OT: Ultimate Sporting City Final-Detroit v. Boston
Detroit has made it to the final of the Ultimate Sporting City competition at From the Rumble Seat. Misopogan and MaizeandBlueWahoo have both written for the site on why Detroit is incredibly awesome. Let's win this.
Nothing against Detroit but I'd rather vote for Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor is one of the reasons why Detroit is so good.
There is a rather large OOS student population in Ann Arbor that cares greatly about all things UM and is rather apathetic about Detroit teams. While there is certainly some crossover in fan bases, I cant lump Ann Arbor directly under the Detroit umbrella.
...backwards. Detroit's sports town cred is increased because of the proximity of A2 and U-M (as well as the more distant EL and MSU). So you add in the major college action in the state to Detroit's pro teams and you have a Detroit fanbase that can justifiably be said to inhabit the ultimate sports town.
Obviously you are correct in that my logic seems to be backwards compared to most on this site. Allow me to further explain myself so that you can better help me to understand the reasoning.
What I guess I'm missing is that I dont consider people in the Detroit region who dont care about Detroit sports teams as part of the "Detroit fanbase." For the same reason, I would not consider Tufts, Harvard, or MIT fans to be part of the "Boston fanbase."
For UM or MSU fans who are ALSO Tigers/Redwings/etc. fans, I completely understand counting them as part of the Detroit fanbase even if they live in AA or EL. However, and for the same reason why I said I'd rather vote for Ann Arbor than Detroit, there is a fairly large population of out of state students (something like 30-40% of UM?) who loves Michigan and doesnt particularly care for Detroit teams. As an out of state student myself, I would trade a Tigers world series for 1 more Michigan football win this year, thus I don't consider myself part of the Detroit fanbase even though I live in Ann Arbor.
Similarly, I'd expect that you, as well as other native Michigan residents, would happily trade a Redskins superbowl for 1 more Michigan football win this year.
...getting it. It's about Detroit as an entity and the inclusion of major college football/basketball/hockey into its pantheon of sports teams that the entire Detroit fanbase can attach themselves to.
You as an out of stater are not part of the Detroit fanbase even though you are a U-M alumnus and fan.
Personally, I have a foot in two camps - DC and Detroit because I spent significant amounts of time growing up in both metro areas, went to U-M and live in the DC area. Since I'm a Skins fan (and have been since I was five years old), no, your SB/one Michigan win example doesn't work for me. Now a national championship? Yes. I'd trade a (future) Skins SB win for another Michigan national championship.
First of all, nice job with the Skins thing. I didnt realize you were also a DC resident. Looks like I made that last comment to the wrong person.
Secondly, thanks for helping me understand the logic. I don't agree with the premise that local colleges (particularly those with national appeal) are connected to large cities nearby, but I understand now that this assumption is a key frame of the question and thus the reason why AA must be connected to Detroit.
This is talked about on talk radio alot. The metro-Detroit area is very "pro-Michigan" in the UM v. MSU debate. U-M is covered to a great extent in the Detroit newspapers (obvs). Ann Arbor is only 40 minutes from downtown (kinda like Auburn Hills and the Pistons).
Ann Arbor and UM are within the Detroit Sports footprint.
It doesn't really have anything to do with a particular person's allegiance. OOS students at UM make up a small percentage of the Ann Arbor community (maybe 5%) and are completely negligible in the Metro-Detroit community.
For the winged Bender Bending Rodriguez
is professional sports driven. Therefore, Detroit gets the top billing and Ann Arbor is just part of the supporting cast. The beauty of online polls (and polls in general) is that whoever creates them has the right to establish the parameters.
If you like the Patriots, Celtics and/or Red Sox, but you also like U of M, I guess you have a little dilemma.
On a comment under the story someone wrote,
When does MgoBlog start showing up?
Taking bets! Taking bets!
Neither Boston nor Detroit has a great CFB/CBB tradition excepting BC and UMichigan.
So, aside from the winningest program in college football with the best fight song, uniforms and rivalry in all sports, Detroit (poster is obviously including Ann Arbor) doesn't have a great college sports tradition? Interesting.
We tend to skew online polling from time to time. The benefits of computer literacy, I suppose... especially when you compare us with Ohio:
If these other cities were such "ultimate sporting cities" wouldn't they, too, have there own version of MGoBlog?
