Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Generationally thanks to TBS, the Triangle was Braves country (with a very small contingent of Orioles fans). Only in the last decade have other teams made a dent in the market. And really that means the Yankees to be honest. But the UNC message board I’m part of, has an off-topic board with discussions on all things including pro sports. Only the Hurricanes have larger annual thread when it comes to pro sports teams. The Braves thread is much more popular than the Hornets, Panthers, or even the general MLB threads.
Generationally thanks to TBS, the Triangle was Braves country (with a very small contingent of Orioles fans). Only in the last decade have other teams made a dent in the market. And really that means the Yankees to be honest. But the UNC message board I’m part of, has an off-topic board with discussions on all things including pro sports. Only the Hurricanes have larger annual thread when it comes to pro sports teams. The Braves thread is much more popular than the Hornets, Panthers, or even the general MLB threads.
So, you're basing your assumption off of one message board? There are also several other maps that show which baseball team is most popular in Central and Eastern and none show the Braves as the dominant team. This is not Braves country and never has been. Atlanta is not that important to this area. No one here views Atlanta has the capital of our Piedmont region. We have six cities with a population over 200,000 and three metro regions that have way more than 1 million people each. Charlotte is close to 3 million, Raleigh/Durham is close to 2.5 million and Greensboro/Winston-Salem is close to 2 million. We don't look North or South for a capital city of North Carolina's Piedmont region, we have all we need right within our own state.
I’m basing it on a lifetime of watching and discussing Braves games in Raleigh.
On a separate note, Atlanta largely has a pull consistent with being a city 6 hours away. Stronger than Philadelphia which is 6 hours in the other direction, but certainly not as strong as Charlotte. Mostly Atlanta and Raleigh are similar in built-form and common cultural aspects. But as far as direct links, Braves are probably the strongest link.
I’m basing it on a lifetime of watching and discussing Braves games in Raleigh.
On a separate note, Atlanta largely has a pull consistent with being a city 6 hours away. Stronger than Philadelphia which is 6 hours in the other direction, but certainly not as strong as Charlotte. Mostly Atlanta and Raleigh are similar in built-form and common cultural aspects. But as far as direct links, Braves are probably the strongest link.
But, not as strong as Washington D.C. which is only 4 hours away. Many more from the Triangle go to visit the sites of the Nation's capital than go to Atlanta for the weekend. Also, people in our area don't consider Charlotte the "big city". It's the largest city in the state but it no way dominates North Carolina, the way Atlanta does Georgia.
And Raleigh and Atlanta are not the same in form or cultural aspects. Raleigh is part of a multi-nodal CSA which is basically known for tech, bioscience and education. Durham has it's own MSA even though this area is perceived as one metro area. There is very little business and entertainment here when compared to Atlanta. Atlanta moves at a much faster place and is called "Hotlanta" for a reason. Atlanta does have some tech and life science but it's really known for business and entertainment.
DC is definitely a long weekend vacation spot for Raleigh that Atlanta is not. It has arguably the best museums in the country. And the Redskins/Commanders are arguably one of the larger NFL fanbases in the area (behind the Panthers and likely Steelers/Cowboys). But no one viewed DC as similar to the Triangle. People go there for jobs and school to be sure, but it was always considered a strong change from the Triangle. Those moving to Atlanta were going for a more relaxed and familiar place.
The Triangle is much more oriented toward metro DC than Atlanta
Charlotte is definitely more oriented towards Atlanta. I feel the Triad is also more oriented towards Atlanta, although its pretty much equidistant to both
Here in the Triangle, Atlanta Braves or any of Atlanta professional teams were never strongly supported. I've lived in this area over 50 years and when the Braves won the World Series it was just another day. You didn't see Braves jerseys on people or flags on cars in any significant numbers. This area is college basketball, Durham Bulls and professional football which I would say there is almost just as many Cowboy fans as Panthers fan. I know some people want to make this somehow deep connection between Georgia and North Carolina, which really doesn't exist. You know there is the whole state of South Carolina that exist between these two states, that some people from Georgia act like doesn't exist. I think Georgia has more connection to Alabama than North Carolina. They share an extensive border, similar shape and both are Deep South states. And I guarantee you will find many more Falcons and Braves fan in Alabama than North Carolina.
Here is a map of the MLB baseball fan base in NC. Western half is mostly Braves, Central & Eastern half where the population is much higher are mostly Yankees https://www.mensjournal.com/sports/f...15-mlb-fan-map
Had your comment been limited to the Triangle only, I wouldn't have contested your assertion.
As far as the comparison between NC and GA goes, I think you misunderstood the point that was being made about their similarities (population, economy, amenities, etc). Nobody was arguing that they have some "deep connection" as though they are long lost twins. However they have long been competitors and western NC has historically been within metro Atlanta's larger regional sphere of influence. I'm not sure what's so objectionable about any of this.
Had your comment been limited to the Triangle only, I wouldn't have contested your assertion.
As far as the comparison between NC and GA goes, I think you misunderstood the point that was being made about their similarities (population, economy, amenities, etc). Nobody was arguing that they have some "deep connection" as though they are long lost twins. However they have long been competitors and western NC has historically been within metro Atlanta's larger regional sphere of influence. I'm not sure what's so objectionable about any of this.
I never said parts of western NC were not in Atlanta's sphere of influence. I reject the notion that somehow Raleigh-Durham is linked to Atlanta thru some "Super Piedmont" region some people have mentioned. And the false statement that in the Triangle we are Braves nation when it comes to baseball. I'm just saying in the Raleigh-Durham area we are not anyway linked to Atlanta or under Atlanta's regional sphere of influence. I can only speak on the area in which I have lived over 50 years.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
