I put together this map in an effort to find out whether there are any “winning fronts” or “losing fronts” blowing through our United States these days. The numbers you see up there are winning percentages. I determined these winning percentages by choosing a metropolitan area with at least two major sports franchises and finding the average of said franchises’ winning percentages over their last completed regular seasons. Somewhat regrettably, I only considered professional baseball, football and basketball teams (NHL standings don’t feature winning percentages), but I believe the numbers still serve as solid indicators.

Even without studying any sort of pattern, it’s interesting to see how these sports markets have fared over the past year or so. Chicago has put up a decent showing recently, buoyed largely by the Cubs’ .602 winning percentage in 2008. Meanwhile, Boston is predictably blowing everyone away with an ungodly .693, comprised of the Red Sox’ .586, the Patriots’ .688 and the Celtics’ .805. And at .294, Kansas City is the most miserable market of the lot.

The most striking pattern hovers over the Midwest. Look at all that red. Chicago and Indianapolis are doing well, but they’re surrounded on all fronts by losing markets. Also worth noting is the Eastern Seaboard. Save for Miami and its miserable Heat, every major market on the East Coast is winning, and the trend continues all the way across the Gulf of Mexico.

Finally, I was surprised to learn that the Baltimore-DC market, which I lumped together due to close proximity, sits right in the middle with a .500 winning percentage. Given the miserable Orioles and Nationals, I had written the market off, but they’re redeemed in large part due to the Ravens’ 11-5 season.

The lesson here, apparently, is to move to the East Coast and stay there. They don’t call it flyover country for nothing.