Sports Towns: What sport defines your hometown?

[Beware the Beast Man]

It seems a number of major cities are defined by their sports teams. Dallas and Pittsburgh are definitely football towns. Cleveland, while baseball is always a big draw, is passionate for football as well. It seems that LA is best defined by basketball (namely the Lakers). And NYC, for as huge as it is, strikes me as a baseball city by heart. You tell me.

[dolo amber]

1. Is beer drinking and brat eating considered a "sport"?

:shrug:

[Beware the Beast Man]

3. Is it competitive?

:D

[Magrittes Pipe]

4. Tailgating.

Yes, it's a sport. I've seen FAR more impressive physical feats in the parking lot than at the Brewers' game.

[xmas74]

46. At least I'll be seeing a game where I can

actually expect the Brew Crew to win and in a big way.

I'm supposed to see them on June 25th at KC. No way the Royals will win that one.

[asthmaticeog]

19. I thought you moved.

:shrug:

[smtpgirl]

36. as you can tell from my avatar

definitely football

[xmas74]

45. It is in my house.

BTW-I'm originally from Kenosha.

[JVS]

54. When I'm involved in it, yes

[TimeChaser]

2. As you said,

Pittsburgh loves football.

[Fox Mulder]

5. I'm from Smalltown, U.S.A.

So the only sports that matter in this town are high school sports at the local high school.

[ohiosmith]

6. Buckeye Football

[Beware the Beast Man]

7. Yep. C-Bus will never need an NFL franchise.

But you have the Crew too. :evilgrin:

[sasquatch]

21. That almost qualifies as its own Religion in Ohio

"Jim Tressel, who arte thou from Youngstown, Howllow be they name."
:evilgrin:

[lizziegrace]

44. Absolutely right!

:rofl:

I do love to watch the games though...

:)

[mtnester]

61. Almost? Heh heh

you KNOW it is a religion!

Ahh...the cult of the Ohio State-Miami game...just bring the word TEMPE into any conversation and it quickly becomes fanatical.

But oh, what a game!

And can I just sneak in some Buckeye speak...if you practice the religion, you know what they mean with a single word or two...

Witte
Tempe
Archie
The Shoe
The Schott
Woody
The team up north
Maurice
Lawrence
Katie
Fred
Knight
Vic
Jesse
Burson
Jent
Jackson
Eddie
Hopalong
Les
Havlicek
Clark
Lucas
Butch
Cris
Kirk
Nuge

[lizziegrace]

63. Nuge!

:)

[sasquatch]

79. Nuge!

[sasquatch]

84. You forgot "Eddie"

[mtnester]

95. Nope - he was in there

heh heh

[RebelOne]

8. Baseball, the Atlanta Braves, of course.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. That's kind of sad.

When are y'all finally going to sell out a Braves playoff game?

[RebelOne]

23. No idea, I don't go to the games.

I'm not a baseball fan.

[sasquatch]

80. I call'em the "Atlanta Chokes"

[Fenris]

9. Well, the Rockets were great in the early-mid 1990s...

But I think it's safe to say Houston is a baseball town, even though the Astros have only been to the WS once and lost. Considering Houston was once primarily famous for the Astrodome, I think it's safe to say baseball dominates.

[XNASA]

10. Ditka, Ditka, Ditka, Ditka, Ditka, Butkus, Ditka, Ditka, Butkus, Ditka....

[Fenris]

11. Dat makes me want some Old Style and a kielbasa.

[Beware the Beast Man]

16. Had anudder hort atteack.

That's a baker's dozen for me.

[Gato Moteado]

24. butkus way more than ditka......

ditka had the luxury of being the coach of a team even i could have coached to a superbowl victory. the defense was the best in NFL history....period. sure, we all loved da coach....but when i think of da monsters of da midway, dick butkus is the first name that comes to mind. then, there's always sweetness, the greatest player ever to play the game.

[dysfunctional press]

55. ...michael?

[dysfunctional press]

56. ...ernie?

[XNASA]

76. Personally, I'm a Cub's fan.

But more people here can name the starting offensive line from the 85 Bears than can name the starting 5 from any of the 6 Bulls Championship teams.

