16. Chicago Blackhawks

Forbes: America's Best Sports Fans

One of the “Original Six” members of the NHL, the Blackhawks have always had rabid fans. After winning the Stanley Cup this year--their first in 49 years--expect fan love to become even more intense. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

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America's Best S... Devotees of these teams live and die with each pitch, pass or shot. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

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16. Chicago Blac... One of the “Original Six” members of the NHL, the Blackhawks have always had rabid fans. After winning the Stanley Cup this year--their first in 49 years--expect fan love to become even more intense. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
15. Philadelphia... Philly fans are notoriously tough on their hometown teams. But the MLB's Phillies, who won the World Series in 2008 and made it back there last year, seem to have bucked that trend and become beloved. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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14. New York Yan... MLB's winningest franchise, with 27 World Series championships. Intense rivalry with the Red Sox has seemed to crystallize fan devotion. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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13. Cleveland Ca... How will the loss of LeBron James affect fan devotion? Intuitively, you have to believe that interest will sag. But when little Cleveland kids sell lemonade to help owner Dan Gilbert cover his fine for ranting about LeBron's departure, you could be wrong. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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12. Los Angeles ... The Lakers have won 16 championships, the second-most in NBA history. They're known for celebrity fans, like Jack Nicholson and Leo DiCaprio. But the team is beloved by Average Joes, too. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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11. Montreal Can... With 22 Stanley Cups, the Canadiens rule the NHL, historically speaking. They are the only team in the “Big Four” professional leagues in the province of Quebec. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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10. St. Louis Ca... St. Louis is known as a great baseball town, with its fans bedecked in Cardinal red packing the stands for every home game. They had a hard time swallowing one-time legend Mark McGwire's admission of performance-enhancing drug use. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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9. Dallas Cowboy... The moniker “America's Team” may have been a stretch, but the NFL's Cowboy's created legions of fans with two great decades in the 1980s and '90s. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

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8. San Antonio S... Led by one of the quietest superstars of our era in Tim Duncan, the NBA's Spurs are San Antonio's only “Big Four” sports team. They've made the playoffs 13 seasons in a row. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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7. Boston Celtic... The NBA's Celtics have won 17 NBA championships, most in league history, led by legends like Bill Russell and Larry Bird. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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6. Pittsburgh Pe... The Penguins lead the NHL in merchandise sales, thanks mostly to young stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Having NHL legend Mario Lemieux as an owner helps, too. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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5. New England P... Patriots fans have always been hardcore, even when the team was terrible and the stadium (old Foxboro) was somehow worse in the 1970s. But since Robert Kraft bought the NFL team in 1994, and they started winning (three titles between 2001-2005), the fans have become even more devout. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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4. Indianapolis ... OK, so maybe Robert Irsay did steal the NFL team from Baltimore, but Indianapolis fans have repaid his family for the gesture. The Colts have had seven seasons of 12 wins or more since 1998 and made the Super Bowl last year. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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3. Detroit Red W... The Red Wings have made the playoffs the last 19 years in a row, the longest current streak in the “Big Four” professional sports leagues. That's a lot of dead octopi. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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2. Pittsburgh St... A great run in the 1970s (four Super Bowl wins) and the decline of the steel industry (which has spread ‘Burghers all over the nation) has led to a massive fan base. In recent years proud NFL towns like Denver and Washington have bemoaned the number of Black & Gold supporters in their home stadiums for games against the Steelers. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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1. Boston Red So... Boston Globe writer Nathan Cobb coined the term “Red Sox Nation” in 1986. The franchise's recent roll (two World Series championships in the last decade) has only added to the dedicated flock. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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Read More at For... You've seen the best pro sports towns in America. Now check out the top towns in college sports. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)