Pittsburgh is 10th Worst City To Be A Fan

Forbes ventures into unknown territory once again in an effort to make itself relevant to non-millionaires. This time it's to rank the worst sports cities to be a fan. They look at the 29 markets with at least 2 teams in the 4 major leagues using some wacky formula:

we compared the latest median household income figures from the Census Bureau to the Fan Cost Index for each team compiled by Team Marketing. Those metros with the lowest ratios of income to ticket cost were deemed most expensive for fans. Those ratios were then compared to team performance, with regular season won-lost records and playoff outcomes combined for all teams in a given city.

Miami finished as worst, primarily because their teams suck. Pittsburgh is 10th, despite two successful teams, and here is the explanation:

The Penguins reached the NHL finals last season, while the Steelers went a solid 10-6, but baseball's Pirates are always rebuilding. The area's median income is 20% below the average of the 29 major sports metros.

So by that last line, it doesn't just suck to be a Pittsburgh sports fan, but to live there since they make 20% less than everyone else. I'd be at as many games as I could to forget about how little I make.

But really, Forbes (and the WSJ) should just keep it's noses out of sports.