It's true.

As for the 'Hawks. They have 20,000 raving fans for show up for every game. And that's about it.

[dysfunctional press]

78. i disagree...

most of the people i know can remember jordan-pippen-grant-cartwright-armstrong(and/or paxson-kukoc-longley), but wouldn't be able to recall the names of the center, or both tackles and guards from the '85 bears on a bet- the bulls had a longer, more recent reign, with lots fewer names to remember. The Bears have offense, defense and special teams to consider...and a lot of it just has to do with what crowd you're in.

it is pitiful tho, that in a city like this- sports championships are so few and far between...but i'll grant you- it is amazing just how long so many people have held onto that ONE Bears season, over two decades ago...

and that being said, i'd also be willing to bet that most people that were around back then could name more members of the 1969 Cubs, than they could the 2005 White Sox.

as for hockey- you're right about most people not knowing/caring...i know i don't- but i do remember watching the games on tv once in awhile as a kid- and the Blackhawks still have one of the coolest looking logos in pro sports...and more stanley cups in the last 100 years than the cubs have world series trophies. and even tho the last one was in 1961- you have to go back a lot further to find a cubs championship.

personally- the last time i followed any sports was the last time the Bulls won the championship- it's just not my "thing"- about the only current cubs i could name would be greg maddux and kerry woods...on the sox, paul kinercho(sp?) is the only name that even comes to mind- and i have no idea how it's even spelled.

[dysfunctional press]

57. ...bobby?

okay- so as long as wirtz is alive, chicago will NEVER be confused as a "hockey" town.

[maveric]

12. Old HT, Boston - baseball. New HT, San Diego - Football.

The Padres have to build on their history more and win something to pass the Chargers.

[lizziegrace]

13. Buckeye Football

Nothing else seems to matter here in Columbus!

[Mutley]

15. That's tough for Baltimore.

On the surface, it seemed to always be baseball -- but what happened with the Colts back in the '80s was, is, always right under that surface. Now we have the Ravens, so people focus on football again just as much as baseball.

I prefer baseball, myself. :hi:

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. Quoth the Raven:

"Balamer."



Loses something in translation, huh? :shrug:

[Mutley]

29. Yes it does.

:D

[huskerlaw]

18. Lincoln, Nebraska

is ALL about football. Specifically, the almighty Huskers.

[puerco-bellies]

20. Surfing. Very So-Cal

Yes, yes I know that Nor-Cal has more "big breaks" but it's So-Cal's beach scene that comes to many people's minds when they think of L.A.

[Jokerman]

22. Speedway Indiana - I picked "other".

Not just defined by auto racing but named for the place where it became famous.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

25. I just came back from there

I was sitting on turn 3. :-)

[Jokerman]

28. Thank You!

I'm not a big fan of auto racing but I am a big fan of the tourist dollars and of the property taxes paid by the IMS.

I live about a mile west of turn 4.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

30. I'm not a race fan either.

I more went to meet my SO's parents and they took us to the race. It was a good time though. :-)

[jobycom]

26. Fishing and debris cleanup

When I grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, there were no real sports teams other than high school (although we've had a few celebs come from the area), but every year they had a deep sea fishing rodeo under the Rice Pavilion. The pavilion was washed away by Katrina, but they are again planning to hold the rodeo under a series of tents. So the "sport" continues!

I guess in high school the sport was football. Brett Favre and Reggie Collier came from the area. We also had baseball-Matt and Marcus Lawton (a classmate of mine) came from the area, as well as Greg Hibbard. There were a couple of basketball players, but I've forgotten who, as I don't watch basketball much.

[noonwitch]

27. There's only one Hockeytown!

Too bad we couldn't get through the first round this year.

[no name no slogan]

31. St Paul, MN?

The 1980 US Olympic Team couldn't agree more

:hide:

[noonwitch]

32. Except maybe Pat LaFontaine

As he grew up just outside of Detroit.

[HEyHEY]

34. Bah! Detroit? Maybe one hockeytown in the US

COme north of the border, baby

I bet you don't even have huge riots when you lose in detroit.

