Super Bowl LI

[strummingram]

This guy disagrees

I agree with his disagreement.

I'm envious of people who have MLB teams they grew-up with and love.

As far as the NFL, think about how many generations there were before any southern team existed. Same with MLB. The South had, and still has, college sports. Most of us grew up with Atlanta and Miami teams in the NFL. But, the Redskins were the closest NFL team for decades, in the South, until the AFL's Dallas Texans and the NFL added the Cowboys, in 1960. People in the north, northeast and mid-west have had their teams for over a century for baseball. And, close to that for pro football. Cubs/Bears, Packers, Yankees/Giants (Dodgers, too), Browns/Reds/Indians, Cardinals/Cardinals. Pirates/Steelers, Phillies/Eagles, Tigers/Lions... Those go back to the 1930's for the NFL teams

The South is a whole different scene. My grandfather was a huge fan of the Textile teams in baseball where he worked in his early 20's, during the Depression. I'd never even heard of them. He'd listen to the Richmond Braves on the radio all summer when I was a little kid. I'm lucky I had the Redskins passed-down from my grandfather and dad. I've never liked the Panthers. I was basically born into a Redskins family!

 

[strummingram]

https://foreshock.wordpress.com/origin-of-nfl-teams-1922-present/

I thought Atlanta was an expansion in 1970... I was 4 years off.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

I agree with his disagreement.

I'm envious of people who have MLB teams they grew-up with and love.

As far as the NFL, think about how many generations there were before any southern team existed. Same with MLB. The South had, and still has, college sports. Most of us grew up with Atlanta and Miami teams in the NFL. But, the Redskins were the closest NFL team for decades, in the South, until the AFL's Dallas Texans and the NFL added the Cowboys, in 1960. People in the north, northeast and mid-west have had their teams for over a century for baseball. And, close to that for pro football. Cubs/Bears, Packers, Yankees/Giants (Dodgers, too), Browns/Reds/Indians, Cardinals/Cardinals. Pirates/Steelers, Phillies/Eagles, Tigers/Lions... Those go back to the 1930's for the NFL teams

The South is a whole different scene. My grandfather was a huge fan of the Textile teams in baseball where he worked in his early 20's, during the Depression. I'd never even heard of them. He'd listen to the Richmond Braves on the radio all summer when I was a little kid. I'm lucky I had the Redskins passed-down from my grandfather and dad. I've never liked the Panthers. I was basically born into a Redskins family!

Exactly. Southerners are tied to their local college football (and basketball, if they're in NC) team in a way Northerners could never understand. The local SEC or ACC team WAS the de-facto professional team for Southern states up until the Falcons started playing in Atlanta (Miami doesn't count because it isn't the South). And then you had the Braves come to Atlanta and they were the ONLY Southern baseball team until the 1990s. So, Northerners have grown up with their NBA, NFL, and MLB teams for three or four generations. That just isn't the case in the South. College sports filled that void and those passions die hard.

Furthermore, the Southern cities of Atlanta and Charlotte have grown insanely rapidly since the 70s, leading to a mass influx of transients from all over the country. Obviously, if a large number of people come from somewhere else, they'll less likely to pull for the hometown team. Contrast this with cities like Boston and New York, which have residential neighborhoods that have existed for 250+ years. Remember, Atlanta was completely destroyed during the Civil War and had to be rebuilt.

For my money, Southern college sports fans are way, way more passionate than any Northern pro sports fanbase. Thus why you have colossal stadiums in the SEC and ACC like Neyland, Bryant-Denney, Sanford, Doak Campbell, Kyle, et al.

 

[strummingram]

Exactly. Southerners are tied to their local college football (and basketball, if they're in NC) team in a way Northerners could never understand. The local SEC or ACC team WAS the de-facto professional team for Southern states up until the Falcons started playing in Atlanta (Miami doesn't count because it isn't the South). And then you had the Braves come to Atlanta and they were the ONLY Southern baseball team until the 1990s. So, Northerners have grown up with their NBA, NFL, and MLB teams for three or four generations. That just isn't the case in the South. College sports filled that void and those passions die hard.

Furthermore, the Southern cities of Atlanta and Charlotte have grown insanely rapidly since the 70s, leading to a mass influx of transients from all over the country. Obviously, if a large number of people come from somewhere else, they'll less likely to pull for the hometown team. Contrast this with cities like Boston and New York, which have residential neighborhoods that have existed for 250+ years. Remember, Atlanta was completely destroyed during the Civil War and had to be rebuilt.

For my money, Southern college sports fans are way, way more passionate than any Northern pro sports fanbase. Thus why you have colossal stadiums in the SEC and ACC like Neyland, Bryant-Denney, Sanford, Doak Campbell, Kyle, et al.

I remember when I lived in Charlotte, from 1995-99, there was a Steelers sports bar on Independence Blvd., I think.

And, you make a good point about the Civil War being a factor. Baseball was starting to become a popular game then. But, the South was rocked to the ground from the war. Getting a baseball team/league going was probably not a priority for a while.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

I remember when I lived in Charlotte, from 1995-99, there was a Steelers sports bar on Independence Blvd., I think.

