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re: Has College Football Become Regional Sport? (From Colin Cowherd)
Posted on 1/3/19 at 2:50 pm to SummerOfGeorge
Posted on 1/3/19 at 2:50 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
Pockets of fanbases cared : Syracuse and maybe Boston College on the East Coast (and Penn State if you count them as Eastern), Southern Cal/Oregon/Washington/Utah on the West Coast. But as a whole, those regions don't pay attention to the sport and haven't for 2 generations.
I find this discussion problematic. On one hand, your observations make sense and can be backed up with at least some demographic viewing data. On the other hand, I actually lived in New York (and Michigan, which is really Midwest but has a lot in common with the Northeast in terms of climate) and could discuss college football quite easily when I was so inclined. Maybe it would be fairer to say that CFB still has plenty of support just in terms of the existence of fans, but it doesn't have the cultural permeation of elsewhere. In other words, you could walk into an Alabama yoga studio filled with vegans who haven't read anything but modern poetry in years and ask who won the Iron Bowl and everyone there would know despite not being college football fans. Up north, you have to find the actual college football fans. Maybe fair enough?
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Posted on 1/3/19 at 2:54 pm to randomways
quote:
I find this discussion problematic. On one hand, your observations make sense and can be backed up with at least some demographic viewing data. On the other hand, I actually lived in New York (and Michigan, which is really Midwest but has a lot in common with the Northeast in terms of climate) and could discuss college football quite easily when I was so inclined. Maybe it would be fairer to say that CFB still has plenty of support just in terms of the existence of fans, but it doesn't have the cultural permeation of elsewhere. In other words, you could walk into an Alabama yoga studio filled with vegans who haven't read anything but modern poetry in years and ask who won the Iron Bowl and everyone there would know despite not being college football fans. Up north, you have to find the actual college football fans. Maybe fair enough?
Yes, 100%. It's not that people who like college football don't exist, it's that college football isn't as woven into the fabric of the culture/society/everyday discussion. Same as hockey in Atlanta. There are a lot of folks in Atlanta who enjoy the NHL. A ton. But the NHL is not discussed locally on radio, on TV or around "water coolers". Most people just aren't interested, mainly because they have no attachment to it and it isn't a part of the sport culture here.
It's also not a "those places are libruls and they hate football", because a lot of those areas of the country LOVE the NFL. They just are invested in the NFL and the team they grew up rooting for with their dad like a lot of folks in the South are with Alabama or Georgia or LSU.
It's just different. And it's not bad, but it's silly to keep trying to pound a square block into a round hole just for the sake of doing it.
This post was edited on 1/3/19 at 2:56 pm
Posted on 1/3/19 at 3:22 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
Yes, 100%. It's not that people who like college football don't exist, it's that college football isn't as woven into the fabric of the culture/society/everyday discussion. Same as hockey in Atlanta. There are a lot of folks in Atlanta who enjoy the NHL. A ton. But the NHL is not discussed locally on radio, on TV or around "water coolers". Most people just aren't interested, mainly because they have no attachment to it and it isn't a part of the sport culture here.
Ironically, I was going to reply that I actually never heard much about the NHL up north, but then I realized, for the first time, that they probably just made a point of not bothering to discuss it around the Mississippi boy.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 3:23 pm to randomways
quote:
Ironically, I was going to reply that I actually never heard much about the NHL up north, but then I realized, for the first time, that they probably just made a point of not bothering to discuss it around the Mississippi boy.
That's mighty kind of those boys ain't it?
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:15 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
That's it, and I don't really think that has changed.
Really its just the SEC footprint + Oklahoma and Ohio. The rest of the Midwest doesn't seem to care about college football, relatively speaking... and even Ohio only seems to watch when its Ohio State
Several years ago, ESPN released its full season rankings... totaling all the ratings for the entire 2014 season on ABC/ESPN. Here were the Top 25 markets:
1. Birmingham- 9.2 (ridiculous!)
2. New Orleans- 4.2
3. Knoxville- 4.1
3. Greenville- 4.1
5. Atlanta- 3.8
5. Memphis- 3.8
7. Jacksonville- 3.5
8. Oklahoma City- 3.4
9. Tulsa- 3.1
10. Nashville- 2.9
10. Columbus- 2.9
12. Louisville- 2.7
13. Richmond- 2.6
13. Salt Lake City- 2.6
15. Charlotte- 2.5
15. Austin- 2.5
17. Portland- 2.4
17. Orlando- 2.4
17. Las Vegas- 2.4
17. West Palm Beach- 2.4
21. Nofolk- 2.3
21. Dayton- 2.3
21. Greensboro- 2.3
24. Raleigh- 2.2
25. Tampa- 2.1
26. Phoenix- 2.1
My observations by region:
The South:
The "South" from Texas/Oklahoma over to Southern Virginia was responsible for 19 of the Top 26 markets. The only non-Southern Top 25 markets were Columbus (#10), Salt Lake (#13), Portland (#17), Las Vegas (#17), Dayton (#21), Phoenix (#25)
The Midwest:
Contrary to popular belief, the Midwest is not into watching college football outside of Ohio. And even in Ohio, ratings were noticeably low considering that these ratings were from Ohio State's national championship season. Missing from the Top 26 markets are both Cleveland and Cincinnati. Only Columbus and Dayton showed up.
