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Topic: Fan base study

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utee94

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #28 on: March 22, 2023, 03:36:10 PM »
The answer is usually a difference in commitment of resources to the program.  But I don't know anything specifically about Minnesota wrt Michigan, of course.

Cincydawg

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #29 on: March 22, 2023, 05:54:04 PM »
I wonder how many bandwagon fans there are

utee94

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #30 on: March 22, 2023, 06:14:24 PM »
I wonder how many bandwagon fans there are
Lots, I'm sure.

ND didn't get its enormous fan base from graduates and their families.  Every Catholic sports fan I know, roots for Notre Dame, regardless of where they went to college.

And I'm not sure if it's exactly true but I read somewhere that Austin metro is the largest population center without a pro sports franchise in any of the major US sports, and I'd believe that.  Which has resulted in UT serving as the de facto local rooting interest for many of the transplants that move here.

Then there's people that just like a winner-- Ohio State has done that more consistently and longer than any other school out there, and Alabama has been nearly unstoppable for the past decade and a half, which has helped both of those schools build large national followings outside their state borders.


betarhoalphadelta

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #31 on: March 22, 2023, 06:34:04 PM »
Lots, I'm sure.

ND didn't get its enormous fan base from graduates and their families.  Every Catholic sports fan I know, roots for Notre Dame, regardless of where they went to college.

And I'm not sure if it's exactly true but I read somewhere that Austin metro is the largest population center without a pro sports franchise in any of the major US sports, and I'd believe that.  Which has resulted in UT serving as the de facto local rooting interest for many of the transplants that move here.

Then there's people that just like a winner-- Ohio State has done that more consistently and longer than any other school out there, and Alabama has been nearly unstoppable for the past decade and a half, which has helped both of those schools build large national followings outside their state borders.
Yep. Just as anyone who is Irish roots for them too. Although of course there's a lot of overlap there with Irish + Catholic lol... But I always found it odd how many ND fans lived on the South Side of Chicago, had never been to college (much less at ND), and probably had never been to South Bend and couldn't find South Bend on a map despite living <100 mi from campus. 

It might be strange but I take a bit of pride in not being a team with bandwagon fans. Pretty much every Purdue fan is either an alum or family to an alum. 

In the state of IN, literally nobody roots for Purdue except for those categories. The ones who don't go to college root for Notre Dame for football, and/or Indiana for basketball. And again, often both--the ones we call the "reversible jacket" fans. ND for football season, IU for basketball season. MAYBE you have a few Lafayette townies who are Purdue fans. But I don't think it's a high number. 

OrangeAfroMan

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #32 on: March 22, 2023, 10:14:15 PM »
I wish 538 or somebody did a deep dive on fandom.
I think bandwagon fandom would be easy to quantify, because most of them aren't fans of anyone until they're a fan of the team of the moment.  
I doubt there are many that hop from one program to another (anti-portal, if you will).  
.
My personal fandom started young and never wavered, even when my state didn't have a pro team in a certain sport, the teams sucked, or when an expansion team was born in the city I was living in.
I never liked the idea of cheering for the most popular, 'cool' team.  
I guess it would have been okay, if I stuck with that team for the next 30+ years, though.  Idk.
“The Swamp is where Gators live.  We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous." - Steve Spurrier

utee94

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #33 on: March 23, 2023, 08:35:47 AM »
Anecdotally, my experiences are mixed.

Personally, I'm a fan of a team for life.  I became a Longhorns fan because both of my parents graduated from UT, I was born and raised in Austin, and they took me to UT sporting events all the time.  I went to UT because they gave me a full ride and because it was excellent in my chosen field of study, so I sometimes wonder what would have happened to my fandom, if I'd gone to school somewhere else?  I came fairly close to going to the Air Force Academy, and I got wait-listed at Stanford.  But I suspect I would still root for Texas, since neither of those schools are direct rivals and just about never play Texas in most sports.

And I'll also always be a Dallas Cowboys fan-- it helps that they were actually good during my youth, but we also always used to meet our cousins from Fort Worth at my grandparents' house in Temple on Sunday afternoons, and watch the Cowboys with the whole family.  Those are some strong memories for me, comforting memories, so I'll always have a place in my heart for Dallas, no matter how bad they get.

But I know people that are definitely bandwagoners.  My nephew who is about 20 years younger, was raised as an Aggie.  But he then went to Tech and now hates the Aggies.  His first pro football fandom was the Baltimore Ravens, simply because they won the first Superbowl he remembers.  But he also roots for other random teams like the Rams and whoever else happened to be good at some point during his youth.  In that sense he's a true bandwagoner.

And then some people switch allegiances based on where they live, after they move.  I have a friend who grew up in Austin and was a Dallas Cowboys fan along with me and our friend group, but he moved to DC about 15 years ago and now he's a Washington Whatevers fan, and actively roots against the Cowboys.


OrangeAfroMan

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #34 on: March 23, 2023, 08:53:19 AM »
That's so odd to me.
It's more fun being a fan of a team that everyone around you isn't a fan of (aka for Florida in AZ).  

