What kind of "Sports Town" is your city?

[McCall]

I was recently talking with a friend of mine who now lives in St Louis, and they mentioned just how popular the Cardinals were in the city. To be honest, thanks to the "Greatest Show on Turf" era Rams being big when I was younger, I always kinda assumed that football was the sport in St Louis. Anyway, that got me wondering, what sport/team (professional/college/high school/whatever) defines where you live?

I don't necessarily mean your own personal preferences, but more like, "if your city/region could only have 1 team/sport, which team/sport would the majority of your fellow citizens pick to stay?"

St. Louis is well known as the Best Baseball Town in America. And I'm not just being a homer here. Google that title and see how many articles rank St. Louis at the top.

[Mings]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

[knnhrvy16]

Utah loves alot of different sports, as teams on all levels are usually supported very well. If I had to pick only one sport, however, I think it'd be basketball. You don't truly realize how much Salt Lake City (and Utah in general) loves and supports the Jazz until you actually see it for yourself. It's really incredible, everywhere you go - not just in SLC, but statewide - are Jazz shirts, hats, flags, banners, you name it. I hate to sound cliche or cheesy, but the Jazz are a part of life here in Utah. Everyone watches on gameday, and they're a part or every discussion the next morning. Then, repeat. Like summer barbecues, rodeos, and country music, the Jazz are a Utah staple

The love for basketball carries over into college, too. The recent Jimmermania, as well as USU's consistency and Utah's NTG appearance in 1998 have all but contributed over recent years. Weber State has usually fielded decent teams as well, so the Ogden area supports them well, too.

EDIT: From my observation, I'd say a full-on list goes like this:

1. Jazz

2. Utah/BYU Football (depends on region)

3. Utah/USU/BYU Basketball (see above)

4. Real Salt Lake

5. Salt Lake Bees/Orem Owlz baseball (again, see 2 and 3)

6. Grizzlies hockey

7. Weber State sports

8. Ogden Raptors baseball

....192. Utah State football

I didn't count high school sports, because it varies SO much throughout not just the SLC and Provo areas, but statewide. They're all supported pretty well in general, but it all just depends in where you go as to which sports are supported, and how much.

Yea, I can't disagree with the first 4 there. You have a better idea of the Wasatch Front than I would. You know a team has a statewide following when you stop in Beaver, Utah for about 10 minutes and manage to hear about an upcoming Jazz/Lakers game that night (happened a couple of years ago).

You beat me to it!

Ha! I was wondering when you'd see where I put USU football that program just can't get up off the ground, no matter how hard they try. But, who knows? Maybe someday they'll figure it out

Yeah you're absolutely right about the Jazz's statewide appeal. I spent seven years of my childhood in Blanding (for those who don't know, right about at the four corners area - quite far from SLC, obviously), and the Jazz were IT down there (followed very closely by San Juan High School football. GO BRONCOS! ). I vividly remember the most popular snow cone at the Blanding sno-shak, the "Jazzcone". Of course this was back in the late 90's, so the cone was a grape and blue raspberry mix, evoking the old purple and sky blue colors. You saw those cones everywhere in town! So even in little rural towns hours away from SLC, the Jazz reign supreme.

[missouri tigers]

St. Louis's Major Sports interest IMO

1. Cardinals

2. Rams

3. Blues

4. Mizzou Football

5. Mizzou Basketball

6. SLU Basketball

7. Illinois Football/Basketball

[tBBP]

Well, since Pensacola is a small-ass city that seems to forget that other sports besides baseball exist, I'll try my best to read into the other places I've lived.

Pittsburgh goes something like this...

1.) Steelers

2.) Steelers

3-11.) Steelers

12.) Penguins (when they're good)

13.) Steelers

14.) North Central Catholic

15.) Aliquippa

16-20.) Steelers

21.) South Central Catholic

22.) West Central Catholic

23.) East Central Catholic

24.) Whatever other Central Catholic.

25.) Steelers

.........

