red sox nation--southern outpost? (Columbia, Greenville: transplants, college, living in)

[thechappells]

first of all, i just want to state that i'm not trying to start a argument or anything negative, just trying to satisfy my husband's curiosity.

so, a little background: my family and i moved down here in august from MA. we're a former military couple & between the two of us, we've moved around extensively. now that we're both out and settled (in the area where my husband grew up), we've noticed something peculiar: there are A LOT of red sox fans here in SC. so this is my husband's question: "are there really that many sox fans down here? or is it the "in" logo to wear these days?"

[swampwolf]

Some of us haven't forgotten when the Babe played for them back in the day.

One thing that may be a clue or may be irrelevant, team merchandise, particularly clothing, become the symbols of gangs sometimes temporarily, sometimes longer-term.

I don't know the current gang affiliation of the Red Sox clothing (certainly not on the club's part), but I suspect it may be the Bloods. Look around and see who has their caps on sideways, and to which side. If there's a consistency as to which side, you've found an opportunistic gang symbol.

[waccamatt]

Gangs aside, there are a lot of New England natives living in Columbia, I work with a couple. I'd like to think the Red Sox paraphernalia is related to transplants mostly.

[thechappells]

thanks, matt. i think so, too. the folks we saw sporting their gear didn't appear to be associated with any gangs. i know that there are a few transplants here from NE, i guess we just didn't realize that there are more than we had originally thought.

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by thechappells

thanks, matt. i think so, too. the folks we saw sporting their gear didn't appear to be associated with any gangs. i know that there are a few transplants here from NE, i guess we just didn't realize that there are more than we had originally thought.

The Greenville Drive is a minor league team for the Red Sox, so that could exlain some of it as well. There is great deal of Red Sox merchandise sold in the Drive's team store at Fluor Field, as well as throughout the region.

[thechappells]

well, that's good to know that i don't have to bug my family in NE to send down some bo-sox gear

[mrjake]

We Moved Here from Woburn Ma in 05

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by gsupstate

The Greenville Drive is a minor league team for the Red Sox, so that could exlain some of it as well. There is great deal of Red Sox merchandise sold in the Drive's team store at Fluor Field, as well as throughout the region.

That is true, and don't forget that the Drive franchise (fka "the Bombers") actually left Columbia for a much greener pasture in the Upstate. Perhaps some of the Red Sox merchandise appeal is leftover from those years when a Red Sox affiliate was in town? Additionally, I would say from observation that it seems plausible to assume merchandise from any recent World Series winning team sells quite well during and after the championship. The same applies to successful College teams, apparently. As Waccamatt mentioned above, lots of New England transplants live in our larger cities, Columbia and Greenville, so it is not surprising to see fans wearing the gear when the team performs well. Regardless of the exact reason(s), there are also many new fans in the Upstate (myself included), since the arrival of our fantastic local franchise, the Greenville Drive. Watching the good old game played on that mini replica of Fenway Park is nothing short of completely satisfying. It was rated the Ballpark of the Year in 2006.

[g-man430]

Hey, I work for the Drive. The Bombers were a NY Mets affailiate when they were in Columbia and then switched over the Red Sox when they moved to Greenville.

[Skyliner]

Thanks for that information. I didn't realize the MLB affiliation had changed.