Washington, DC Tops List of Most Depressed Pro Baseball Cities, According to Data Compiled by Avvo

Oakland Crying Foul at #2, Followed by Baltimore, Seattle and Houston

SEATTLE, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington, DC, whose hometown Nationals have finished in last place in all but one year since relocating from Montreal in 2005, is the unhappiest pro baseball city, according to analysis by Avvo (www.avvo.com), which offers free ratings and profiles for 90 percent of licensed doctors and lawyers in the U.S. Interestingly enough, Baltimore, located about 40 miles north of the nation's capital and home to the Orioles, who last won a World Series in 1983, is the third most depressed baseball city, with Oakland (Athletics) sandwiched between.

Batting cleanup in the lineup of brokenhearted baseball cities is Seattle, then Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago (Cubs fans), Pittsburgh, Denver, Los Angeles, New York (Mets fans), Tampa, Dallas, Kansas City, Detroit and Milwaukee.

"Baseball fans are incredibly passionate about their teams so it's no surprise they suffer from bouts of depression and disappointment after a big loss or after the seemingly endless succession of losing seasons," said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.

Below is a list of the most depressed baseball cities (in order):

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Oakland
  3. Baltimore
  4. Seattle
  5. Houston
  6. San Diego
  7. Cleveland
  8. Cincinnati
  9. Chicago (Cubs)
  10. Pittsburgh
  11. Denver
  12. Los Angeles
  13. New York (Mets)
  14. Tampa
  15. Dallas
  16. Kansas City
  17. Detroit
  18. Milwaukee

Methodology:  Avvo reviewed data in cities that are home to 18 MLB teams that haven't won a World Series in the past 20 years, and examined the teams' on-field performance. In the nine weighted categories, cities and teams were ranked first to last. Statistics used to establish the rankings included: psychiatrists and divorce lawyers per capita (Avvo), unemployment rate (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), drinking rate, suicide rate and mentally unhealthy days reported among adults (CDC), and medical and legal-related questions (Avvo), as well as number of days over the past three seasons each team held first place and days eliminated from first place contention (Baseball-Reference.com).

About Avvo

Avvo is the largest and only free website that empowers consumers to handle medical and legal matters with confidence. Avvo offers free ratings and profiles for 90 percent of practicing lawyers and 90 percent of licensed MDs in the US. This includes the editorial Avvo Rating, patient and client reviews and peer endorsements as well as experience, background information, industry achievements and disciplinary records. Avvo also offers a free Question and Answer forum, where consumers can ask questions and receive certified answers from certified doctors and lawyers.  Additionally, Avvo Legal Guides and Avvo Health Guides are free research tools, written as how-to articles covering everyday issues authored by certified lawyers and doctors. Founded in early 2006 and launched in 2007, Avvo is privately held, with funding from private investors, Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures. For more information, visit www.avvo.com.

SOURCE Avvo