.........

.........

.........

198.) Pirates (once people remember they exist)

199.) Steelers

200.) Steelers

-----------------------------------------------

Since I've been out in Indiana, it's kinda hard to get a read on the Colts. But to piggyback off what sizemorematters said, if the sports fans in this city are anything like the so-called "Butler fans" who suddenly popped up out of the woodwork around here now that the program is on the rise, then perhaps sports fans here are just about as fickle as most any other fairweather town...though I will say this: Peyton Manning's been spoiling these daggone Hoosiers. I keep asking people what they'll do once Peyton Manning retires...I have yet to get a straight answer. Beyond all that, this is Indiana, where as far as I can tell, basketball reigns supreme. (And for good reason.)

[McCall]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

[Mings]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

Not jealous. You Cards fans are insufferable.

As far as the attempted personal attack, get out of my mirror.

[jrh31584]

Yeah this is pretty much right. It is definitely a football town. I really think Tulane needs to build a stadium of its own for football (unless Tad Gormley or Pan-Am hold 15,000) because the Superdome with only 15,000 fans in it is a very lonely place.

I poked around online, and it appears Tad Gormley holds around 25000, but would need significant renovations.

Anyway, Columbia, SC is, to the best of my knowledge:

1. South Carolina football

2. South Carolina baseball

3. Clemson football

4. Atlanta Braves

5. South Carolina men's basketball

6. Carolina Panthers

[McCall]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

Not jealous. You Cards fans are insufferable.

As far as the attempted personal attack, get out of my mirror.

Oh no. I feel so burned.

[ninersdd]

I can tell you that for all of Northern California, the Giants have taken over the mantle of #1 team. The Niners had that before, but losing can take away some of the luster from a team.

[Sport]

Columbus, Ohio

1. Ohio State Football

2. Cleveland Browns

3. Cleveland Indians

4. Cincinnati Reds

5. Cincinnati Bengals

6. Columbus Blue Jackets

7. Ohio State basketball

8. High School football

9 Columbus Crew

10. High School basketball

11. other smaller college teams

It's stupid how people around here worship the Ohio State football team. Take my girlfriend's dad for instance. He never went to the university, but if it's any sport or team that isn't the Ohio State Buckeye football team he doesn't want anything to do with it. I almost hope the recent allegations surrounding the program cause people to cool down a little, and maybe discover some other things to do around town, such as the Blue Jackets.

[Mings]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

Not jealous. You Cards fans are insufferable.

As far as the attempted personal attack, get out of my mirror.

Oh no. I feel so burned.

Dude, I know you hate me because I give you crap (jokingly) for Bisordi...but what part of that was a personal attack on you? None of it. Get over it man.

And seriously get the out of my mirror. That is creepy.

[McCall]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

Not jealous. You Cards fans are insufferable.

As far as the attempted personal attack, get out of my mirror.

Oh no. I feel so burned.

Dude, I know you hate me because I give you crap (jokingly) for Bisordi...but what part of that was a personal attack on you? None of it. Get over it man.

And seriously get the out of my mirror. That is creepy.

I don't give a crap when some jokes about that. Which you don't. You bring it up every chance you get when it has no relevance whatsoever and you act like everything was intentional and that I was being serious.

And I'm a Cardinals fan so when you write some crap with nothing to back it up of course I'm gonna call you out. Any fan of any team would do the same thing.

[Mings]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

Not jealous. You Cards fans are insufferable.

As far as the attempted personal attack, get out of my mirror.

Oh no. I feel so burned.

Dude, I know you hate me because I give you crap (jokingly) for Bisordi...but what part of that was a personal attack on you? None of it. Get over it man.

And seriously get the out of my mirror. That is creepy.

I don't give a crap when some jokes about that. Which you don't. You bring it up every chance you get when it has no relevance whatsoever and you act like everything was intentional and that I was being serious.

And I'm a Cardinals fan so when you write some crap with nothing to back it up of course I'm gonna call you out. Any fan of any team would do the same thing.

