No. 22: Raleigh
Score: 36.6
The Triangle (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C.) has grown into one of the country’s top hosts for amateur sports, as home to USA Baseball (and its eight MLB-standard fields), multiple FIFA-standard soccer fields, and a facility that will be the largest racket sports complex in the world when it opens in 2024. The NCAA in 2020 awarded the market (which has four Division I colleges) 18 postseason tournaments through 2026 (more than any market in the country), in basketball, soccer, field hockey, fencing, baseball, lacrosse and golf.
Despite the lack of blue-chip sponsors, the region is home to arguably the most recognized Minor League Baseball team (the Durham Bulls) and an under-construction professional cricket facility. The Carolina Hurricanes have sold out every game this season, including last month’s outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium — only the sixth time the NHL has hosted a game in a college football stadium.
What they are saying: “If you are in the business of college sports, this is where the fish are.” — D.B.
