Is your town a "Baseball Town" or a "Football town"?

[spyboy1]

I live in Minneapolis, and no matter how good the Twins are, the Vikings are still the most important team in town. During the baseball off season, the Twins hardly get a mention, but they talk Vikes all year long. People live and die for the Vikings and root for the Twins. It's really a "Football Town".

I've heard that St. Louis is a "Baseball Town".

No matter how good the Jets and Giants are, with the long, long history of success of the New York Yankees, Giants, Mets and Brooklyn Dodgers, I can't imagine New York not being a Baseball Town.

I'd be interested to hear what the locals say about Chicago. I'm betting it's a Baseball Town.

Pittsburgh has to be a Football Town.

There's a number of other places I have no idea abut, but could take some guesses. I'm sure strong runs by one team could change a city from one to another over time.

I'd like to hear what you guys think, especially from people who live in cities with both MLB and NFL teams, is yours a Baseball Town or a Football Town?

[no97]

I'd be interested to hear what the locals say about Chicago. I'm betting it's a Baseball Town.

And, you'd lose that bet. Chicago's a Bears town, all the way. Part of the problem, I believe, is that there are two baseball teams, and that makes it hard to unify the town behind the sport.

The Chicago Trbiune ran an article recently that tracked the percentages of Chicagoans that either; 1) attended, 2) watched on TV, or 3) listended on radio to each of the towns major sports teams. Ballparking the numbers, they came out with the Bears at 62%, the Cubs at 56%, the White Sox at 54% (and they just had won the World Series), the Bulls at 30%, and the Blackhawks at 15% (I don't think they ran the numbers on the Fire).

The interesting thing was that this study has been done for several years, and the Bears have been #1 in every one, while the Cubs have been #2 (and were a lot closer to the Bears the year after 2003), but the White Sox were a distant #3 until just after the World Series win (numbers as low as 49%-52%, if I recall)...

Moose

[patsox]

Boston has always been a baseball town but the success of the Pats has slightly changed that, but I would still say it's a baseball town.

[B-Rich]

New Orleans is clearly a football town.

Like most of America, baseball was king in the area up to the late 1950s. The minor league New Orleans Pelicans were a big draw in the Southern League and later the Souhtern Association. However, their stadium was demolished to make way for a hotel in 1957, and they had to play games in 1958-59 in a football stadium in City Park. In 1959, they weren't even affiliates of any major league team. That and other issues led to declining attendance and the team's disbanding after the 1959 season.

Nationwide, there began to be a swing from baseball to football fandom right around this time. In New Orleans, it was exacerbated by the fact that from 1959 to 1993 (excepting the year 1977, with the one-year appearance of the New Orleans Pelicans of the AA) there was NO professional baseball presence in the city. During that same time frame, we had a lot more New Orleans-area residents begin to go to LSU and follow LSU football (which won a national championship at the start of this period in 1958), and most notably, the formation and play of the NFL Saints (not to mention yearly Sugar Bowls and numerous Super Bowls being held in the city).

As a result, New Orleans has clearly been-- as far back as I can remember-- a football town.

[Sport]

Where I live, Columbus, is a football town. But the Blue Jackets, during buckeyes football offseason get a lot of play. But this is a football town all the way. The news outlets right now are acting like the first game against Youngstown state is a huge deal. That game will be the most boring game ever, let's not overhype it.

Where I used to live, Cincinnati is interesting. The city has always been a baseball town. You got the opening day parade, the reds long history, but now the Bengals have achieved a level of respectability (on the field at least) and are the better team in terms of record. When I lived there it was interesting because the Bengals had just been to the super bowl and the reds were fresh off of a world series win, but it seemed like the Bengals were the bigger story. And I'd say right now they are bigger than the reds. But that town will be a baseball town forever, and when the reds get their act together it should go back to the way it was.

[TBGKon]

The Tampa Bay area is definitely a football town, although within our area we host 4 teams (Phils, Yanks, Jays, Rays) for MLB spring training within the 2 major counties (Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties).

I think in time with the hopeful success of the Rays, that this town will be able support the home team Rays, and not for their prior allegiances from elsewhere. It's happened to the Buccaneers and the Lightning, in which showing signs of success has brought the fans in. I see no reason why once the Rays begin to show success, that this town will embrace them as well. I've been a Rays fan since they were established (established in 1995, first pitch in 1998), and although I have ties to Detroit (original hometown) and the Phils (I work for them in Clearwater), the Rays always are #1 in my book.

But Tampa Bay is definitely a football town, as is the whole state...

[Audiodrama]

Boston has always been a baseball town but the success of the Pats has slightly changed that, but I would still say it's a baseball town.

I agree...the Patriots have certainly shortened the gap between the two most popular teams in this city, but the Red Sox will always remain on top -- certainly a baseball town.

[Ez Street]

I'll speak for Kansas City..

Kansas City is a football town. Mostly because the Chiefs have been more successful than the Royals for 20 years.

But, that being said, if the Royals were a contender year after year, they would be tops in Kansas City. No doubt.

[Moser316]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of town Milwaukee truly is once September rolls around. If the Brewers are still in the thick of a pennant race, this will most definitely be a baseball town, especially with the lack of recent success by the Packers. If you asked me this question a couple of years ago, I would have said that Milwaukee was a football town, despite the nearest pro and college teams being in Green Bay and Madison, respectively.

