Help - American Sports

Hoping for a sensible answer from one of our US reds.

So I understand you have American Football - Ice Hockey and Basketball.  But how are these sports split in America. Does it tend to split on race, or geography, or on wealth?

As an example I would say that for instance that Rugby Union tends to be followed in the south of England, Rugby League is a North of England sport and football, tends to be more popular in all the cities North of Birmingham?

Answers on a postcard please?

Obviously I'm not a US Red but I have a fair few friends over there and from what I understand American Football and Basketball seem to be immensely popular nationwide regardless of race etc.

Ice Hockey seems to be more popular in the states that border Canada or The Great Lakes such as Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York State etc etc. There are teams from as far South as Florida, Carolina and even Texas but the vast majority are in the Northern states or in Canada itself.

My team of choice? The Detroit Redwings

Did some research with my yank friends @ work yesterday and the previous poster is correct. American football, basketball and baseball are nationwide and appeal to all demographics. Ice hockey is working class, white and north, east and north east in general. The one thing to remember is  all teams are subject to moves due to being franchises. I get the feeling from living here for 10 years that even though they'd hate to admit it that most american sports fans are 'fair weather fans' and treat going to games as a nice day out rather a real passionate affair. 

My team of choice? The Detroit Redwings

As is mine

Obviously I'm not a US Red but I have a fair few friends over there and from what I understand American Football and Basketball seem to be immensely popular nationwide regardless of race etc.

Ice Hockey seems to be more popular in the states that border Canada or The Great Lakes such as Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York State etc etc. There are teams from as far South as Florida, Carolina and even Texas but the vast majority are in the Northern states or in Canada itself.

My team of choice? The Detroit Redwings

Pretty much hit the nail on the head. The further south you go the less hockey becomes relevant, the further north you go the less basketball becomes relevant. Football is like, well, our football, it's the most watched and most covered sport. There's also huge Nascar followings in the US.. *shudders*

Different sports are popular in different regions as well, I live in Ontario and played Lacrosse and the most popular high-school sport here is Rugby, probably because Canadian rules football is lame. The MLS (actual football) is also seemingly successful and ever expanding, with new clubs joining every year. It's a land of immigrants, the sports culture reflects it.

Edit:

I forgot about baseball. Thank god...

Baseball is hit and miss, the big teams like the Yankees and Red Sox keep the league afloat, the Blue-Jays can't give away tickets and fill the Rogers Centre. Literally, they have 'two dollar Tuesdays' and don't sell out.

I understand in the deep south Nascar is massive!

Ice hockey is working class, white and north, east and north east in general.

Hockey use to be working class but not any more, it is a rich kids sport now

Since I am an American and a HUGE sports fan, I guess I am able to answer the question.


Baseball, Basketball and Football(American).. are generally popular in all areas of America.  Baseball is "America's Pastime" however it is not the most popular.  Of the major sports leagues, American Football, the NFL is the wealthiest and most popular league.   

Those sports are equally divided around the country with regards to fanbase.

Hockey is the #4 sport.  Hockey is generally popular in the Midwest and North East and in the states that border Canada.  I would't necessarily call it a "Rich Kid" sport.  I know plenty of poor kids that played hockey. However, Out of all the sports Hockey is probably the most expensive in terms of equipment and in terms of playing in an actual indoor arena. It is expensive for youth leagues to rent the Ice and use of an arena. But their are clubs and leagues in poor areas and wealthy areas.  I am sure the wealthiest towns and leagues have better equipment and facilities, but the rivalry and level of the game is the same.

In regards to regionalization of sports, that is more truthful in the amature leagues and College/High School sports.  In the Northeast College Basketball and High School Basketball are HUGE!!!! No question.    But, In the South and Southwest College and High School Football are HUGE. 

The regionalization of the amature sports is due to these areas not having professional sports.  College and High School sports are big in Nebraska,Oklahoma,Iowa,Utah and the Dakotas only because those states never really had decades of professional sports teams. 

The Southern US is mainly College Football and Nascar.   NASCAR originated in the Southern US and more than 75% of the NASCAR fan base is "Southern"

I wouldn't necessarily classify any sport as a white or black sport but their are definate proprtions between races.  Hockey is generally a "White" sport. The majority of those playing and training in these Hockey areas are White. The facilities needed to play organized Hockey are generally outside of the Urban centers and are not conducive to the Inner City where the majority population of Black youth live and go to school.

The Basketball majority is Black. Due to the game being played in more urban areas and settings.  The majority of Great players in Basketball are Black. The game itself is geared more towards the black youth and in large urban areas their is a stronger following. Its sociology, It is what it is. 

As someone who spent 20+ years in the States, I agree with the Yank

College American Football is absurd in the South. They take it very, VERY seriously.

The most overall popular is the NFL by far, imo. Now, some cities may take their NBA/MLB/NHL team more seriously but that is rare on the whole.

As someone who spent 20+ years in the States, I agree with the Yank

College American Football is absurd in the South. They take it very, VERY seriously.

The most overall popular is the NFL by far, imo. Now, some cities may take their NBA/MLB/NHL team more seriously but that is rare on the whole.

The only cities where Basketball and Baseball are as popular as the NFL team would be New York, Boston and Chicago.  Those 3 cities are pretty equal when it comes to their love of the pro teams. I wouldn't be able to say which team and which sport was more popular. New York has the Giants and Jets but they also have the Yankees,Mets,Rangers and Knicks.  Boston has the New England Patriots, but they also have the Celtics and Red Sox. Chicago has the Bears, but they also have the Cubs and Bulls.   Other than those 3 cities their is no other city which has a sport more popular than their NFL team. One exception would be L.A.   The Lakers are the kings of Cali. However, L.A doesn't have an NFL team right now, and when they did the Lakers were still more popular than the Rams or Raiders.

