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Wow, just wow. You're actually questioning Philadelphia fans' sports knowledge?
This is precisely why Boston is looked at for being so arrogant and full of themselves.
Flyers fans are way more knowledgeable about the game than Bruins fans I've met. Most Bruins fans I know just became fans.
Go ahead and walk around 30th Street Station asking what offsides is. I hope you get a nice Philadelphia welcome for it, having the audacity to even ask such a thing.
Not flyers fans random Philadelphians. I went to aHigh School of just under 1,000 students and there was a Boys Varsity, JV, and Freshman team as well as a girls team.
I know people who schools in NJ, PA, IN and OH and on Long Island that didn't even have a boys Hockey team. So I know for a fact Hockey is much more prevelant in New England than it is down in the Mid Atlantic or Lower Midwest and its actually a fact.
That Bruins Forum has a total of 1.26 million posts on the same site the Flyers forum has 668,000 and the Capitals forum has 333,000, and thr Stars have 140,000 the so unless they don't have computers down in PA it appears the Bruins have a broader fanbase.
Not flyers fans random Philadelphians. I went to aHigh School of just under 1,000 students and there was a Boys Varsity, JV, and Freshman team as well as a girls team.
I know people who schools in NJ, PA, IN and OH and on Long Island that didn't even have a boys Hockey team. So I know for a fact Hockey is much more prevelant in New England than it is down in the Mid Atlantic or Lower Midwest and its actually a fact.
Again, you're underestimating the presence of hockey in SEPA, which is seeing USA hockey growth. There are plenty examples of non-hockey markets and clueless fanbases. Philadelphia is not one of them. There are a ton of players from the Philly area, past and present. Top picks (B Ryan, Gaudreau) and old (Richter).
I'm from Upstate NY. Well aware of the hockey culture. Whenever I head to Boston, it's passive. Philadelphia is much easier to strike up casual conversation about hockey, especially the Flyers.
All my friends in Philly played ice or roller growing up. The Flyers are higher on the sports totem pole in Philadelphia than the Bruins are in Boston. Boston is more transient, and like someone else said, more likely to follow the Celtics post-grad than the Bruins.
What's next? Patriots fans are more knowledgeable than Eagles fans?
Philadelphia and Boston are both knowledgeable, but trying to make Boston out like it's more knowledgeable? That's hilarious.
That Bruins Forum has a total of 1.26 million posts on the same site the Flyers forum has 668,000 and the Capitals forum has 333,000, and thr Stars have 140,000 the so unless they don't have computers down in PA it appears the Bruins have a broader fanbase.
Lets look at local Colleges by Marquee Sports
Boston College:ACC Football, ACC in Basketball, HEA Hockey, Football/Hockey #1
Boston University: No Football team, Patriot League Basketball, HEA Hockey, Hockey #1
Northeastern: No Football, Colonial Basketball, HEA Hockey, Hockey #1
Harvard: DIAA Football, Ivy Basketball, ECAC Hockey Basketball #1
Bentley:Only DI sport is Atlantic Hockey, Hockey #1
Merrimack: Only DI sport is Hockey, Hockey #1
Umass-Lowell- No football team, NE 10 Basketball, HEA Hockey, Hockey #1
See a trend? Little Football, lots of Hockey
Philly: 0 DI Hockey programs (unless you count Princeton)
Washington: 0 DI Hockey Programs
Baltimore: 0 DI Hockey Programs
Chicago: 0 DI Hockey Programs
See a trend?
Lets look at local Colleges by Marquee Sports
Boston College:ACC Football, ACC in Basketball, HEA Hockey, Football/Hockey #1
Boston University: No Football team, Patriot League Basketball, HEA Hockey, Hockey #1
Northeastern: No Football, Colonial Basketball, HEA Hockey, Hockey #1
Harvard: DIAA Football, Ivy Basketball, ECAC Hockey Basketball #1
Bentley:Only DI sport is Atlantic Hockey, Hockey #1
Merrimack: Only DI sport is Hockey, Hockey #1
Umass-Lowell- No football team, NE 10 Basketball, HEA Hockey, Hockey #1
See a trend? Little Football, lots of Hockey
Philly: 0 DI Hockey programs (unless you count Princeton)
Washington: 0 DI Hockey Programs
Baltimore: 0 DI Hockey Programs
Chicago: 0 DI Hockey Programs
See a trend?
