Boston Is A Top City For College Basketball Fans
March Madness is quickly about to take over our collective sports lives. At this point of the year, the NFL draft (though a month out) still feels so far away, and MLB baseball is in the grind of spring training. Thankfully, hoops are about to catch fire, and WalletHub has found Boston is a top city for college basketball fans.
“Each city has its own unique basketball history and charm,” WalletHub states. What’s unique about the upcoming tournaments is that fans have invested interest for numerous reasons. You may simply be cheering for the success of your bracket. Others are die-hard fans of either their alma mater or the big school in their state.
So, how does one determine whether or not a big city is great for college basketball fans? Well, for starters, it does not all have to do with which teams call that city home. “To find 2024’s top spots for NCAA hoops, WalletHub crunched the numbers on more than 290 U.S. cities using nine key metrics,” they said.
Those nine factors include focus areas such as winning percentage, stadium capacity, and social-media engagement. As we head into the most thrilling three weeks of college basketball action, here is why Boston is a great place for fans.
Boston Ranks #9, But Storrs, Connecticut Ranks #3
Now, let’s clarify. Storrs, Connecticut, is the main campus of the men’s defending champion, UConn. They are also ranked as the #2 team in the country right now. Furthermore, they are destined to be a #1 seed behind arguably the best coach in the game, Danny Hurley. What’s interesting however, is that looking at both the men’s and women’s top 25, there is not one team from Massachusetts, let alone Boston. WalletHub did call out North Andover, Massachusetts, as being a place to score cheap tickets.
Although the men’s Final Four this year will be held in Arizona, the TD Garden in Boston will host the east regional finals from March 28-30.
5 NBA Players We'd Love To See In the Slam Dunk Contest
This weekend the NBA will take over Indianapolis for All-Star weekend. On Saturday night, the Slam Dunk contest will serve as the grand finale of the day two events at Lucas Oil Stadium. That got us thinking about NBA stars we’d love to see in Slam Dunk contest.
Before we crack into the list, let’s take a look at the modern landscape of the NBA dunk contest. The biggest complaint about the event is that the biggest names in basketball rarely participate. Why is that? Well, last year at this time, Front Office Sports dove into this exact subject. “The last time a player from that season’s All-Star Game actually participated in the Dunk Contest was in 2017, when the Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan competed,” they said.
Front Office Sports went on to list a lack of creative options, scoring, and top players not participating in the dunk contest as reasons why the competition had declined. “I think they’re maybe afraid to lose,” NBA Hall of Famer, and slam dunk legend, Dominique Wilkins said via Front Office Sports. Of course, potential injury could also be considered.
Though there has been a lack of star power in the Slam Dunk contest, there have been a few shining moments as of late. Last season, there was much confusion as to why the NBA was allowing a G League (minor league) player to participate in Mac McClung. Now with the Orlando Magic franchise, McClung was called up by his then-team, the 76ers, a few days before the contest. He would go on to win and thrilling fashion. Furthermore, McClung is just six-foot-two.
This Year’s Slam Dunk Contest
The NBA Slam Dunk contest will often be associated with the likes of Wilkins and Michael Jordan. In the late ’80s, these legends made our jaws drop dunking the ball during all-star weekend. Sure, we have had Vince Carter and the late great Kobe Bryant go in it and win it. However, you can’t help but think about what might have been, if these stars had won. Some of them came close, while others opted out.
Nonetheless, we do have some surprising and well-received news when it comes to the 2024 contest. Jaylen Brown, one of the biggest stars in the game, is participating. He will compete against last year’s winner in McClung. In addition, Jacob Toppin from the Knicks and Jamie Jaquez. Jr of the Heat are in. Perhaps with Brown participating, we will begin to see the trend of more all-stars opting into this fan-favorite event in the future.
Here are five players we’d love to see do their thing in the NBA Slam Dunk contest.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
