Football is number one here...mostly college football (Iowa). I don't think half of all Iowans know about hockey. College basketball is pretty big too. Soccer....slightly ahead of hockey though we play it at school.
Minnesota/Twin Cities: You might think hockey is king here, but not really anymore. The marketing success of the NBA and NCAA basketball made a lot more youngsters into basketball fans in the '80s and '90s. There's still many hard-core hockey fans, but not as many as years ago.
1) Professional football: The Vikings are still riding high from their success in 1998-2000. On game days the local media are all Vikings, all the time. This will be a rebuilding year; it will be interesting to see how the fans react.
2) Professional baseball: Even after the lean years in the '90s, Minnesotans still love the Twins, and they love the current group of young, talented players. They regularly draw 20,000-plus even in the Dome. Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek are among the most beloved of Minnesota celebrities.
3) College basketball: Gophers aren't where they were at the height of the Haskins era in 1997, but they still sell out most Big Ten games. The Gophers women made some noise this year, too.
4) Professional hockey: The Wild sell out every game, and they have a great new arena in St. Paul. Hard-core hockey fans are still a sizable group in Minnesota, but the Wild haven't clicked as much with the general public because of their losing record (only their second season in the league). I don't think the Wild's fan base is as wide as the North Stars' was before they moved to Dallas in 1993. That damage will take a while to undo.
5) Professional basketball: Timberwolves crowds dwindled this year. Most fans at the Target Center would probably say they're more basketball fans than Timberwolves fans. Too many first-round playoff losses.
6) College hockey. A smaller following than pro hockey, but even more rabid. Gophers won the NCAA championship this year. Other successful Division I programs at St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota-Duluth.
7) High school hockey. The state tournament is huge. Like high school basketball in Indiana.
8) College football. Gophers haven't put together consistent success since the 1960s. They play in the Metrodome, which can rock when it's packed with fans (Vikings games) but is deadly dull when it's two-thirds empty (Gophers games). Probably half the fans at the games are 60 or older (I'm not kidding).
Comments
Grats on the win applenut.
Bet your ass.
The Rockets and Spurs had to freakin' pay people to show up to their championship games. The Mavericks don't do much better.
Dallas Stars fans are rabid. Houston and San Antonio have both made pushes to get hockey teams.
College football is essentially #s 1-4 and pro footbal is #4-6. Thank God.
Long live college football!
(alliance is just mad about college football because his team is ass.
<strong>
Bet your ass.
The Rockets and Spurs had to freakin' pay people to show up to their championship games. The Mavericks don't do much better.
Dallas Stars fans are rabid. Houston and San Antonio have both made pushes to get hockey teams.
College football is essentially #s 1-4 and pro footbal is #4-6. Thank God.
Long live college football!
(alliance is just mad about college football because his team is ass.
i didnt say anything bad about college ball. thats where the life of this state, and town, is...
<img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
1) Professional football: The Vikings are still riding high from their success in 1998-2000. On game days the local media are all Vikings, all the time. This will be a rebuilding year; it will be interesting to see how the fans react.
2) Professional baseball: Even after the lean years in the '90s, Minnesotans still love the Twins, and they love the current group of young, talented players. They regularly draw 20,000-plus even in the Dome. Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek are among the most beloved of Minnesota celebrities.
3) College basketball: Gophers aren't where they were at the height of the Haskins era in 1997, but they still sell out most Big Ten games. The Gophers women made some noise this year, too.
4) Professional hockey: The Wild sell out every game, and they have a great new arena in St. Paul. Hard-core hockey fans are still a sizable group in Minnesota, but the Wild haven't clicked as much with the general public because of their losing record (only their second season in the league). I don't think the Wild's fan base is as wide as the North Stars' was before they moved to Dallas in 1993. That damage will take a while to undo.
5) Professional basketball: Timberwolves crowds dwindled this year. Most fans at the Target Center would probably say they're more basketball fans than Timberwolves fans. Too many first-round playoff losses.
6) College hockey. A smaller following than pro hockey, but even more rabid. Gophers won the NCAA championship this year. Other successful Division I programs at St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota-Duluth.
7) High school hockey. The state tournament is huge. Like high school basketball in Indiana.
8) College football. Gophers haven't put together consistent success since the 1960s. They play in the Metrodome, which can rock when it's packed with fans (Vikings games) but is deadly dull when it's two-thirds empty (Gophers games). Probably half the fans at the games are 60 or older (I'm not kidding).
[ 06-04-2002: Message edited by: CaseCom ]</p>