College is one small part of the sports landscape, and you're grasping at straws if you think the Bruins fickle attendance doesn't reflect fairweather hockey tendencies. We're somehow supposed to believe everyone cares about hockey like they do in Minnesota but their biggest pro team with the most history couldn't even sell out games. Sorry.
I know very well of the hockey history in the region, but its 2017. Other states are booming in terms of USA hockey enrollment (relatively speaking, more specifically western states) as well as other states while MA has plateaued. You're relying so much on reputation.
As if the same argument would hold weight if Dallas or Houston didn't sellout their NFL games despite the large presence of college football, which is 100x the magnitude of college hockey which is niche.
College is one small part of the sports landscape, and you're grasping at straws if you think the Bruins fickle attendance doesn't reflect fairweather hockey tendencies. We're somehow supposed to believe everyone cares about hockey like they do in Minnesota but their biggest pro team with the most history couldn't even sell out games. Sorry.
I know very well of the hockey history in the region, but its 2017. Other states are booming in terms of USA hockey enrollment (relatively speaking, more specifically western states) as well as other states while MA has plateaued. You're relying so much on reputation.
As if the same argument would hold weight if Dallas or Houston didn't sellout their NFL games despite the large presence of college football, which is 100x the magnitude of college hockey which is niche.
Niche and regional are not the same thing. College Hockey attendance in the Boston area (excluding UNH) is generally in the mid 500,000s. That is equivalent to a lower tier NHL team like the Islanders or Hurricanes.
And yes, low Attendance at Falcons games are often attributed to Atlanta being in SEC country, and the Pacers are in direct computation with Purdue, IU and Norte Dame.
In 1991 the Minnesota North Stars averaged 7,838 fans per game, and averaged under 14,000 14/26 years. does that mean that the Minnesota doesn't love hockey?
I grew up playing hockey my entire life from like 7-18 in Cleveland. Cleveland is a decent city for hockey. But we'd always go play in Detroit and it felt like that place was more into hockey. Played some teams in Minnesota and Ontario as well. The quality of their teams just was exceptional. Not that they were better athletes or in better shape, or faster or whatever, but it was obvious that their hockey IQ was just 25 points higher than ours. Always knew exactly what to do at exactly the right time.
For what it's worth, no city really knows anything about hockey overall. I bet the VAST majority of Bostonians couldn't tell you what offsides is, especially considering how many actually could accurately describe what a foul ball or field goal are (I consider those to be equally basic in baseball and football as offsides is to hockey). I also think this is true of all other major cities in the USA.
I grew up playing hockey my entire life from like 7-18 in Cleveland. Cleveland is a decent city for hockey. But we'd always go play in Detroit and it felt like that place was more into hockey. Played some teams in Minnesota and Ontario as well. The quality of their teams just was exceptional. Not that they were better athletes or in better shape, or faster or whatever, but it was obvious that their hockey IQ was just 25 points higher than ours. Always knew exactly what to do at exactly the right time.
For what it's worth, no city really knows anything about hockey overall. I bet the VAST majority of Bostonians couldn't tell you what offsides is, especially considering how many actually could accurately describe what a foul ball or field goal are (I consider those to be equally basic in baseball and football as offsides is to hockey). I also think this is true of all other major cities in the USA.
I would doubt there are many people in the country who don't know what a foul ball is. Just from playing wiffle ball on the beach, or kickball in gym class, or little league people would know what a foul ball is. Unlike Hockey where there are many fans who have never played, in Baseball there are tons of people who have played baseball or a derivative (Softball, Kickball, Wiffleball, Matball) but aren't fans.
Field goals maybe because while touch/flag football may be something people playin gym class they probably would not have a kicker.
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