Author Topic: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans  (Read 5865 times)

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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #15 on: August 28, 2014, 03:47:38 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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You know, Bud Selig goes around saying 'baseball's more popular than ever', and on the face of it it sounds exactly like what the commissioner of the league would be required to say, but there's actually a fair amount of evidence that he's right.

Not sure about that. When I hear that Pats pre-season games get higher ratings than Red Sox regular season games in August, that tells me that interest in baseball is at an all-time low.

More people watched the NFL draft than the NBA playoffs, does that mean that interest in the NBA is at an all time low?

The Red Sox are in the middle of a miserable season, and the NFL stomps all over everything in the ratings all the time anyway. The NFL is certainly more popular than any other sport in America, but that has no bearing on what we're talking about.

It's more accurate to say that every sport in America is experiencing an uptick in popularity. Sure, more people might watch football than baseball, but that shouldn't infer that baseball is on the decline because of it.

Here's a good Forbes article that shines a light on how the MLB's revenue has changed (which is a strong indicator of fandom and interest, since you don't get these sorts of broadcast deals if no one's watching)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2014/01/07/mlbs-billion-dollar-tv-deals-free-agency-and-why-robinson-canos-deal-with-the-mariners-isnt-crazy/

« Last Edit: August 28, 2014, 03:54:23 PM by D.o.s. »
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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2014, 04:00:44 PM »

Offline gpap

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It's a good point and you're right.

I am confusing lack of fan interest in baseball with the overall current success of the league.

Baseball is certainly flourishing from revenue sharing and the money coming in from TV contracts.

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #17 on: August 28, 2014, 04:26:30 PM »

Offline Jeff

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interesting find, thanks
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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #18 on: August 28, 2014, 05:24:00 PM »

Offline hwangjini_1

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It's because Boston is a front-runner sports town, insofar as team success and their subsequent place in the hierarchy of 'favorite local sports team' is concerned. Boston sports fans are largely 'Boston' Sports fans, not necessarily 'Celtics' or 'Bruins' or 'Patriots' fans, you know?

20 years ago, there's absolutely no way that the Patriots come out in first place in this poll (that would've been right after the Krafts bought the team, by the way).
i see your point, but it's not really accurate. when i was a kid in boston the celtics won championship after championship, but when you watched kids play in the street the games of choice were hockey and baseball. bruins and sox have a long history of losing, but have often been more popular than the celitcs.

to be honest, celtics are only number 2 for me, behind the sox, which is really a religion more than a sport team. :D
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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #19 on: August 28, 2014, 05:29:44 PM »

Offline Future Celtics Owner

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most people are bandwagon fans.

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #20 on: August 28, 2014, 05:38:18 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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It's because Boston is a front-runner sports town, insofar as team success and their subsequent place in the hierarchy of 'favorite local sports team' is concerned. Boston sports fans are largely 'Boston' Sports fans, not necessarily 'Celtics' or 'Bruins' or 'Patriots' fans, you know?

20 years ago, there's absolutely no way that the Patriots come out in first place in this poll (that would've been right after the Krafts bought the team, by the way).
i see your point, but it's not really accurate. when i was a kid in boston the celtics won championship after championship, but when you watched kids play in the street the games of choice were hockey and baseball. bruins and sox have a long history of losing, but have often been more popular than the celitcs.

to be honest, celtics are only number 2 for me, behind the sox, which is really a religion more than a sport team. :D

You'll notice I left 'Red Sox' out of my fan choices above.  ;)

I think what you see with kids in the street is very much dependent on location, especially in a city where one street can have a very different makeup than another.
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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #21 on: August 28, 2014, 05:44:25 PM »

Offline Donoghus

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It's because Boston is a front-runner sports town, insofar as team success and their subsequent place in the hierarchy of 'favorite local sports team' is concerned. Boston sports fans are largely 'Boston' Sports fans, not necessarily 'Celtics' or 'Bruins' or 'Patriots' fans, you know?

20 years ago, there's absolutely no way that the Patriots come out in first place in this poll (that would've been right after the Krafts bought the team, by the way).
i see your point, but it's not really accurate. when i was a kid in boston the celtics won championship after championship, but when you watched kids play in the street the games of choice were hockey and baseball. bruins and sox have a long history of losing, but have often been more popular than the celitcs.

to be honest, celtics are only number 2 for me, behind the sox, which is really a religion more than a sport team. :D

You'll notice I left 'Red Sox' out of my fan choices above.  ;)

I think what you see with kids in the street is very much dependent on location, especially in a city where one street can have a very different makeup than another.

You probably see more pickup basketball than anything and the irony of that is that the basketball team is probably 4th in popularity.

What the kids are playing isn't necessarily the popular thing on the rooting level.


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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #22 on: August 28, 2014, 06:15:57 PM »

Offline GreenWarrior

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I don't think the poll is accurate to which way the NE fans lean. it probably would've been a more interesting poll in '08 when I think every one of our teams was close to a legit contender.

any other time though if the C's aren't competitive, they wouldn't rank high imo. but that's more of a reflection of the NBA though. because in the NBA if you don't have a star you can pretty much call the season before it starts & there's just not much reason to watch because it's just going to be unentertaining.

