October 4, 2014

"The most consistently loyal fans in America live in Wisconsin."

"More than 87 percent of fans in some Wisconsin ZIP codes support the Badgers, a level that isn't reached anywhere else, our estimates show. That's why the red in the map is so dark. Though the numbers aren't nearly so high elsewhere, Wisconsin territory also stretches into Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan."

From a NYT piece (replete with interactive map) titled: "N.C.A.A. Fan Map: How the Country Roots for College Football/With data based on Facebook 'likes' we estimated the boundaries of fandom for 84 teams."

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

has nothing to do with there being only one football program in the state

Curious George said...

Northwestern is bearing them like a red-headed stepchild.

donald said...

Heh.

Sure.

20-7 Northwestern.

Eat that pasty white fat asses.

traditionalguy said...

Wisconsin is one strong football program. but inside 250 miles of Atlanta you find ten strong football programs:
1)Georgia
2)Georgia Tech
3)Auburn
4)Florida State
5)Florida
6)Clemson
7)South Carolina
8)Tennessee
9)Georgia Southern
10)Vanderbilt

MathMom said...

I figured it would be Nebraska. I've never seen any place like Nebraska for loyalty. Go Big Red! If you ask any Nebraskan I know "did you see the game?" they never say "What game?" They know it's the Nebraska game.

Beta Rube said...

Donald sounds like a Bears fan!

donald said...

Go Dawgs bitches.

Woof.

Ask Ron Dayne.

traditionalguy said...

4 of the top 6 lost so far today. TCU may make it onto the final four playoff. And no
Comments on that. are needed from Badgers after the
2010 Rose Bowl.

rcocean said...

The Oregon love confuses me. People must really hate the Bay area in Northern California.

rcocean said...

And the Northeast doesn't seem to like College Football at all.

Wimps.

garage mahal said...

Curious Illinois always has negative opinions on all Wisconsin sports teams. Die hard Walker supporter. Chicago Bear lover. Hates on all Wisconsin teams. Fuuuuuuuck you.

Known Unknown said...

Let me know when you get 108,000+ idiots in one place for a game.

Curious George said...

Good thing Bucky has a soft schedule this year. Otherwise they might not get a chance to get their ass kicked in a bowl game again.

Wayne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
virgil xenophon said...

One would think that with a State with such a huge population that Illinois would have powerhouse teams, yet the Fighting iIlini have consistently produced mediocre to losing teams save for the Butkus & Graboski years. The reason? The Chicago area with most of the State's powerhouse HS teams/talent is mined by both Mich teams, Wisc., ND, Perdue and of course Northwestern. "Chicagoland" high schoolers have no special loyalty to far-away Champaign-Urbana downstate. And of course Iowa considers the "Quad Cities" area to be its' own special recruiting area, while Mizzou and Iowa both consider the rich-in-talent St Louis, East St.Louis, Collinsville, Granite city, Alton area (the second greatest source of powerful HS teams/talent outside of Chicago) to be its own special reserve. And even Indiana poaches on Illinois' talent recruiting from approx 50 miles inside the Ill/Ind border from Kankakee all the way down to Mt Carmel. And "Little Egypt" is recruited heavily by Tenn and Ky as well as Ind & Mizzou.

In short, Illinois is very much a step-child in its own state and usually second or third choice on the blue-chip recruits list. Additionally, compared to many of its rivals in the Big 10 and elsewhere it has a visually ugly campus. It had been swathed in stately 150' Elms, but lost 90% of them to Dutch Elm disease in the early 50s, so presents a fairly barren campus--even today.

And of course the fact that both the faculty and Administration have long been violently anti-athletics (save for the PC female variety) doesn't help. Thank god for the Board of Directors and the Alums or else all sports would have been shut down years ago..

eddie willers said...

What are all us Georgia fans doing on a Wisconsin law professor's blog?

Who cares?

Go Dawgs!


(and I remember the Great Dane too, he he)

garage mahal said...

If you're a FIB this a great day.

tim maguire said...

Is that really how you rank loyalty? Gainesville Florida is probably mostly diluted by relocated Seminole fans. They are counted in this study as reducing the overall loyalty level, but the reality is the opposite. Living in the heart of Gator Country and publicly admitting to supporting the hated rival is no minor choice.

Curious George said...

Wisconsin: No MSU, No Michigan, and no OSU.

Big 10 ain't what it used to be.

Anthony said...

We're spread out too. At Washington games there are always at least a few wearing Wisconsin somethings. The Badgers I recently spoke wit at a game were recent transplants and we're amazed the the tickets were so cheap and the stadium wasn't full.

I myself have a purple WISCONSIN shirt I wear to Husky games.

Anthony said...

Sorry about the typos. 6 a.m., phone, etc.

Wilbur said...

Big Ten football is more of an overrated Never-Was, at least for the last 50 years or so.

When Illinois got rid of the Chief, I and all of my alumni relatives swore they'd never get another cent from us. I see no reason to reconsider.

mccullough said...

Wisconsin football: JJ Watt, Russell Wilson.

Alabama football: ???

Georgia football: ???

Florida football: Tim Tebow?

LSU football: JaMarcus Russell?



donald said...

Dane couldn't get out of his own way.

I could not believe how slow he was.

Oh we'll, hope he didn't blow the signing bonus.

Curious George said...

"mccullough said...
Wisconsin football: JJ Watt, Russell Wilson.

Alabama football: ???

Georgia football: ???

Florida football: Tim Tebow?

LSU football: JaMarcus Russell?"

LOL seriously? How many national championships has WI won in the last decade? In your life time? Ever?

And WI lost three games , including their Bowl game, if Wilson's year, and in Watts senior year.

You know why Wisconsin will always be a bridesmaid? Because they know their fans are knuckleheads. Just make a bowl somewhere warm so alumni have an excuse to go somewhere warm in winter + success.

RecChief said...

I don't believe it. Been around too many Georgia Dawgs and Texas Longhorns to believe it.

garage mahal said...

Oh well. I'll enjoy watching Cutler throw some picks and sprain his uterus again today.

mccullough said...

Curious George,

Lol. SEC football players pretty much suck on Sundays.

Who's a better pro, Monte Ball or Trent Richardson? Tom Brady or Cam Newton? Drew Brees or Matt Flynn?

Here are all the "great" college football players from the last 10 years: Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, JaMarcus Russell, Mark Ingraham, Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Vince Young, Trent Richardson, Cam Newton, and Johnny Manziel.

I'm not a huge college football fan. I prefer the pros. To me the better college team is the team whose players are good in the pros. The SEC produces some decent lineman. But if you are a skilled player who wants to play in the pros, you wouldn't play for an SEC school. SEC football is good Saturday football. It's not good football.

mccullough said...

Cutler is the best QB to come out of the SEC since Peyton Manning. Make of that what you will.

The Crack Emcee said...

This is so important to know I could scream,....

Curious George said...

"mccullough said...
Curious George,

Lol. SEC football players pretty much suck on Sundays."

Do you really watch your team lose and go "that's okay, a couple of them will be great in the Pros"?

That's idiotic

Auntie Ann said...

My degree is from UMn, and I still cheer for the Badgers!

donald said...

I am repeatedly heartbroken by the Dawgs, much to often at the smirk and stiletto tongue of the evil genius. Who can't seem to beat anybody else these days.

Sic em.

Dammit.

Loren said...

Now I haven't lived in Montana for 27 years, but was born and raised there, and still have family there. I have never noted any Duck following. The NYT didn't include either the Griz or the Cats in their table, but i would guess that both swamp the Ducks.