12/21/24
February 13, 2002
Where the sports are.: About.com maps the locations of the professional sports teams (well, except for soccer) in the US and Canada.
posted by kirkaracha to general at 02:40 AM - 11 comments
Great link. I knew Jacksonville was among the smallest markets to have a team, but I had no idea it was the smallest. Our 1 million residents are spread out over an entire county, which makes it even less likely we can sustain the team. When my dad was growing up in Dallas, he rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals because they were the closest team to Texas.
posted by rcade at 07:34 AM on February 13, 2002
I know it would be difficult to compile, but it would be great to see a geographic breakdown of markets to championships. For instance, tiny little Green Bay has a far superior record in Football than some huge markets, (say Philidelphia). Denver, the smallest city with four sports team, has championships in three of the four. You know a sports trivia buff could go ape and run amock with maps like these.
posted by Wulfgar! at 09:07 AM on February 13, 2002
When my dad was growing up in Dallas, he rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals because they were the closest team to Texas. the redskins fanbase used to stretch from all the way south from DC to the Carolinas and west to Nashville. I expect it still does among old-timers. I'm hoping the Charlotte Hornets move to New Orleans goes through, though it's looking grim now. What the hell are Jazz doing in Utah anyway? If the move happens, any chance the Jazz name could return to it's rightful place? yeah, thought not.
posted by danostuporstar at 09:30 AM on February 13, 2002
the statement about jacksonville is a little misleading. it says that jacksonville is the smallest metro area with a population over 1 million to have a professional sports team. Green bay is by far the smallest.
posted by jnthnjng at 09:52 AM on February 13, 2002
One thing they left out is CFL football. It's not really in the same league as the big 4, but the players are professional. And as for metro areas with under 1m people, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa all come in at <1m and have NHL teams.
posted by sauril at 10:37 AM on February 13, 2002
Great link. New Orleans looks very under-represented doesn't it? No surprise the Hornets are trying to get there.
posted by pastepotpete at 12:21 PM on February 13, 2002
Not only is Green Bay, by far the smallest metro area to have a team, but their team is also run the most sensibly for the fans. Tuesday Morning QB: "Offseason renovations at Green Bay's Lambeau Field will reduce the number of luxury boxes and increase general seating. "
posted by andrewraff at 01:10 PM on February 13, 2002
the redskins fanbase used to stretch from all the way south from DC to the Carolinas and west to Nashville. I'm on a Redskins mailing list, and can confirm that we've got a few Carolina fans. My visit to Arizona for the Cardinals game showed me that the Southwest (Texas, Nevada) has a good amount of 'Skins fans as well.
posted by owillis at 04:09 PM on February 13, 2002
owillis, you sure they like the 'Skins, or just hate the Cardinals? Maybe they like the un-PC nature of the name? *(ducking and madly running for cover)*
posted by Wulfgar! at 04:40 PM on February 13, 2002
It's a bit out of date. They still have the Grizzlies listed as a Vancouver club. What would be interesting is a map showing the teams through the years. I'd be nice seeing all the nice hockey teams going south..
posted by mkn at 10:10 PM on February 13, 2002
Cool link. I always kind of wonder how MD-DC finangled two NFL teams (Skins, Ravens) in such a (relatively) small geographical area. Not that I'm complaining. Though I wouldn't miss Billick's boys...