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What are we defining as sports town? Spectator sports? That seems where this road takes us when this sort of question is posed. While Chicago isn't big on college sports, I can say unequivocally that Boston is the worst college sports area in the country. Nobody cares, even when UMass or BC are good in basketball and football. Duke comes to town to play BC on the hardwood. Clemson comes to town to play on the gridiron- you wouldn't even know it was happening if you weren't depending on a national sports outlet. Boston also has demonstrated that its TV ratings subside more drastically when a big event like the World Series etc... doesn't include a Boston team. And the Celtics? Some times you don't even know they exist in that town- never mind lean years, but even know when they are good, they seem forgotten about unless literally they are playing in the NBA Finals (such as about 9 years ago). My personal experience is that Boston fans are big on "rah-rah, go team", but have little/no expertise when it comes to the rest of the respective league. Sports talk radio? God is it awful in Boston- same talking point, same stupid soap opera stories rather than spending even a second on some big national sporting event that doesn't include a Boston pro team competing, even if it is occurring that day or the night before.
That tells me that Boston is provincial. Boston cares about College Sports they just don't care about colleges outside of New England. Sure the Iron Bowl doesn't make waves but Harvard-Yale does. Yes the Crosstown Shootout is irrelevant but UMass-Harvard or UMass-Boston College does get attention.
and no city compares to Boston when it comes to College Hockey.
Also the college competition with the largest crowds in the country is in Boston every year, The Head of the Charles
Villanova? Hello? In any event, its like picking among the lesser of all evils. None of the three qualify as "better", just less worse. Boston is horrendous. College hockey is a niche sport, but fair enough to the poster who brought that up. But major college football and basketball has almost no place at the roundtable in/around Boston. It even makes NY and Chicago look feel like Lexington, KY, or Tuscaloosa, AL in comparison.
Villanova? Hello? In any event, its like picking among the lesser of all evils. None of the three qualify as "better", just less worse. Boston is horrendous. College hockey is a niche sport, but fair enough to the poster who brought that up. But major college football and basketball has almost no place at the roundtable in/around Boston. It even makes NY and Chicago look feel like Lexington, KY, or Tuscaloosa, AL in comparison.
What's going on college wise in ny and Chicago? St. John's, Rutgers, Illinois, northwestern ?? Providence college has a passionate fan base 45 min south. None of these places are Kentucky. Still I personally am more of a pro sports fan. Rather watch highest level of talent.
What's going on college wise in ny and Chicago? St. John's, Rutgers, Illinois, northwestern ?? Providence college has a passionate fan base 45 min south. None of these places are Kentucky. Still I personally am more of a pro sports fan. Rather watch highest level of talent.
Again I go back to the question itself. Are we talking winning teams? Or are we talking about fan loyalty? There were a lot of loyal Illini fans I recall even though over several eras, would be classified as just an "okay" program. There is a strong contingent of ND football fans also around Chicago, even if S. Bend is a good 90 minute drive. I actually thought about Providence College. I think they have always had a passionate base, but it has always been a real small passionate base. It seems the interest level has weened for the Friars thru the years, even in the intermediate years when they have had good teams. NY is no hotbed, but there is some what more general interest in the college sports teams- doesn't matter that its not necessarily the local colleges people are interested in.
Chicago.....Every lounge and club is secretly a sports bar trying to be something other than a sports bar.....and every convo at work will manage to lead eventually talking about sports....You could be talk about your girlfriend problems and someone would ask who such and such athlete is dating.....You could be discussing moving into a specific neighborhood and how you hate packing amd someone will remind you that such and such athlete lives there or close by.....Not necessarily active people but they love to talk about and watch sports IN ANY SETTING.......Ppl in L.A are very much into being active and staying fit but they don't talk about sports as much....L.A people participate in sports than talking about it.....Chicagoans are hardcore sports fanatics to the point of annoyance....yet the participation is almost none.....and the point of annoyance is having sport memorabilia hanging on your office cubicle and drinking out of your favorite sport team coffee mug.....coming to work in sports team colors....or someone pulling out their wallet at a gas station and to find that their wallet is a sports team wallet......Sometimes it's just too much.....and the irony of it all is that most ppl in Chicago don't actually participate in sport....nah.....they just love to watch it on tv.....talk about it...and wear memorabilia from head to toe....lol
Villanova? Hello? In any event, its like picking among the lesser of all evils. None of the three qualify as "better", just less worse. Boston is horrendous. College hockey is a niche sport, but fair enough to the poster who brought that up. But major college football and basketball has almost no place at the roundtable in/around Boston. It even makes NY and Chicago look feel like Lexington, KY, or Tuscaloosa, AL in comparison.
College Hockey isn't niche in Boston, its mainstream.
Also the fact that Massachusetts has 6 Hockey East Teams, and most every of the 20 teams in New England play each other because there isn't a whole lot of OOC options, that means that people are not going to be fans of UMass or Boston College in any other sport because they are rivals in Hockey. Asking a BU alum to root for Boston College in anything would be like asking a Michigan fan to root for Ohio State. No team can get the critical mass to penetrate into mass media, but people care in their little bubbles.
College Hockey isn't niche in Boston, its mainstream.
Disagree, but whatever; I still acknowledge the interest is enough that it one aspect Boston has going for it when it comes to the original question posed by the OP.
Disagree, but whatever; I still acknowledge the interest is enough that it one aspect Boston has going for it when it comes to the original question posed by the OP.
If college hockey in Boston gets 5,000 at BU and BC it's the same as the Big 5. UNH and UMass Lowell are also in the metro
I'm sorry. I am a Chicagoan and, though i love my city, i recognize its faults. Chicago shouldn't be considered among the best sports cities, doesn't belomg on this list. How can Chicago be considered a great sports town when doesn't even have an NFL team!!!
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