Texas:
Also, despite the Aggies and Longhorns having huge, loyal fan bases, Texas is just such a large state that regular college football viewers still make up a tiny minority of the state. Noticeably absent from this list of Top 26 markets are Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Dallas did show up at #25 with a 2.0 rating in the 2013 viewership rankings, but they fell out in 2014.
The West:
Salt Lake (#13), Portland (#17), Las Vegas (#17), and Phoenix (#25) were the only markets to make the list. It's worth noting that Oregon advanced to the National Championship Game in 2014, so their "high" viewership ratings were abnormally large that year. Portland is noted as being ranked #27 in 2013. Also, I'm not sure why, but that big number from Salt Lake in 2014 was likely an anomaly. Salt Lake ranked #38 in 2013.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:18 pm to BHMKyle
Came here to laugh at Aggie fans, stayed because threads like this bring out the best in your fan bases.
Interesting stuff gents.
Interesting stuff gents.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:25 pm to labamafan
quote:
They need to play the national champ game in areas where CFB is king
This^^^. Playing the CFP championship in Santa Clara is as ridiculous as the Southern Baptist national convention being held in Phoenix last year.
A long way to commute for the folks who give a damn.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:26 pm to BHMKyle
quote:
BHMKyle
Good stuff
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:28 pm to PEPE
quote:USCw cheating their asses off helped.
The media kept the northeast and midwest artificially proppped up for a few decades.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:31 pm to SummerOfGeorge
Why the bell is Texas grouped with Oklahoma? Stick Oklahoma with Nebraska. They care about it.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:32 pm to Farmer1906
quote:
Why the bell is Texas grouped with Oklahoma? Stick Oklahoma with Nebraska. They care about it.
I was under the assumption Texas cared about CFB
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:34 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
The West and the Northeast have never cared, as a whole, about college football. They didn't in 1970, then didn't in 1990 and they don't in 2019.
I would disagree with this. When USC and UCLA were good, football was huge in California, especially the L.A. area.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:38 pm to MrAUTigers
quote:
When USC and UCLA were good, football was huge in California, especially the L.A. area.
Agree - I was just stating generally.
But you are probably right, as Metro LA and Southern California in general take up a mass of the West Coast.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:44 pm to CU_Tigers4life
Most fans outside of the southeastern US are over the regional bias in college football.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:45 pm to Farmer1906
quote:
Why the bell is Texas grouped with Oklahoma? Stick Oklahoma with Nebraska. They care about it.
Because geoculturally, Texas and Oklahoma are the more similar than Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Nebraska is more Midwest and conservative west. Oklahoma and Texas share similar Southwest and Southern cultural amalgams.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 4:59 pm to MrAUTigers
quote:
I would disagree with this. When USC and UCLA were good, football was huge in California, especially the L.A. area.
I think that’s more of a population thing. You have pockets of the those communities that care because of sheer volume. The overall cultural foundation could give a shite.
They’re more concerned with genderless bathrooms and neonatal circumcision laws than college football.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 5:00 pm to CU_Tigers4life
Paraphrasing from an old book I had from the 70's..
In the west, college football is a cultural attraction.
In the east, it's a past time.
In the midwest, it's cannibalism.
In the south, it's religion, and Saturday is the holy day.
In the west, college football is a cultural attraction.
In the east, it's a past time.
In the midwest, it's cannibalism.
In the south, it's religion, and Saturday is the holy day.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 5:44 pm to CU_Tigers4life
Has Cowterd become a Regional Doosh?
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yes
Posted on 1/3/19 at 6:11 pm to PEPE
quote:
The South has had the most dominant programs consistently since the 60's (integration)
Disagree.Nebraska,Oklahoma,USC,ND,Penn State and Pittsburgh all had dominant teams in the 60's.70's,80's
and 90's.
Bama.was the only SEC team winning NC's in the 60's and
70's and UGA in the early 80's.UT,AU,LSU and UF all had their post integration heh day in the '90's and 00's.
Posted on 1/3/19 at 6:20 pm to RD Dawg
quote:
heh day
James Brown?
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