The Virginia Tech Hokies are not only winning on the field but also in the number of fan base. While many states are divided between universities, the Commonwealth of Virginia is united in the support of the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Go Hokies!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/03/upshot/ncaa-football-fan-m...
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http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2014/october/3/ot-interactive-college-...
It's interesting, but not surprising, just how many states are overwhelmingly united in their support of the football power in their state(or Commonwealth!). I'd presume Nebraska is the most ardent. of course, there are many, with Georgia & Pennsylvania, Kansas, numerous others.
We'll know we've really got it kicked when Albemarle County swings our way.
Charlottesville is in Albemarle County. I dont envision the majority of the county ever supporting VT when the Hokies have been inflicting so much pain the past 10 years.
That was his point. If Charlottesville turns maroon, we've done something really good. I mean look at North Carolina and specifically UNC. Even in Winston-Salem and Durham as well as Greenville, it's still light blue.
There's a lot more orange and maroon in Albemarle County than there is blue and orange in Montgomery County.
So many more legs needed.
I see they have fixed the map. The last time I looked at it, there were no UNC fans in North Carolina according to the map.
It's interesting to look at this in terms of conferences:
Look at the dominance in certain markets of SEC teams where there are also ACC schools (looking at you, Georgia and Kentucky and South Carolina).
It also shows perhaps why the addition of Syracuse versus say a UConn made more sense.
How does it show that the addition of Syracuse vs UConn made more sense?
Syracuse has a much larger fanbase.
You can glean that from that map? That's like saying a pound of feathers weighs more than a pound of lead because it's bigger...
Presence in NYC market > presence in...Hartford?...market
Did you look at the detail? Syracuse comes in around 10% of the NY suburbs of NYC and ~7 or 8% in the city, while UConn was coming in around 30% of the Conn suburbs of NYC but doesn't register in the city.
But the map only shows the top 3 schools for each zip code. And the top 3 don't even exceed 30% collectively for city zip codes. So that means there is another 70% spread among a bunch of mystery schools. As the article says "Once youre east of the Hudson, no team dominates, and many teams claim a small percentage of fans." For all we know (and it's entirely likely), UConn is barely behind Syracuse in the city.
So again...how can one glean from that map that Syracuse was a better choice over UConn?
I didn't look into details and I'm still speculating, but regardless, Syracuse had greater things to offer than UConn. BC more or less covers what UConn has to offer whereas Cuse opens up NY. Plus, it gives the ACC an in to MSG for basketball tournaments by having a NY team there. Plus you have a school that just had a major athletic team being declared as ineligible for postseason at UConn which was writing on the wall for a while with them. Why would the ACC want to take that sort of baggage with them? What specifically does UConn offer that Cuse doesn't? I personally don't know, but I'm also not paid to worry about these things. I realize that deviates from the data on the map, but there's more to it than just market presence.
Yes, you are speculating...
I'm not saying that Syracuse isn't a better choice than UConn (although I think it isn't, but that's a different discussion for a different day). I'm only saying that you can't draw that conclusion from that map.
I can glean that from watching sports my whole life.
Do the words "No Duh" mean anything to you? :)
LOLGT?
Don't like the invaders on our southern borders.
Oregon sure has a big footprint.
Sadly, my area of the state is covered in Tennessee orange. Unfortunately they are correct for the most part. There are car dealership billboards along the highways in my area that show a picture of Phillip Fulmer holding up the 1998 NC trophy. We had it so good for so long with UT sucking it up, but now everyone is convinced "they're back". I hope they are wrong.
If we don't win in Bristol in 2016 it will be detrimental to my health and overall well being. Are there any bagmen willing to do what it takes to persuade a certain CB to stick around for that game? Thoughts?
They still live in 1998. Kind of sad, really.
I would much rather have a streak of eight 10 win seasons, 21 straight bowl appearances and some conference championships than have one MNC 16 years ago and then 13 years of no presence on the national stage.
Watching the Hokies dominate in Atlanta was one of the greatest moments of my life. Leg to you sir.
Also one of the greatest moments of my life. Went to the game with my best friend, who graduated from UT, and his knuckle head friends. Before this game I didn't mind seeing Tennessee do well, but after enduring that weekend and seeing how Tennessee fans act, I can't stand that team.