[njmeadowlanders]

No matter how good the Jets and Giants are, with the long, long history of success of the New York Yankees, Giants, Mets and Brooklyn Dodgers, I can't imagine New York not being a Baseball Town.

You're right. If the Yankees signed a utility infielder in December or the Mets made a trade for someone to fight for the rotation in January, it'd get a ton of coverage. Baseball is 24/7/365 here. The Jets and Giants get a segment here and there during like June and July and whatnot, and they do get the Monday headlines if there's no big Yankee or Met win or something, but it's not even close to the attention the Mets get, and that's not even close to the attention the Yankees get...

[rams80]

St. Louis is a baseball town.

Peoria, which is where I actually live, though, is a basketball town.

[hormone]

Pittsburgh = Football Period

[charger77]

I live in the Metro-Detroit area.

The Tigers (or any Detroit team) is popular when they are a winning team. However, this city has supported the Lions through good and mostly bad. If this city can support the horrid Lions lead by their mentally bankrupt president, Detroit then is infact a football town.

Dan

[McCall]

St. Louis is The Best Baseball Town in America.

Peoria, which is where I actually live, though, is a basketball town.

Slight grammatical error, but I fixed it for you.

[maz]

Pittsburgh:

Pre 70's = Baseball

70's = baseball/football

80's-early90's = football

early 90's = hockey (stanley cups), baseball (NLCS losers baby!), football

mid/late90's-2002 = football (lost super bowl and afc championships), hockey not too far back (only missed playoffs once in the 90's)

2003-2005 = football, baseball, hockey (yes, for one year there was no hockey, but the pens' 03/04 season is a level of suckiness even the bucs cant achieve)

2006 - present = still a football town, but given the steelers recent performance and projected performance, and the recent success and promising future of the penguins, we may be, scratch that, we are in a slow transition to a hockey town. The media still covers the steelers like they're gods, but the media of this city rarely reflects its people. Lifelong pens fans are, if they haven't already, coming out of hiding, little kids are becoming lifelong pens fans, and as with any winning team there's the bandwagon crowd, but considering most of the seats in the Mellon arena are now season/half-season ticket holder seats (and given the price for one of those plans) id say there are far more dedicated fans than bandwagoners.

But, to answer the question of the thread, before 1974, Pittsburgh was a baseball town, then, 79 marked the changing of Pittsburgh into a football town. In the early 90's baseball became popular again because of the division championships and the two trips to the NLCS, but ultimately was overshadowed by the penguins' championships, and ever since 1992 baseball has always been third in the three sports, excluding 2003/04 when the pens had probably their worst season ever.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I thought Detroit was Hockeytown?

Because of the renaissance of the Seahawks and the large numbers of UW alumni here, Seattle is definitely a football town. It's fun now with the Mariners winning, but it's pretty clear that football comes first here.

Interestingly, despite the recent surge of Louisville Cardinals football, Louisville -- based on my perception at least -- is a basketball town. However, they support their teams. I never went to a Louisville Bats game that wasn't close to being sold out. Granted, during the summer Bats games are the only thing to do in town, but still, that's pretty good.

[charger77]

Shouldn't "hockeytown" sell out a playoff game in a season that made a run to the conference finals?

[pcgd]

I'd be interested to hear what the locals say about Chicago. I'm betting it's a Baseball Town.

And, you'd lose that bet. Chicago's a Bears town, all the way. Part of the problem, I believe, is that there are two baseball teams, and that makes it hard to unify the town behind the sport.

The Chicago Trbiune ran an article recently that tracked the percentages of Chicagoans that either; 1) attended, 2) watched on TV, or 3) listended on radio to each of the towns major sports teams. Ballparking the numbers, they came out with the Bears at 62%, the Cubs at 56%, the White Sox at 54% (and they just had won the World Series), the Bulls at 30%, and the Blackhawks at 15% (I don't think they ran the numbers on the Fire).

The interesting thing was that this study has been done for several years, and the Bears have been #1 in every one, while the Cubs have been #2 (and were a lot closer to the Bears the year after 2003), but the White Sox were a distant #3 until just after the World Series win (numbers as low as 49%-52%, if I recall)...

Moose

I found it interesting that in the 70s, the sting (professional soccer) was bigger than anything else in chicago. It must have helped that the Cubs, Sox, and Bears all stunk in the 70s, but still, you always hear about the Cosmos selling out in NY, but the same thing happened in Chicago with the Sting at Comiskey Park.

As far as the towns I've lived in, Chicago is Football, St. Louis is Baseball (even when there is no Baseball and its only the Rams) and Indy I think is Football. It seems that way...but Basketball will always have a place in Indiana.

[Billy B]

St. Louis is a baseball town.

Peoria, which is where I actually live, though, is a basketball town.

Are there any pro basketball teams in Peoria? All I can think of in terms of basketball is Peoria Central winning a couple state championships a few years ago. I thought Peoria would be more of a baseball town with the Chiefs.

[DEAD!]

St. Louis is The Best Baseball Town in America.

Peoria, which is where I actually live, though, is a basketball town.

Slight grammatical error, but I fixed it for you.

Hey, I expected STLFANATIC to make that kind of response ... (j/k)