And, you make a good point about the Civil War being a factor. Baseball was starting to become a popular game then. But, the South was rocked to the ground from the war. Getting a baseball team/league going was probably not a priority for a while.

The Steelers have a bar in every city. That's kind of a separate thing. That has to do with the extinction of the steel industries in the Pittsburgh/Western PA/Eastern PA area. There was a mass outflow of people from that area.

And actually, based on what I've read, baseball was basically nonexistent I'm the South before the Civil War. From what I've read, the war spread baseball like wildfire through the South and Middle Atlantic states. But yeah, you're right about no Southern pro teams being on the radar of MLB or the NFL in the early 20th century. The war and Reconstruction set the South back 75+ years and some states have still yet to fully recover.

 

[JuleZ '02 HEEL]

I've seen the same article 28039829 times. I know what they'll say without reading them. Look, I don't really have any love for this city. I like the Braves and I like the hot women, and that's about it. But I kinda treat it like a little brother. I can trash it all I want, but I don't like when others trash it haha.

I think the political and socioeconomic goings-on of the city put it at a disadvantage when it comes to sports. I could compose a whole long thing about it, but I'm too lazy to do so. I live here though. Just take my word for it that it isn't as bad of a sports city as the national media claims.

As much energy as you spend bagging on Carolina's fanbase, you're gonna defend Atlanta's?

 

[TarHeelNation11]

As much energy as you spend bagging on Carolina's fanbase, you're gonna defend Atlanta's?

LOL touche! I care about Carolina's fanbase way more, so I'm more harsh on them

 

[Hark_The_Sound_2010]

I don't really understand the reluctance to call a spade a spade with regards to ATL's pro sports following. As pointed out, they have college sports they care about more. Boston is probably the worst major city college sports town in America* and I'm not ashamed to admit it. People call up sports radio around here looking to talk about college sports and they literally get laughed off the radio (even on the football national championship game day, or during March Madness).

* Worst in regards to the college sports people actually care about, football and basketball. The Boston area is pretty much the hub of college hockey. This is why when top 5 ranked FSU football plays @BC on a Thursday night you can get tickets for $20 bucks on Stubhub, and why when UNC basketball plays @BC, the gym is 70-30 Carolina fans.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

I don't really understand the reluctance to call a spade a spade with regards to ATL's pro sports following. As pointed out, they have college sports they care about more. Boston is probably the worst major city college sports town in America* and I'm not ashamed to admit it. People call up sports radio around here looking to talk about college sports and they literally get laughed off the radio (even on the football national championship game day, or during March Madness).

* Worst in regards to the college sports people actually care about, football and basketball. The Boston area is pretty much the hub of college hockey. This is why when top 5 ranked FSU plays @BC on a Thursday night you can get tickets for $20 bucks on Stubhub, and why when UNC basketball plays @BC, the gym is 70-30 Carolina fans.

True true. It's an interesting dynamic down here. The Atlanta Braves have a TON of fans, wayyyy more than the Falcons or Hawks have, but a lot of those fans live an hour, two hours, three hours, or an entire state or two away, so the Braves' huge fanbase doesn't reflect itself in stadium attendance.

At least not on weeknights. On weekends and especially long weekends, the Braves sell out every game or come close to it, even in bad years. It's the blessing and curse of having a regional fanbase. It's why college football works. The game is once a week, so it gives people time to travel there.

 

[Hark_The_Sound_2010]

I'm ducking out of work for an hour or so to go check out the parade - should be good.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

I'm ducking out of work for an hour or so to go check out the parade - should be good.

Do people still care enough to throw a parade? Haha. Gotta figure it's getting old by now

 

[JuleZ '02 HEEL]

Do people still care enough to throw a parade? Haha. Gotta figure it's getting old by now

Apparently.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

Apparently.

Obviously the QB's wife cares. I meant the city.

 

[TarHeelMark]

Do people still care enough to throw a parade? Haha. Gotta figure it's getting old by now

It seems like a big deal in rawlee when you finish in the upper half of the conference. So I've heard....

 

[JuleZ '02 HEEL]

Obviously the QB's wife cares. I meant the city.

Ya don't say?

 

[TarHeelNation11]

Ya don't say?

 

[JuleZ '02 HEEL]

 

[Hark_The_Sound_2010]

Do people still care enough to throw a parade? Haha. Gotta figure it's getting old by now

People around here don't pass up the opportunity to get drunk in the morning and go watch the duck boats.

Which - the Bruins are well aware of. Knowing that the focus of the city was going to be on this parade today, they used it to their advantage and fired their coach today (longest tenured coach in the NHL before his firing), and will be holding a press conference discussing it right smack in the middle of the parade. Talk about burying a story.

 

[JuleZ '02 HEEL]

People around here don't pass up the opportunity to get drunk in the morning and go watch the duck boats.

We just call that Tuesday.