Most depressed pro football cities

CLEVELAND - Another fired coach. Another losing season. Another high draft pick.

Such is the life of Cleveland Browns fans.

The Browns have made the playoffs just once in the last 11 seasons, and are on their fifth coach since returning in 1999.

But a recent study says Browns fans don’t have it so bad. The study from the website Avvo.com ranked the most depressed pro football cities, and Cleveland was just eighth on the list, even behind in-state rival Cincinnati (3rd).

Philadelphia was the most depressed football city, according to the study, followed by Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, and San Diego. Here is the complete list:

1. Philadelphia
2. Atlanta
3. Cincinnati
4. Houston
5. San Diego
6. Detroit
7. Jacksonville
8. Cleveland
9. Charlotte
10. Seattle
11. Phoenix
12. Buffalo
13. Nashville
14. Minneapolis

Given the performance of the study’s most depressed cities—Philadelphia and Atlanta—Cleveland fans would gladly accept the kind of success those teams have enjoyed in recent years. The Falcons had the best regular season in the NFL this year, and the Eagles are a perennial playoff teams that made the Super Bowl in 2004—something the Browns have never done.

Avvo.com compiled the list by taking the 14 NFL cities that have never won a Super Bowl, basing their rankings on factors including overall team performance, psychiatrists per capita, unemployment, heavy drinking, adults with hypertension, average yearly sunshine and average commute time to and from work.

Given those factors, it’s hard to believe Cleveland came in at the eighth spot. Where do you think Cleveland should have ranked.