[SharonRB]

100. I voted hockey, but basketball is a close second now

It may even be a tie. It's definitely not football!

[HEyHEY]

33. Hockey

[CPMaz]

35. Other. (Phoenix)

Almost voted for basketball, because the Suns have a strong history here, but as with all team sports here, the fans are fair-weather fans. If the team does well, the fans show up, if only because it is hip.

When the teams are lousy, the only fans who show up are rooting for the visiting team (see: Arizona Cardinals).

Baseball almost got my vote, because of Spring Training and ASU (a perennial power in college ball).

But, in the end, it has to be golf. Not because of the PGA event, but because damn near everyone plays.

[azmouse]

43. I see you have a Red Sox avatar...

But are in AZ. Do you follow the Dbacks at all? They did beat the Yankee$ in 2001!!
And they're having a pretty good year so far with lots of extraordinary guys ready to come up from the minors.

[CPMaz]

50. Yup, I do follow the DBacks a little,

they're a lot of fun to watch (I even blogged about it), and if a game is on TV, I'll generally watch. I won't go to games, though, because of the way they ripped the stadium financing from us (taxpayers).

Colangelo and his friends on the county Board of Supervisors *really* should have let the issue go to a referendum. When it passed (it would have, too) I would have disagreed with the choice, but respected it. And attended some games every season.

It's not that I dislike the DiamondBacks, but I DESPISE the idea of taxes subsidizing big businesses, and as much of a baseball fan that I am, I still realize the MLB is nothing more than a huge, extremely profitable business.

Of course, it was VERY sweet that they beat the Yankees to win their Series in 2001. :woohoo:

[azmouse]

51. Oh yeah, I hear ya about the big business aspect of the game

It's a shame but I guess all sports are that way.
Have you ever gone to the Dbacks MB? We are always looking for some new posters there to talk about the Dbacks and baseball in general. Everyone is welcome. Check it out and decide for yourself.
www.diamondbacks.com Click on 'fan forum' and then 'message board'.

Tonight's match up should be a great one! Webb vs Martinez

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

37. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill

college basketball of course!

NYC is definitely a baseball city: either Mets or Yankees.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

40. Tobacco Road, baby!

(I like my team to be in lighter blue- but we can agree that this area is a college b-ball haven!... Or heaven!)

[azmouse]

38. Right now it would be basketball.... Suns!!

[underpants]

39. Richmond-probably the NASCAR race

and in the most delicous bit of irony NASCAR showed this city the back of its hand when it came to the NASCAR Hall of Fame-Charlotte got it as anyone who knows anything about racing could have told you from the beginning.

[1gobluedem]

41. University of Michigan football

Go Blue! Just three more months....:bounce:

[bridgit]

42. B-ball...

it's all about the hoops :shrug:

[xmas74]

47. Let's see-originally from Kenosha.

I'd say baseball. We had one of the women's baseball teams during WWII.

Now I'm in MO. Nearest city is KC. The Royals are a joke and the Chiefs suck so I'd say our sport is whining.

We'll see if that changes. There's talk of an NHL team in the works.

[Beware the Beast Man]

66. Yeah, and that team is the Penguins.

:cry:

[xmas74]

67. I know!

Hey, I'm excited that anyone in KC has any interest in hockey at all!

BTW-I'd hope they'd keep the name.

[Seabiscuit]

48. San Diego Padres got a new stadium; Chargers on way to Chula Vista

Can you imagine that?

The Chula Vista Chargers?

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! :rofl:

[tjwash]

49. Unfortunately, Petco Park kind of sucks.

I hate it. Parkings a nightmare, the design of the seats bite (if someone over 5 foot 1 sits in front of you you can't see anything), the hot dogs are terrible, and they have priced it out of reach for a whole lot of people now.


I don't think the Pads like it either, they have a losing record at home this year.

[Beware the Beast Man]

65. Gee, I wonder why the hot dogs are terrible.

:evilgrin:


Seriously, I wouldn't put it past Petco to do that.

[sasquatch]

91. That's better than the LA Chargers

[swag]

52. Lap Dancing.

[Initech]

53. L.A.'s definately a basketball town. College football a close second.

Sure, we have the Ducks and the Kings, the Angels and Dodgers, but no sport is taken more seriously here than basketball is!