I was just about to say, I would put LA in there but they can't seem to get an NFL team there.

Having lived in Detroit, i would say the Red Wings are more popular than the Lions/Tigers.

I also have spent a year in Chicago and the Cubs are king though that is just me saying that.

Yeah, your right about Detroit.  The Red Wings are definately the top team. Being within 20 miles of Canada, its not a stretch that Hockey is the more popular sport.

The Cubs are really popular in Chicago.  They are easily the top Baseball team but, I dont know if they are more popular than the Bears.  If anything it is just about equal.

American sports seem to be devised as advertising opportunities and have a lot of breaks.I hate watching sport on ITV because every opportunity is taken to throw in a commercial break. I confess to not understanding a lot of them and maybe thats the problem.

American sports seem to be devised as advertising opportunities and have a lot of breaks.I hate watching sport on ITV because every opportunity is taken to throw in a commercial break. I confess to not understanding a lot of them and maybe thats the problem.

No, you aren't off at all.

It is in fact a commercial fest.

Though, I will say that it seems more and more popular sports around the globe are slowly turning to that.

Is that because people now have the attention span of a gnat.

Is that because people now have the attention span of a gnat.

Money runs the world

American sports seem to be devised as advertising opportunities and have a lot of breaks.I hate watching sport on ITV because every opportunity is taken to throw in a commercial break. I confess to not understanding a lot of them and maybe thats the problem.

I'll admit their is WAY TO MANY commercials. It is non stop. However, you'll notice that in the American Sports their are no commercial sponsors on the Uniforms. Like in EPL every team has a sponsor on the jersey. I wish we had less commercials and advertised during the game.
Their has been talk about adding sponsors to uniforms bur for now it wont happen and we continue with nonstop commercial breaks.

Then their is the "Traditional" argument. It is almost sacrilegious to add a sponsor patch to the Yankee pinstripes or the Dallas Cowboys helmet. So on top of commercials we have advertising all over the fields and stadiums. Its give and take..

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My team of choice? The Detroit Redwings

Anaheim Ducks broke my heart this year you boys, but the Penguins avenged it for me

Even coming from Australia, allthough now residing in the US, football is by far the big sport. The one american sport that gets shown on free-to-air tv in Australia is the Superbowl, and gets decent ratings there too.

American sports seem to be devised as advertising opportunities and have a lot of breaks.I hate watching sport on ITV because every opportunity is taken to throw in a commercial break. I confess to not understanding a lot of them and maybe thats the problem.

I think the flow of the game dictates that SOMETHING has to be shown. For example, between at bats in baseball the teams swap positions, the on-field players toss the ball around and the pitcher loosens up while the opposing team prepares to bat. This takes a few minutes in itself and SOMEONE has to pay for the television airtime.

On a personal note, I just don't want to hear Joe Buck or Tim McCarver for a few minutes. And, it gives me time to go to the bathroom/grab a beer/relax my vocal cords because I've been cursing Buck & McCarver... (really, I can't stand the pair of them).

I've managed to go to NBA (Toronto Raptors), NHL (Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes), MLB (Toronto Blue Jays and Yankees) - and off to Wembley for the NFL game in Oct - having been in the States / Canada with work trips and getting tickets

On the plus side - their indoor arenas knock the crap out of anything we have over in the UK. The facilities, the interaction with fans. All brilliant.
On the negative side - it is so 'stop-start' - and as a result it is easy to lose interest, and for fans to just 'disappear' for chunks of the game.

I was at the Yankees vs Mets game when the Yankees won 15-0. By the end of the fourth innings (when they were 11-0 down) Mets fans were leaving the ground, people were wandering the food-courts etc

It is just a different way of watching live sport.

I've managed to go to NBA (Toronto Raptors), NHL (Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes), MLB (Toronto Blue Jays and Yankees) - and off to Wembley for the NFL game in Oct - having been in the States / Canada with work trips and getting tickets

On the plus side - their indoor arenas knock the crap out of anything we have over in the UK. The facilities, the interaction with fans. All brilliant.
On the negative side - it is so 'stop-start' - and as a result it is easy to lose interest, and for fans to just 'disappear' for chunks of the game.

I was at the Yankees vs Mets game when the Yankees won 15-0. By the end of the fourth innings (when they were 11-0 down) Mets fans were leaving the ground, people were wandering the food-courts etc

It is just a different way of watching live sport.

Baseball is by far the laziest, laid-back sport in the States. No doubt and at times it is mind numbing BORING!!!! I'll admit it. I was born and raised an American  and Baseball is supposed to be our "National Pasttime". However, their is nothing more boring than a Kansas City Royals v Baltimore Orioles day game. UUUGGGHHH!!!  Baseball is exciting in October. Teams trying to win the playoffs, win the division and World Series.

Their are a lot of nice arena's and Stadiums in the U.S.  I have never been out of the U.S so I dont have anything to gauge it on but I would say we probably have more "State of the Art" Indoor Arenas than anyone. Just based on the number of sports teams that play indoors.  Its all about good seating, sightlines, suites, luxury boxes, Bars, Restaurants and atmosphere.  Thier are still some real shitty Arenas and Stadiums but they have mostly been replaced with the mega, corporate arenas.