This is by far the best sport's blog site that I have come across on the net, and if that gives Michigan (and Detroit) an advantage in fan supported polls, who's fault is that really?
Instead of spending energy bitching about the MGoBlog advantage, start your own online community to prove that you have the best fans and are, indeed, the ultimate sporting city.
That person is Winfield Featherston. It's his blog. Furthermore, he's a good guy.
The voting for this thing has been in the hundreds (i.e. low turnout), and each time Detroit has been in it, we've arrived directly from an MGoBlog link and spiked the voting. No other blog seems to have cared as much.
Winfield's right: we are crashing the party, and thus the vote has turned more into a "which fanbase has a more active blogging community?" than anything about the cities themselves.
So far, the best case to be made against Boston is that they are great only because they win so much (as Brian put it, "you're Sports Guy.")
bothered to look, I would have seen that it was his comment and I would have understood the context of his post. I certainly meant no disrespect to him as my comment is only valid to those who are antagonistic to MGoBlog and it's members.
I'm curious. Other than voting in this poll, I have not spent a lot of time on that blog. What kind of traffic does it get? That article is linked to Twitter and Facebook but there aren't all that many connections at this point. To be honest, I'm surprised that Detroit is burying the competition with only 400 +/- votes.
I would say Boston's a better sports city. The pro teams are full of tradition and followed closely. Especially the Red Sox. It will always be a baseball town first and foremost. We lose points for having a desolate college sports scene but gain some points back for ignoring Boston College.
The pro teams are full of tradition and followed closely.
And Detroit's aren't?
sorry that's not what I was trying to say. Ultimately, there's no right way to determine which city is better at watching sports. Unless one of the cities you are talking about is Miami where the weather is so nice no one cares at all
I think when you break it down, you see why these two teams are finalists - cases can be made both ways, but in terms of pro sports tradition, neither has a huge upr hand.
Bruins vs. Red Wings is probably a wash. Both original six, tons of storied players, games, rivalries, etc. Red Wings with much more success over past decade or so, and maybe that gets them slight edge.
Celtics vs. Pistons. Hard to take on the most storied franchise in NBA history, even with the decent run in the 1990s. Edge: Celtics.
Lions vs. Patriots. Lions in business longer, but I don't think tradition is defined by longevity alone, and with Patriots being more successful (maybe a huge understatement), slight edge probably to the Patriots.
Red Sox vs Tigers. Probably a wash, with maybe the edge to Red Sox if only because they are still at Fenway providng a crucial and tangible link to tradition and history that is still alive every single home game. RIP Tigers Stadium. I miss you.
Red Wings vs. Bruins - Gotta go Red Wings here. Both are original 6 but the Bruins haven't won a cup since the 60's (EDIT: 1972), their owner lives in Buffalo and for years wouldn't spend money on the team. They are only competitive now because of the salary cap.
Celtics vs. Pistons - Celtics handsdown no explanation needed. Allow me to be arrogant about one team.
Lions vs. Pats - tradition is on the Lions side while recent success favors the Pats. I've always been jealous of the Thanksgiving game.
Tigers vs. Sox - A wash. Fenway is awesome don't get me wrong but it's pretty damn expensive. I can only afford a couple games a year. I get sick of the relentless marketing and over-promotion of "Red Sox Nation"
Not only recent succes, but overall 11 Stanley Cups to 5.
The Pats used to rank near the bottom of the NFL in attendance for a long time (and nearly relocated) before a certain Wolverine took the reins at QB.
They almost did move to St. Louis in the early 90's but then Bob Kraft bought the team and decided to stay. Later on he bluffed about possibly moving to Hartford but that was in order to generate money and support from Mass for Gillete Stadium. I'd say the fan interest was there when they went to the Super Bowl in 1986 but it really took off with the start of the Bledsoe and Parcells era. But yeah. . .umm. . .#12 has something to do with it too!
80%-19%
'nuff said.
Why does it give the Pistons no NBA championship in '89, but lists one in '05? Look at the link to the Detroit history. It even says...
It can be argued that the Detroit Pistons NBA titles in 2004 and 2005 were one of the few NBA champion teams that were the definitions of a team-centered unit with no future Hall of Famers. In a sport that emphasizes individual contributions, this should be considered a huge achievement.
so the bio info is no typo.
Fail.
Also: Detroit fans rock.