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #23 on: August 28, 2014, 06:27:08 PM »

Offline Donoghus

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I don't think the poll is accurate to which way the NE fans lean. it probably would've been a more interesting poll in '08 when I think every one of our teams was close to a legit contender.

any other time though if the C's aren't competitive, they wouldn't rank high imo. but that's more of a reflection of the NBA though. because in the NBA if you don't have a star you can pretty much call the season before it starts & there's just not much reason to watch because it's just going to be unentertaining.

You'd probably flip flop the Bruins & Celtics in '08 but I'm not sure much else would've changed.


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Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #24 on: August 28, 2014, 07:50:27 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Except for a short stretch in the 80's where the C's were either the most popular or 2nd most popular team in the city, the Celtics have been pretty much entrenched in 3rd or 4th place in popularity for decades and decades going back to their inception.

Through the mid to late 70's this was a Red Sox and Bruins town and the Celtics were a far far back in 3rd place type team. In the 80's it was a Celtics town until Clemens and the Sox got good and restored the Sox into a religion with real aspirations of ending the Curse. Then the Celtics got bad, the Pats became the modern day Pats and everything became Red Sox vs Patriots for most popular and Bruins vs Celtics for least popular.

And we still stand there as of right now

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #25 on: August 29, 2014, 12:52:26 AM »

Offline Celtics18

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My anecdotal evidence leads me to believe that diehard fans of individual NBA teams are a fringe element among the sports fan community.

When I say "diehard," I mean fans like us. 

I don't mind being a member of that fringe group.  I'll proudly wear my pink hat for the Patriots and the Red Sox, but I bleed green. 
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SG: C. Lee/B. Hield/T. Luwawu
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PF:  E. Ilyasova/J. Jerebko/R. Christmas
C:    N. Vucevic/K. Olynyk/E. Davis/C. Jefferson

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #26 on: August 29, 2014, 01:12:21 AM »

Offline D.o.s.

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Except for a short stretch in the 80's where the C's were either the most popular or 2nd most popular team in the city, the Celtics have been pretty much entrenched in 3rd or 4th place in popularity for decades and decades going back to their inception.

Through the mid to late 70's this was a Red Sox and Bruins town and the Celtics were a far far back in 3rd place type team. In the 80's it was a Celtics town until Clemens and the Sox got good and restored the Sox into a religion with real aspirations of ending the Curse. Then the Celtics got bad, the Pats became the modern day Pats and everything became Red Sox vs Patriots for most popular and Bruins vs Celtics for least popular.

And we still stand there as of right now

Reads about right, but I think it should be pointed out that none of this is a particularly Bostonian/New England thing save the Red Sox (and even then, the Yankees hit that similar spot too). There's a reason why the 80's boom for the NBA was such a big shift from the "NBA is too black" 1970's, and it's because that was really the first time 'the general public' started watching the NBA in earnest.
At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #27 on: August 29, 2014, 09:25:47 AM »

Offline timpiker

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I'm not from Boston and am not a "Boston" fan.  I've been a C's fan since the late '60's.  To me, this poll is an indictment on Boston fans.  Its says they are bandwagoners.  The C's haven't won in a few years so they aren't popular. 

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #28 on: August 29, 2014, 09:48:37 AM »

Offline D.o.s.

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I'm not from Boston and am not a "Boston" fan.  I've been a C's fan since the late '60's.  To me, this poll is an indictment on Boston fans.  Its says they are bandwagoners.  The C's haven't won in a few years so they aren't popular.
I sort of agree with you, but I do think it's important, to look at this as the difference between being a regional sports fan and a team fan. For example, I'll happily admit that I'm pretty indifferent to the Patriots, and any reason I support them while out and about is strictly out of a regional sentiment (which is secretly just a way to get along with people in New England who really are into the Pats). Does that make me a bandwangoner? I guess, but I'm just not any more invested in the game of football than I have to be.
At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: Poll on the popularity of Boston sports teams among local fans
« Reply #29 on: August 29, 2014, 09:56:27 AM »

Offline Celtics18

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I'm not from Boston and am not a "Boston" fan.  I've been a C's fan since the late '60's.  To me, this poll is an indictment on Boston fans.  Its says they are bandwagoners.  The C's haven't won in a few years so they aren't popular.

I do think it's important, though to see that this is the difference between being a regional sports fan and a team fan. For example, I'll happily admit that I'm pretty indifferent to the Patriots, and any reason I support them while out and about is strictly out of a regional sentiment (which is secretly just a way to get along with people in New England who really are into the Pats). Does that make me a bandwangoner? I guess, but I'm just not any more invested in the game of football than I have to be.

It sounds like you are like me.  I'm a New England sports fan.  I loosely follow the Pats and the Sox, I like seeing them do well, and can get emotionally invested in games they are playing when I tune in.  I have no problem taking that stance on the football and baseball team in the region.  When I get into conversations with diehard fans of either team, I am quick to admit that I am out of my league and don't follow either sport all that closely and that basketball and the Boston Celtics are my sports passion.

I don't see any shame in that. 



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DKC Seventy-Sixers:

PG: G. Hill/D. Schroder
SG: C. Lee/B. Hield/T. Luwawu
SF:  Giannis/J. Lamb/M. Kuzminskas
PF:  E. Ilyasova/J. Jerebko/R. Christmas
C:    N. Vucevic/K. Olynyk/E. Davis/C. Jefferson