 9/11 brought together the entirety of America. Not a Boston sport, but Mike Piazza of the New York Mets hit a homer after the events of 9/11, lifting up the city of New York, and on a larger scale, America.
Every American remembers the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. Like 9/11, some can even tell the exact location or thing they were doing at the time of the event. If you’re a fan of the MLB, you know the rest of the story, but for those who don’t, I’ll tell it. The Boston Red Sox finished first in the AL East with a 97-65 record, tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in the league. The two teams met in the World Series, and in six games, defeated the Cardinals (sad day for me). Throughout this playoff run, the Red Sox grew beards for a variety of reasons. It was to further themselves from the Yankees no facial hair rule, to grow camaraderie, and a show of solidarity to those lost in the bombing.
A Touch of Luck
Of course, it should go without saying that every team has to strike gold in a draft, trade, or signing. No team goes on to win a championship solely through work ethic; there’s always a touch of luck involved. Selected in the 6th round of the NFL draft, the 199th overall pick, was Tom Brady. Brady went from the 199th overall pick to arguably, and should be undisputed, the greatest NFL player of all time. Call it genius foresight, but I think if the Patriots really knew he was the best, he would’ve been drafted sooner.
Jayson Tatum, one of the current best players in the NBA, was drafted third in the 2017 draft. The Celtics actually had the first overall pick, traded down to the third, and still got their guy. Isaiah Thomas, the 60th (and last) pick in the 2011 draft ended up being a star for Boston. At the shortest height in the NBA at his time, Thomas led the Celtics to the ECF and was in MVP talks. Let’s not even mention that the Celtics leprechaun mascot is named Lucky.
Maybe some could argue that the roles players can take in Boston sports help them shine, but others may call it a stroke of luck. Isaiah Thomas was a decent player in Sacramento and Phoenix before the Celtics. If Drew Bledsoe never got injured, would Tom Brady still be the G.O.A.T.? What do you think?
Today’s cover image was taken by me, edited by me of the Boston Celtics game versus Minnesota on Jan. 10, 2024.