You know, you should just ignore me then. Because my humor apparently goes over your head. Its one thing to write back when I talk smack about Cards fans as a whole, but its another to turn that into a personal attack on me.

[GFB]

Detroit is more a football town more than anything else.

In reality though, Detroit seems to be a "town of" which ever of the professional teams is doing the best at the time (which is similar to other towns).

I agree with you, it was a basketball town a few years back. Now, that the Lions are getting better, we are calling ourselves are football city.

I completely disagree with this statement. Like Gary said, Detroit is a football town. With as bad as the Lions have been the last decade, if they had been located in most other cities, the Lions would have been abandoned/ignored by all the fans (*cough* look at the Pistons *cough*). But this city has stuck with them.

Take last week, for example. The Red Wings were starting their series with the Sharks and the Tigers had a big divisional series with the Indians, but Lions draft talk dominated talk radio. And I'm not even going to think about the riot that would happen if the Lions ever won a Super Bowl.

I would rank it:

1. Pro Football

2. College Football

[Gap]

3. Hockey

4. Baseball

[Gap]

5. College Basketball

6. Pro Basketball

[CS85]

Cardinal fans have a special place in hell.

That is all.

Jealousy, like everything else, does not look good on you.

Not jealous. You Cards fans are insufferable.

As far as the attempted personal attack, get out of my mirror.

I've found that cardinals fans are only insufferable when any sort of baseball discussion comes up. Otherwise they're pretty nice people. Just don't talk about baseball because you'll choke on all the smug in the air. They do have a fantastic ballpark, though.

[The_Admiral]

Cardinals fans are sports fandom's answer to golden retrievers. No one else needs to be rubbed on the head and told how good they are so goddamn much.

[Gary]

Detroit is more a football town more than anything else.

In reality though, Detroit seems to be a "town of" which ever of the professional teams is doing the best at the time (which is similar to other towns).

I agree with you, it was a basketball town a few years back. Now, that the Lions are getting better, we are calling ourselves are football city.

I completely disagree with this statement. Like Gary said, Detroit is a football town. With as bad as the Lions have been the last decade, if they had been located in most other cities, the Lions would have been abandoned/ignored by all the fans (*cough* look at the Pistons *cough*). But this city has stuck with them.

Take last week, for example. The Red Wings were starting their series with the Sharks and the Tigers had a big divisional series with the Indians, but Lions draft talk dominated talk radio. And I'm not even going to think about the riot that would happen if the Lions ever won a Super Bowl.

I would rank it:

1. Pro Football

2. College Football

[Gap]

3. Hockey

4. Baseball

[Gap]

5. College Basketball

6. Pro Basketball

I would switch Baseball and Hockey in my view, but that is if the Tigers are in first place and rocking. But Detroit will always be a Football town. The Lions go 0-16 and the fans show their pride. I don't live in Michigan anymore, but the people I talk to that live in Michigan are always about Football. MSU-UM, or the Lions.

[The_Admiral]

If you tardaroos still care about the Lions more than the teams that go to or win multiple championships, you deserve an 0-16 season every year.

[crashcarson15]

Since I've been out in Indiana, it's kinda hard to get a read on the Colts. But to piggyback off what sizemorematters said, if the sports fans in this city are anything like the so-called "Butler fans" who suddenly popped up out of the woodwork around here now that the program is on the rise, then perhaps sports fans here are just about as fickle as most any other fairweather town...though I will say this: Peyton Manning's been spoiling these daggone Hoosiers. I keep asking people what they'll do once Peyton Manning retires...I have yet to get a straight answer. Beyond all that, this is Indiana, where as far as I can tell, basketball reigns supreme. (And for good reason.)

Yeah, I mean, high school basketball teams'll still draw entire towns to games in the tournament. It's pretty fun, actually.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets

7. Ohio State basketball

Jackets ahead of OSU basketball? That's a little surprising