Four Temple grads are searching for America’s best sports town. This week, they returned to Philly.

Last year, four Temple graduates created SportsTown, a YouTube docuseries focusing on sports teams and the top attractions in their respective cities. On Friday, they returned home.

“We didn’t want this to feel like you were watching the cutaway coming out of every commercial break of an Eagles game where you’re looking at a cheesesteak or Rocky,” Dan Koob, the show’s host, said. “We wanted someone from Philadelphia to watch this episode and say, ‘OK, you guys are clearly from Philly. They clearly get it.’”

The concept for SportsTown came together through the small towns that the creators traveled to and lived in for their first jobs. Producer Rob Czyzewicz previously filmed content for Temple basketball and football and traveled with the teams. The Owls’ football team competed in the Mid-American Conference when Czyzewicz worked with them, giving him the opportunity to visit a variety of small cities across the Midwest. Around the same time, Koob worked as a sports reporter in Lincoln, Neb.

“The common thread that we saw here was these places were charming,” Czyzewicz said. “The idea started with, if you’re going to these places because you’re a sports-crazed person, you know, how else are you spending that time? So we essentially wanted to put your itinerary together for you.”

While the concept for the series centers around sports, it’s not the episodes’ main focus. About three-quarters of each episode is dedicated to exploring the top activities and restaurants in any given city. The creators think that this approach is part of what’s led to such broad appeal.

“One of the things that we were surprised about was that 40% of our viewers were women,” said Czyzewicz. “We thought that this was a show that was more geared toward, you know, a sports-crazed, male audience generally. But I think what we’re developing is this understanding that, first of all, women love sports too. But second, there is so much more to [SportsTown] than just [sports].”

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Among the more challenging elements of getting the show off the ground was convincing teams to give the series media access. The production is entirely run by 20/20 visual media, which Czyzewicz founded with co-producer Patrick Rosenbaum back in 2011. Rudy Mezzy, who serves as the show’s third producer, also used to work at 20/20. But despite the show having what Koob describes as “Netflix-quality” production, they didn’t have proof of concept.

“The first [episode] was, who do we know, and who will allow us to go inside their stadium? And it ended up being the Kentucky Wildcats. I worked out in Louisville from 2015 to 2018 and knew a lot of the really great people who worked out [there],” said Koob. “Once you sort of pick a path and prove to people that your concept is legitimate … they’re willing to work with you.”

This proof of concept gave SportsTown the opportunity to cover the Savannah Bananas in their second episode, which has received over 200,000 views — four times the amount their first episode grossed. Their latest episode centers around the Phillies and represents the series’ first venture into professional sports.

Because of the group of college friends’ strong Philly ties, they acknowledge that this episode will be unique from the others. But ultimately, the goal of the video is to strike a balance between entertaining locals and informing outsiders.

“I think it’s people who are from [Philadelphia] who want to see … the places that they go every day highlighted,” said Koob. “But it’s also people who may say … I’ve always watched the Phillies or Eagles, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go to Philly.”

“This is the if-you-know, you-know episode,” added Czyzewicz. “And so I don’t know that we even made a hard effort to … make it the same as others.”

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But throughout the series, the constant remains that many of the episode’s best parts oftentimes have little to do with sports. In true Philadelphia fashion, SportsTown’s latest installment made sure to pay tribute to United States history.

“My favorite part of the show is I got to drink a beer with Ben Franklin on [Independence] Mall. By far,” Koob said. “He was amazing; it was incredible. And there was a little anxiety involved.”

Next up on the docket for SportsTown is an episode featuring the Eagles’ newfound rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. The group has already filmed the episode and will be releasing it in the near future.

And as more episodes come out, Koob and the 20/20 team will also create videos ranking all of their visits. Despite the show’s deep connection to Philadelphia, Koob says that the local video may not necessarily rank at #1. If it does, Poor Richard and roast pork sandwiches will likely be more to thank than the Phillies, who Koob says were blown out on the night the video was filmed.

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“If Philadelphians watching the episode think they’re a shoo-in for number one, like, you know, be careful. Kansas City showed us a great time,” said Koob.

In the long run, the SportsTown group sees the focus of their series returning to its original inspiration: college towns.

“I think [college towns] are the types of places that, if you’re traveling there, that literally is what you’re going for,” Czyzewicz said. “And so I think to be able to show you the other things that you can do while you’re in a town like that is what this show is really set up well to do.”