Of course, during football season, the Trojans and Bruins rule all.

[Faygo Kid]

58. Could be all in my sports mad hometown, but I will go with Hockeytown

Wings knocked off in the first round, Pistons on life support, Tigers a big surprise, but will fade. Oh well, we always have the Lions. AAAAARRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

[recoveringdittohed]

59. Baseball - Big Red Machine

Although college basketball has been somewhat big here in Cincinnati in recent years.

[KamaAina]

60. Volleyball.

Seriously.

It's Honolulu, of course.

[Beware the Beast Man]

64. Cool!

Something different. I'm still waiting for a Miamian to chime in with Jai Alai. :)

[samplegirl]

62. Baseball and Football

Cleveland Rocks!!!

[enigmatic]

68. Edmonton Bleeds Hockey

though the Eskimos of the CFL are beloved here, too..

[u4ic]

70. And hooliganism

:eyes:

How are you, enigmatic? :hi:

[enigmatic]

74. haha

Hey u4ic!

I'm tired, really tired; heavy work load at the hotel lately...

[u4ic]

75. Here's hoping it settles down for you

but with it being summer, I doubt it...:hug:

Once I finally move (the end of this month), I'm going to try and arrange a DU get together. Considering there's so few DUers here, I think we could hopefully arrange a time when everyone could come. :-)

[enigmatic]

69. Clevo: The home of the suicidal sports fan

Since Clevo's my hometown and I'm still a beyond fanatical Browns, Tribe, and Cavs fan the heartbreak after heartbreak has scarred me for life...

[sasquatch]

87. That's why we keep the sharp objects away from you

[Kali]

71. heh - despite the bent for boys football, baseball, basketball

highschool girls softball. They just won state, I guess. (not really into sports, myself)

[britpopper]

72. Being closest to L.A....

Certainly eliminates football...hahaha...Go Lakers! I still consider the Clippers to be from San Diego.

[mvd]

73. Football

Philly fans talk football year-round!

[Burma Jones]

77. The DC area is ALL about the Redskins

and our Major League Soccer Team has taken the Championship 4 out of the last ten seasons...

[reyd reid reed]

81. Football

And not just Denver, not just Colorado Springs, but all of Colorado...is Broncos country. Drives me crazy. We've got the Nuggets and the Rockies and the Avalanche...and all you hear is Broncos :banghead:, Broncos :banghead:, Broncos :banghead:

[bumblebee1]

82. Philly has four major sports teams

I'm not sure which sport Philly identifies with. Three of the four have won the big one at least once.

[lpbk2713]

83. Spring training camp for the Detroit Tigers.

I've been living here for almost 50 years and haven't been to a spring training game yet.

[progmom]

85. round these parts it's football

We will actually be able to hear the Michigan games from our living room when our windows are down.

But Detroit is more of a hockey town. :shrug:

[1gobluedem]

88. And let your buddies park in your driveway

Right? :7

[progmom]

90. we'll keep Miller Lite in the fridge for you

:D

[1gobluedem]

93. Cool! We can tailgate on your lawn

Won't you just love that? B-)

[progmom]

94. I'll be on my way to the station

:patriot:

[1gobluedem]

97. Just leave the door unlocked...

...and the Miller Lite on ice. :toast:

[sasquatch]

86. In Cincinnati as of right now it's a tie between football and baseball

[mtnester]

96. Right now...we will see what the All Star break brings for our Reds

remember last year?

Reds....love/hate for me...now if they can only get Dunn to actually HIT the damn ball.

:)

[pointblank]

89. el beisbol

[retrospective66]

92. A nearby town once made SI for their HS Basketball Team

High School!!! And one that has about 35 kids per/grade! They won something like 7 or 8 consecutive State Championships as well as breaking most of the highest-scoring-game records. I'm not a big sports fan but I couldn't help but admire those boys. :-)

[retrospective66]

99. BTW That's Sport's Illustrated...

Perhaps you've heard of it? :shrug: Some High School kids in my area... so rural that 35-40 kids make up one grade, earned their way into a nice sized SI article for their Basketball prowess. :bounce:

I'm not a big sports fan as I mentioned earlier, but how can someone not love a story like this?

