Dec 19, 2011; San Francisco, CA, USA; General view of the Golden Gate bridge and the downtown San Francisco skyline before the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Renowned columnist Bill Simmons and the rest of his crew at Grantland named the Bay Area their sports city of the year.

They cited excellent seasons from the Giants, Niners, A’s and even the Warriors that earned the Bay Area the well-deserved fame.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, written by Hua Hsu:

But the highlight-filled 2012 that the Bay Area has experienced has been a testament to the opposite of all that. A different strain of excellence is coming into focus, one that’s been quietly incubating for a few years. The Giants won the World Series and the 49ers came within a few plays of the Super Bowl; the A’s continued to be scrappy and unkillable, and the Warriors are beginning to feel relevant again. The Sharks remain a force (albeit a perennially underperforming one) in that bygone thing called professional hockey. The Raiders continue to not fall into a pit of lava.

2012 was undoubtedly an unbelievable year for Bay Area sports, and we are truly honored to live in and cover such an amazing region. From the rise of the 49ers to the magical story of the A’s, the Bay Area is filled with interesting stories that we look forward to bringing to you.

Thanks for great 2012, and here’s to an even better 2013!