Welcome to the hell that is living in extreme SWVA and dealing with their mentality day in day out.
That game was wonderful on so many levels. The anxiety of what was at stake if we lost. The euphoria of when I finally let myself know that the game was in the bag. Just one of those cherished exceptional moments for me as a Hokie.
A couple things to note about that game: all game long all the Hokie fans in our section rubbed my pregnant wife's belly for luck at critical moments. A few months later my wife gave birth to our son who now is convinced he's playing football at VT and hates UVA for some reason. The second thing of note was the memory of my friend, who had been guzzling airplane bottles of Johnny Walker going into the game, throwing up on some UT fans in front of us. It was purely an "accident" and in hindsight a pretty shotty turn of events, put my oh my what a memory of the look on their faces. Nothing like eating 98.6 degree crow. GO HOKIES!!
Disgusting, yet hilarious.
It's an interesting proposition though. Would you trade the steady success for an MNC and then a few years of pooh? Hmm, I'm honestly not sure.
The problem is in the perception. Outside of the fanbase that is experiencing steady success, everyone cares about the MNC. How many times have we, as Hokies, been asked, "And how many National Championships do you have?" or had things said to us like, "Get back to me when you win a National Championship." Particularly from programs with a MNC ages ago.
Don't get me wrong...I love the multiple years of 10+ wins, and I'd love to get back to that, but a MNC would change perception of the team from a team on the outside looking in, to one that's been there.
Until Michael Vick, the Commonwealth of Virginia was flipped...it would have been a small maroon circle in SWVA in a blue state.
That wasn't that long ago. Thanks Frank.
I'm not surprised UMD is dominating MD because they are the biggest college football team in MD. I'm not surprised VT is dominating the Commonwealth because the Hokies have the been the real University of Virginia for years.
Even though UMd has no in-state competition, WVU is the favored over UMd in Western Maryland.
Navy?
No ECU. And no Georgia Tech. Therefore we are undefeated.
Yeah GT doesn't really register much at all. I do think, living here in the ATL burbs, that it's quite funny that I see more out of state team fans than GT. They're such an afterthought around here in their own backyard. The inferiority complex they have towards UGA is hilarious. They could be 13-0, ACC Champs, and seeded No. 1 in the Playoff, and 90% of the people here still wouldn't care at all.
My friend the SAS guru (and fellow Hokie) zoomed on Atlanta and found a small pocket with 7% share for GT, which she deemed "inconsequential". Even sadder, Duke fails to lead UNC in even one zip code around Durham. So I suppose the outcome of this weekend's Duke-GT game is inconsequential too. Regardless, we are still undefeated. Furthermore, according to the map, our loss to Duke last year did not count (because they don't exist), we won the Coastal, we stomped FSU into oblivion in the ACC championship, and Logan didn't get dropped like a sack of wet cement in the Sun Bowl. Yes, I like this map very much.
I suppose this also explains why my GT friends ask me weekly what to expect in their game. "Y'all do know I'm a Hokie, right?" "Well yes, but you just seem to know this stuff." Thanks, TKP! Tee hee hee.
This really doesn't come as a surprise at all. For a bunch of people who say they don't give a rip about the Hokies, a lot of them sure do wear their gear around where I live (Richmond). UVA fans can say whatever they want about being better in other sports, but football is what runs America. I think this map, aside from UNC and UK, proves that if you play good football most of the time, you are more likely to be most well-liked in that state. Bottom line, UVA still blows chunks, especially their sorry football program
That always gets a leg.
States like Florida and Texas are really divided with several universities dominating some counties. with players from FL , Texas even VT is taking fans away from those states.
If only this map existed 2 years ago when my dad and I were selling CFB spatulas at trade shows. Would have made picking which ones to bring a lot less of a crapshoot.
This doesnt surprise me at all. I live in northern Virginia, and all I see if VT decals or memorabilia everywhere. Whether it be flags, signs, car license plates or stickers, shirts/clothing, whatever, for every 1 person or thing I see with UVA on it, I see 20 things of VT. Bottom line VT graduates expand around VA more than LOLUVA graduates and show more pride as well.
there are many in the closet LOLUVA fans around who don't even bother showing up for spring game. I cant really blame them.