[Throd]

98. Kissing the Sacramento Kings owner's ass is the mosrt popular sport here.

They are trying to get a sales tax increase to pay for a new arena.

[bigwillq]

101. I grew up in a small town

a small suburb of New Haven and my town is high school football crazy.

[JackDragna]

102. Cow tipping.

I'm from Des Moines.

[Mr. Blonde]

103. I'm conflicted about this one

I'm from Oklahoma where Football rules. At the same time I live in Stillwater which is the home of the greatest sports dynasty in any sport at any level, but that sport is wrestling. I went ahead and picked other because I think football is boring and wrestling is easily the greatest sport known to man.

[Ptah]

104. This time of the year it's softball. Tucson is a softball hotbed.

The local community college (Pima Community College)
softball team won their second national championship
in three years:


http://www.njcaa.org/sports.cfm?menu=15&sid=28&cid=4950&divid=1&gender=w&slid=14

Division I Softball National Championship Day Three Recap

PIMA WINS SECOND SOFTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Plant City, Florida -- Fourth-seeded Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ) edged
#3 Gulf Coast Community College (Panama City, FL), 3-2, in the title game this afternoon
at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division I women’s
(fast pitch) softball national championship. The Aztecs (60-10) grabbed a quick
1-0 lead then had to battle back from a one-run deficit to claim their second
national title in three years.
Pima also beat Gulf Coast by one run in the 2004 national championship.

Freshman outfielder Ashley Aldrich hit into the second out of the top of the top
of the third inning, but it brought home Amanda Duran with the eventual game-
winning run in Plant City Stadium, leaving Gulf Coast (56-10) still without a national softball title.

Dana Alcocer pitched a complete game for the win and was named tournament MVP.
The Aztecs won all five games they played at the event, which began on Thursday.

Gulf Coast’s Debby Connor had hit a two-run home run to left field in the bottom
of the first inning to give the Lady Commodores a 2-1 lead.
Freshman Sarah Dooley went the distance and took the loss.



The University of Arizona softball team has returned to their
World Series for the eighteenth time in the last nineteen years.




http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2466978

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Satchel Paige frequently regaled listeners with stories
of Negro League legend Cool Papa Bell's quickness. Paige said Bell was so fast,
he could turn off a light switch and be in bed before the room was dark.



Getting to know the Wildcats

Hollowell is one of the most decorated pitchers in the college game,
and Lowe is the engine that drives a very young Wildcats team on offense,
making it all the more impressive that Arizona is taking its accustomed place
in Oklahoma City after losing both for extended periods of time this season.

Ranked No. 1 for much of the early season, the team faltered in late March
and early April without the two stars and appeared to be searching for an identity.
Sophomore pitcher Taryne Mowatt picked up the slack in the circle,
winning 20 games this season to emerge as Hollowell's eventual successor,
but an inexperienced lineup scored just 15 runs in Arizona's first eight conference games.
But with the experience gained by young players under adverse conditions,
and with Lowe and Hollowell back in action, the Wildcats are once again
playing typical Arizona softball. Never was the growth more evident than
when they exploded for 14 runs against LSU, led by Kristie Fox's eight RBI,
to clinch a spot in Oklahoma City.

Candrea has shown a willingness to stick with Mowatt in the postseason,
giving the Wildcats either the luxury of a second option in Oklahoma City
or a well-rested Hollowell (she's on pace to pitch the fewest innings of her career,
thanks in part to the time on the shelf) should they stick exclusively with the senior.

Player to Watch: Callista Balko, C

Finding shade isn't always easy in the Arizona desert, but sophomore catcher Callista
Balko has more options than most thanks to the large shadows cast by others in the
program at the University of Arizona. Between junior outfielder Caitlin Lowe's .400
average and outfield heroics, senior Alicia Hollowell's staggering strikeout totals and
coach Mike Candrea's national profile, the Wildcats have more national name
recognition than many entire conferences. So it seems almost unfair that in Balko,
they appear to have developed yet another emerging star.



Bear Down, Arizona.