Now, my friend's daughter is going to be attending Arizona this year, so that will sway me in the Arizona vs ASU thing, but nothing more.
.
But to be a fan of a team only to cheer against them later in life.....HUH?
“The Swamp is where Gators live.  We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous." - Steve Spurrier

utee94

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #35 on: March 23, 2023, 08:55:29 AM »
That's so odd to me.
It's more fun being a fan of a team that everyone around you isn't a fan of (aka for Florida in AZ). 

Now, my friend's daughter is going to be attending Arizona this year, so that will sway me in the Arizona vs ASU thing, but nothing more.
.
But to be a fan of a team only to cheer against them later in life.....HUH?

Agree, it's super-weird to me, too.

I also don't understand people who claim to be a fan of a team, but then root against that team because of some stupid fantasy football matchup of the week.  If you EVER root against your team, for any reason, then you're just not a fan.  Don't call yourself that.


Brutus Buckeye

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #36 on: March 23, 2023, 08:56:21 AM »
Yeah, there's no point in being "loyal" to a professional franchise that can just pack up and move to another state overnight. 

It's mindless entertainment, just follow the teams that are covered in your market. 

People don't continue to follow a team after it moves out of their city. So why continue to follow a team when you move out of that city? 

And yes of course, college is different. A lot different. 
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847badgerfan

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #37 on: March 23, 2023, 09:20:42 AM »
Yeah, there's no point in being "loyal" to a professional franchise that can just pack up and move to another state overnight.

It's mindless entertainment, just follow the teams that are covered in your market.

People don't continue to follow a team after it moves out of their city. So why continue to follow a team when you move out of that city?

And yes of course, college is different. A lot different.
I'm trying to get the Badgers to move down here. They are thinking about it. Nice weather, lower taxes, easy bowl game travel.
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utee94

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #38 on: March 23, 2023, 09:31:24 AM »
Fandom is just another form of tribalism.  At its core, it doesn't really make any sense, to feel passionately about a game being played by people you don't know and will never know.

And yet here we are.

There aren't any rules, it's all about the way people feel.  I don't understand a person that roots for one team for 30 years, and then switches to its archrival, just because they changed their own personal geography.

And there are people out there that don't understand why I care at all about ANY game being played by 17-23 year-olds.  That makes no sense to them.

betarhoalphadelta

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #39 on: March 23, 2023, 10:44:55 AM »
I've found a lot of peace by giving up fandom. 

Initially it was the Bears. I grew up in Chicago. I was 7 years old when they won the Super Bowl, used to watch a VHS tape my dad had bought all the time that was a season recap, and still have a soft spot in my heart for the Super Bowl Shuffle. 

But then, after decades of ineptitude, it became hard. And then they finally gave me a reason to root for them (got Kyle Orton), but got rid of him for Jay Cutler, and I gave up. Now I watch NFL football for enjoyment, but I'm not truly a "fan" of any NFL team. I don't have to care either way--and per 94, now I can root for my fantasy players in peace without worrying whether a player going off against "my team" will give me a personally good outcome but "my team" lose. 

You all know what happened to me with Purdue, of course. I took losses too hard. That might be okay if there was ever an opposite "payoff" in the end, but Purdue never gave it to me. It's not like I ever thought Purdue was likely in any given year to go to the Rose Bowl or make the CFP, but with conference expansion, a CCG, etc I tend to believe it's basically something they'll never see in my lifetime. They *should* make up for that on the hardcourt, but, again, we all know how that's turned out. I got all the pain of the losses, and all I ever felt in wins was relief, not joy. It was irrational not to get out of that abusive relationship. 

So I gave up. Now I don't feel anything, and that's a hell of a lot easier. 

FearlessF

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #40 on: March 23, 2023, 10:57:08 AM »
you're soft

;)
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medinabuckeye1

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Re: Fan base study
« Reply #41 on: March 23, 2023, 11:11:06 AM »
I wish 538 or somebody did a deep dive on fandom.
I think bandwagon fandom would be easy to quantify, because most of them aren't fans of anyone until they're a fan of the team of the moment. 
I doubt there are many that hop from one program to another (anti-portal, if you will). 
.
My personal fandom started young and never wavered, even when my state didn't have a pro team in a certain sport, the teams sucked, or when an expansion team was born in the city I was living in.
I never liked the idea of cheering for the most popular, 'cool' team. 
I guess it would have been okay, if I stuck with that team for the next 30+ years, though.  Idk.
I'm as unwavering as you and bandwagon fans generally annoy me. That said, in defense of bandwagon fans:

Some people become fans of the 'team of the moment' but end up sticking with them through thick and thin. I have a HS buddy who was like this. He became a Dallas Cowboys fan when they were really good but he is STILL a Cowboys fan and has been for 30+ years of both good and bad seasons. 

I certainly wouldn't call him a bandwagon fan now, but initially he was. That would be REALLY tough to quantify.

 

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