Who Does Baltimore Root For In The NHL/NBA? (transplants, college)

[Hudlander]

Come winter time, between the NFL and MLB, I was curious, does Baltimore follow and care about the NHL/NBA OR just NCAAB Maryland?

If you do root for an NHL team, which is it?
Some would think the Caps, since they are close by, however I know many Baltimore people dislike Washington, and therefor would think Philly (blue collar, nearby) might get the fans of Baltimore or Pittsburgh since they have many transplants.

What about NBA team fans?

[KodeBlue]

I dont know too many people that like Hockey so i cant really answer... as far as basketball, most people i know like the celtics..personally, i like the knicks at the moment

[davecj]

Caps and Terps hold us off until lacrosse season starts.

[Steelers10]

If the South is a horrible fan base for Pro Football, then there isn't a viable pro sports town south of Philadelphia as it pertains to the NBA. Not only did the Bullets move from Baltimore to Washington, they changed their name to the "Wizards" which sounds like a youth-league soccer team. The only person I ever recall wearing any Wizards paraphernalia is when one time Mariah Carey wore a dress made out of a Wizards jersey.

I couldn't name a die-hard Wizards fan. Baltimore does not root for a franchise that bailed on them. Baltimore used to have its own ABA franchise as well. If a team were to locate in Baltimore then I think the fan base would be more loyal then the one in Washington, but Baltimoreans don't strike me as the type of fans that are going to root for a specific team (like the Sixers or Wizards) from cities that under any other terms would be considered rivals.

[davecj]

Originally Posted by Steelers10

If the South is a horrible fan base for Pro Football, then there isn't a viable pro sports town south of Philadelphia as it pertains to the NBA. Not only did the Bullets move from Baltimore to Washington, they changed their name to the "Wizards" which sounds like a youth-league soccer team. The only person I ever recall wearing any Wizards paraphernalia is when one time Mariah Carey wore a dress made out of a Wizards jersey.

I couldn't name a die-hard Wizards fan. Baltimore does not root for a franchise that bailed on them. Baltimore used to have its own ABA franchise as well. If a team were to locate in Baltimore then I think the fan base would be more loyal then the one in Washington, but Baltimoreans don't strike me as the type of fans that are going to root for a specific team (like the Sixers or Wizards) from cities that under any other terms would be considered rivals.

Summed it up perfectly. Maybe there are a couple intelligent Steeler fans out there

[rudy_d]

I have to agree. Baltimore is a football and baseball town (probably in that order, though a decade ago it was the reverse), with lacrosse and NCAA basketball to fill the void between seasons for some. I've met very few people here who even follow the NBA (much less die-hard fans) but have a handful of friends who like hockey. The tend to be either Caps or Pens fans depending on where they transplanted from. International soccer seems to have more of a following here than NHL or NBA based on the crowds I saw at bars last summer to watch the World Cup.

[ltong1009]

None of the above. Is MJ still playing for the Wizards? I thought the NHL folded years ago.

[Steelers10]

Originally Posted by davecj

Summed it up perfectly. Maybe there are a couple intelligent Steeler fans out there

Hey, I never had anything against the city of Baltimore and I go there every now and then. Remember, Baltimore and Pittsburgh didn't even become football rivals again (Colts and Stillers were in different decisions when they took the deal to come rule the AFC in the 70s after the AFL-NFL merger) until the Browns came from Cleveland. It the heart of the Stillers the Ravens just took the place of the Browns. Quite frankly, it isn't even mildly accurate to call what's going on with the expansion Browns a "rivalry".

Baltimore has always been a great basketball town and I think the 1st Mariner Arena (or at least its site) could be the best pro basketball venue in the NBA next to the Knicks (Madison Square Garden). But the fact that the arena is outdated doesn't even put Baltimore in the picture for the Hornets relocation sweepstakes. Pittsburgh's new arena looks favorably but when the NBA started putting teams in Sacramento, Orlando, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City it was clear that they weren't looking for actual fans but just for new arenas. Real sports cities like Baltimore and Pittsburgh don't get much love in the t-shirt cannon era of the NBA. I'll go for a fix but I've seen operating rooms less quiet and sterile than the Verizon Center.

[KodeBlue]

Originally Posted by Steelers10

Hey, I never had anything against the city of Baltimore and I go there every now and then. Remember, Baltimore and Pittsburgh didn't even become football rivals again (Colts and Stillers were in different decisions when they took the deal to come rule the AFC in the 70s after the AFL-NFL merger) until the Browns came from Cleveland. It the heart of the Stillers the Ravens just took the place of the Browns. Quite frankly, it isn't even mildly accurate to call what's going on with the expansion Browns a "rivalry".

Baltimore has always been a great basketball town and I think the 1st Mariner Arena (or at least its site) could be the best pro basketball venue in the NBA next to the Knicks (Madison Square Garden). But the fact that the arena is outdated doesn't even put Baltimore in the picture for the Hornets relocation sweepstakes. Pittsburgh's new arena looks favorably but when the NBA started putting teams in Sacramento, Orlando, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City it was clear that they weren't looking for actual fans but just for new arenas. Real sports cities like Baltimore and Pittsburgh don't get much love in the t-shirt cannon era of the NBA. I'll go for a fix but I've seen operating rooms less quiet and sterile than the Verizon Center.

technically the Ravens are an expansion team. the brown are a "RE ACTIVATED" team.

and the Staples Center is the best basketball venue..IMO

[westsideboy]

The Ravens are the Browns. The new Browns are well, just bad. I love to read media stories that state that the Steeler - Raven rivalry began in 1996; as though the greatest rivalry in pro sports just materialized out of the aether one day. The animosity between the teams was the same before they stepped on the plane in Cleveland, and after they got off at BWI.

Same owners, same front office, same players (until Stover left.) I don't care what whitewashing of history the NFL tried to create to convince people that the new Browns are real Browns and these Ravens characters are some expansion team - it isn't true. My all-team Ravens team has Otto Graham at quarterback, Jim Brown at RB, Jonathan Ogden at LT, and Ed Reed at FS and so on. They would be VERY tough to beat.

Now to answer the question, MD is a college basketball state, like our Southern neighbors. Pro ball is just a diversion. Don't know much personally about hockey or what they think of it in Baltimore. I just know I can never find the darn puck on TV which makes watching it pretty boring. I saw a game live once in DC, it was pretty neat.