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i kinda want a make a map of the usa showing which is the most popular sport (to watch and play) in each state....so what is the most popular in your state or county?
i have a feeling this is going to be useless because every state will probably be "football", however i think hockey might dominate alaska, maine, north dakota and maybe michigan or minnesota. is baseball still wildly popular in ny and new england? does nascar come close to eclippsing football anywhere in the south? what about golf in florida and arizona?
There is such a thing as "state sport", but what do the government bureaucrats know...
One could make it more scientific if one had full access to Nelson TV ratings data, but the most consistent cable ratings winner nation-wide is pro wresting...
Last edited by Alex Libman; 01-31-2009 at 04:31 AM..
Most states are too large for any one sport to be "the" sport everyone follows. I know where I lived in Maine the be-all end-all for sports was basketball. The area I am at now in Michigan it is Baseball with Soccer gaining ground. Other areas of Michigan area football, while yet others are mainly Hockey.
Indiana has long been a basketball state. In the past decade, due to a few factors (notably class basketball and Peyton Manning); football has been gaining ground on all levels.
Nebraska is unique. Here the number one sport is football, but not any football, but Cornhusker football. The sports teams of the University of Nebraska get great loyalty here. Any sport that UNL has a team gets great coverage and is followed by the public religiously. The UNL women's volleyball team has been a top five team for quite a while. The number of peole that follow them on the radio, in the paper, on TV is quite impressive. People, not even avid sports fans know the players and their stories. Same applies for UNL wrestling and baseball.
Nebraska has one Division I school for football, and Creighton for other sports, but the dedication to UNL sports is quite overwhelming. Of course there is no major league level sports in Nebraska. Some folks might not know who is in the Super Bowl, but they can tell you the depth chart for the Husker offensive line or the women's volleyball team.
It's a statewide unifying thing and makes a Nebraskan a Nebraksan. Me I'm a transplant so while I admire the loyality of UNL sports, I still root for teams outside of Nebraska.
In central New York, lacrosse is a sport with a very passionate following even though there are no professional teams. High school and college lacrosse. Of course, CNY is the birthplace of lacrosse.
hockey-Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota
football-Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming
basketball-Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky
lacrosse-Maryland
track and field/cross country-Oregon
In the states not listed, no one sport dominates. It's hard to think of a state where baseball is the most popular. A lot of states like baseball, but those states like other sports too. With soccer, very few people like it no matter where you are. It's possible for people in any state to like soccer, but there's no state where soccer stands out as the most popular.
hockey-Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota
football-Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming
basketball-Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky
lacrosse-Maryland
track and field/cross country-Oregon
In the states not listed, no one sport dominates. It's hard to think of a state where baseball is the most popular. A lot of states like baseball, but those states like other sports too. With soccer, very few people like it no matter where you are. It's possible for people in any state to like soccer, but there's no state where soccer stands out as the most popular.
Basketball is just as big as lacrosse in Maryland. Especially with the amount of Talent in the DC and Baltimore area such as Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony.
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