The perceptions are also geographic. With Houston (4), Dallas (8), Fort Worth (27), San Antonio (9), Austin (16), and El Paso (23), it's hard to remember there are any cities outside Texas
Yet we think of cities like Vegas (32), Atlanta (41), Minneapolis (43), Miami (47), Pittsburg (?), as big.
It does take multiple teams for sports fans to think of a city as big. Just as I am certain it takes a nice opera for some opera fans to place a city "on the map" or a major museum, etc.
In other words I don't think non sport fans would have the same perception.