ColumbusSports.com : Your place to stay informed and talk about the sports scene and sports teams in and around Columbus.

As the Dispatch reported last Tuesday (from a report that came out last October), Columbus has the distinction of ranking as the No. 1 sports market in the United States.

Obviously some subjective factors come into play in such a ranking, and a few people in Boston or Chicago or New York may wish to quibble, but it points out what those of us who live here (and start sports related Web sites) knew a long time ago: Columbus residents, in all their Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati glory, are collectively much more than a bunch of Buckeye backers and Wolverine haters.

As I often have to point out when talking to the multitudes about the site, ColumbusSports.com is not a Web site simply about or for Columbus sports teams, it's a Web site for Columbus sports fans.

Some of the best and most knowledgeable fans in the country live here, and they follow an amazingly wide array of teams from cities other than Columbus. What's also interesting and somewhat unique is how many central Ohio residents, including some of our own Featured Writers, mix and match favorite teams among cities and sports, such as being a fan of the Cleveland Browns, but also the Cincinnati Reds, etc.... Such is one of the consequences of growing up in a market without a professional team in any of the 3 major sports to call its own.

As the Crew and the Blue Jackets also prove, however, this city will gladly and overwhelmingly support teams outside the 3 major sports. When you add the Clippers into the mix and their soon to be fabulous new downtown ballpark (sure to be a frequent sell out despite the current economy), it makes the case for Columbus even stronger.

So stand tall fellow Columbus sports fans, and the next time someone with a New York or Boston accent asks you "Ohio?" after you say you're from Columbus, just say "yeah, you know, the #1 sports market in the country".

Tags: columbus clippers