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As a city with both the NFL and a top tier college football program, Miami sure lacks a sense of pride and excitement for the sport.
Maybe it's because the weather is so oppressively hot and humid in the early fall when many of the games take place? I know that I have been to college games in Sept. and Oct. and it's pretty unbearable when they are day games.
As a city with both the NFL and a top tier college football program, Miami sure lacks a sense of pride and excitement for the sport.
Maybe it's because the weather is so oppressively hot and humid in the early fall when many of the games take place? I know that I have been to college games in Sept. and Oct. and it's pretty unbearable when they are day games.
I think the support pretty solid, at both U of M and certainly the Dolphins, though I agree about the heat in early fall. They have what LA and San Diego has also got: great weather, lots of outdoor stuff to DO, and more stuff going on than the usual midwest football crazed town. And I think that gets misinterpreted as "fair-weather fans."
In short, it's a darned good fan base, but not obsessed and the only thing to live for. You know, like in Pittsburgh or Cleveland! (Browns fan here but even I roll my eyes at the folks who have nothing else to live for in the fall)
Well, sure. Every major metro has an NFL franchise. Twin Citians are, quite frankly, fair-weather Vikings fans. Maybe I run with a different crowd, but I never, ever hear anything about the Vikings unless one or more of them is embroiled in some outrageous scandal or abused their child or something.
It's a bold contrast a few miles over to the Wisconsin border, where upon crossing you see Packers green-and-gold paraphernalia ubiquitously like it's a religion or something. We must look like NFL atheists to the Sconnies.
Not from MN, but I was a HUGE Vikings fan as a kid back in the Met Stadium/Tarkenton days. I truly believe the domed stadium did it in MN. Vikings fans in the 60's and 70's were every bit as die-hard and dedicated and passionate as Packers and Bears fans while freezing. but seeing a football game in MN in December while wearing a golf shirt indoors takes the edge off.
And when they moved to the Metrodome, I looked closer to home and became a Browns fan. Needed a new cold-weather team with passionate fans to root for. I also love it that the Vikings are playing their games outdoors for a bit. Reminds me of the old days of seeing the snowdrifts on the field on TV.
The only domed team that it seems to work for? New Orleans. Maybe Detroit. But the Colts fans have gotten a lot better in the last decade so maybe them too. But truly hard to root for a team who has a military flyover consisting of a army helicopter flying up and down by the glass end zone window. Open the damn roof! It's 70 and beautiful, for crying out loud.
Old school, I know, I know.
Most places will have football fans and coverage. My husband and I couldnt care less and do not watch or follow games. We live in Ohio, 40 min north of Dayton and do not hear that much about football. Our town is about 30k pop. Ohio state football is talked about some and advertised but it isnt overwhelming. Its going to be hard finding a place that doesnt care about sports, professional or local. I dont think our town is all about it though.
Ohio St. football is a way of life in every part of Ohio, you clearly didn't grow up in Ohio.
Last edited by UKWildcat1981; 08-17-2015 at 04:45 PM..
Yeah, like aliasfinn said, St. Louis might work for you if you don't mind baseball. Everyone kind of forgets about the Rams.
St. Louis is to baseball what Green Bay is to football, I think.
When the football Cardinals left St. Louis for Arizona, there was a huge line all around Busch Stadium very early that morning. The press thought it was fans tearfully saying goodbye to their football team, or to protest, or whatever.
No. Instead, it was hundreds of folks lined up for baseball Cardinal season tickets that went on sale that morning.
St. Louis is to baseball what Green Bay is to football, I think.
When the football Cardinals left St. Louis for Arizona, there was a huge line all around Busch Stadium very early that morning. The press thought it was fans tearfully saying goodbye to their football team, or to protest, or whatever.
No. Instead, it was hundreds of folks lined up for baseball Cardinal season tickets that went on sale that morning.
Baseball is a dying sport, the season is too long. I used to like MLB a lot more back in the day, its mostly boring now until Sept and Oct. I will give it to MLB, they have an amazing post season thou, very long and boring regular season thou.
Football's still by far the biggest sport in Minnesota, sorry to burst people's bubbles. Vikings dominate tv ratings. Gopher football is second most watched.
Only events that match any Gopher or Viking football game rating and attention wise here are Twins and Wild playoff games.
Football's still by far the biggest sport in Minnesota, sorry to burst people's bubbles. Vikings dominate tv ratings. Gopher football is second most watched.
Only events that match any Gopher or Viking football game rating and attention wise here are Twins and Wild playoff games.
Yet half the humpty-dome is Packer fans when the teams play there. NFL is by far the most popular team sport in America, but in the Twin Cities it's at a much-lower level than most NFL cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpl1228
St. Louis is to baseball what Green Bay is to football, I think.
In many ways. Have thought this for a long time.
And because I hate the Cards (as a Brewers fan - don't cry for me, please), I can understand what the rest of the division feels regarding the Packers and their fans.
I think how good a team certainly affects the spirit , and college towns are on another level to pro football in how it changes communities and areas. Gameday in gainesville literally changes the whole feel of Gainesville , gator nation takes over the whole town
Last edited by floridanative10; 08-18-2015 at 09:35 AM..
This is all true. Being the poster team that went but could never win a Super Bowl, along with the Bills, probably doesn't help. Nor amateur/pro hockey, which is enormous there. Even the big college (go Goofers!) can't muster a good football (or basketball) team. Support is good for the Twins (great park, too). NFL just doesn't connect the same way it does in most other cities. Part of this is certainly the history of futility (despite some classic squads), but it's weird to me that an early American football state like Minnesota isn't on board like WI, MI (even with the Lions!), IL, and so on.
I don't know where you or Jennifat get your information from, but as being somebody who grew up in MN and was a Vikings fan, I did not find this to be true. Just because they lose big games does not take away from our fandom.....just like the Cubs fanbase of the lovable losers -- and both fanbases will say the same thing at the beginning of each year: "I hope they'll win it all this year, but I wouldn't be shocked if they found a way to choke again". There's a difference between not caring and not blindly believing your team will triumph. In fact, I'd say a smart, level-headed fanbase would know to be realistic.
*Edit: while trying to search for the article I recall showing the Vikings as the favorite team in the Twin Cities, I saw this article discussing the top 10 fanbases in the NFL (Vikings are #7):
Last edited by Min-Chi-Cbus; 08-18-2015 at 09:52 AM..
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