New York Tops List as the Most Stressful Sports City in America, Study Finds

Sports fans know the highs and lows that come with following their beloved sports teams, but some cities experience the emotional rollercoaster harder than others. A new breakdown of stress endured by sports fans across every major league, including teams from the NFL to MLS, highlights the cities that endure the highest level of struggle. This includes heartbreak-driven metrics like championship droughts, close losses, rivalries and upsets.

The "winner,” I guess you could call it, was the city of New York, narrowly edging out Los Angeles and Chicago in an analysis that captures the agony behind every close call and late-season collapse.

The Cities That Leave Fans Enduring Stress the Most

Fans of New York-based sports teams deserve a tip of the cap for their intense fandom, but it has also brought some brutal and emotional blows. According to a study from Casino.ca, the Empire State’s sports scene embodies every form of tension a fan can endure, checking in at the top of the list with a stress score of 91.2 out of 100.

The breakdown was based on eight different factors, including the following:

• Win percentages
• Close losses
• Championship droughts
• Upset losses
• Attendance swings
• Rivalry and high pressure
• Historical heartbreaks or collapses
• Player or coach movement

For New York, the mixture of postseason exits, relentless media pressure and fierce cross-town rivalries surely all played a factor. Surprisingly, the only New York-based team that landed at the top of the list for “most stressful team” in a specific league was the New York Red Bulls in MLS.

However, between the New York Yankees’ postseason struggles, increasing expectations of late and previous disappointing season performances for the Knicks, along with the Giants and Jets, surely had some pull in the score.

Right behind them sits Los Angeles with a score of 88.5, proving that even in cities with glamorous and often sunny weather, sports stress runs high. With the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff struggles, the Clippers' disappointing season finishes, and the Dodgers’ recent postseason frustrations, the sports frustration in LA is understandable. Chicago rounds out the top three at 83.9, carried by long-standing curses, bitter rivalries, and gut-punching losses that keep fans loyal yet weary.

Boston lands fourth with 79.3, a city with enough championship pedigree to expect greatness but enough heartbreak to remember every painful loss. Dallas closes the top five at 75.8, highlighted by the constant years of disappointment amid a brutal Super Bowl drought for the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Mavericks’ recent increased frustration around the Luka Doncic trade likely played a big factor as well.

Here’s a look at the eight most stressful sports cities and their score based out of 100:

• New York (91.2)
• Los Angeles (88.5)
• Chicago (83.9)
• Boston (79.3)
• Dallas (75.8)
• Philadelphia (70.2)
• Washington (61.6)
• Minneapolis (59.2)

When evaluating teams based on team-specific stress levels, a few interesting franchises top the list. For the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers led the way. The Atlanta Falcons lead the NFL side (no surprise there, as the 28-3 meme will live on forever), while the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Diego Padres, and New York Red Bulls round out the league leaders in fan anxiety.

Least Stressful Sports Cities, per Study

On the opposite end, Austin, Ottawa, and Oklahoma City enjoy relative sports peace, with each scoring under eight on the stress scale. These cities may lack championship trophies, but they make up for it with recent success or, in some cases, fewer specific teams to feel stressed over.

The list of the least-stressed teams looks as follows:

• Austin (5.8)
• Ottawa (6.1)
• Oklahoma City (7.2)
• Green Bay (7.8)
• Winnipeg (7.8)
• San Antonio (8.8)

As you can see, certain cities benefit on the stress scale because they have fewer teams than several other cities. However, Oklahoma City Thunder fans have to feel pretty happy following how the 2024-25 NBA season panned out.

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