identity and baseball demographics

The map to the left shows the location of all 30 Major League Baseball teams. The American League has 14 teams; a result of Milwaukee's defection to the National League--giving the latter an obvious 16 teams.

Since I like to talk baseball, over the course of many years I have met and engaged with baseball fans from about every Major League organization. I have found that fans have varied reasons to why they choose to cheer and support their team. Most choose to support a team simply because that is where they grew up, and they have history with that ball club. Some support teams because their favorite players are on the roster. And many choose to support a team because of the gained identity and instant camaraderie associated with being for the Giants versus the Athletics, or the Yankees versus the Mets.

Choosing what team to support in any sport is a very calculated decision. There are often deep underlying reasons to why an individual chooses one team over another. But to understand the concept of what I will call the team selection phenomenon, it is requisite that we first have an understanding of American geography and its relation to fan base. The map below displays the 30 ball clubs, not limited to their respective cities, as in the map above, but as territories, or countries.



This map accurately illustrates the baseball demographic in the United States. In some areas you can see that it's a matter of identity preference as opposed to mere locality. As is the case in parts of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. In San Francisco for example, Giants fans are sometimes labeled as "white collar", while A's fans are labeled as "blue collar." This identity is in part due to the locale of the two ballparks, but mostly because of the image the team has take on over time. If you are vigilant, you will notice that some fans align themselves with certain teams because it fits their personality or it provides them with a desired identity. Next time you get together with friends, ask them why they support their particular team. You may learn a lot about them.

the city keeps its hero

Junior will stay in Seattle for one last season. Veteran's day couldn't have started in a more suitable way. Asides from watching Ken Burn's Baseball documentary to properly pay respects to the baseball crazed veterans who have fought for our country of course.

Ken Griffey Jr., who played his first 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, will play his 13th and final season with the ball club in 2010. If he retires after next season, he will have played 22 years in total; including 9 with the Cincinnati Reds/Chicago White Sox. He has announced that he will return for the 2010 baseball season in hopes of taking the ball club to the World Series. That may seem like a lofty goal for the Mariners who went 85-77 on the year, finishing 12 games behind the first place Angels; but, dugout morale has changed dramatically since Griffey's celebrated return this season, and the team seems ready for October ball next year. Griffey has given me a second chance to see him back in blue. I kind of feel like I let him down this year; I think that I should publicly apologize for not showing more loyalty during the 2009 season. So here it is: I'm sorry I didn't make it out to see you play this season at Safeco. But I did come to two of your games at Camden Yards! Does that count? I know, I know, it's not the same, but next year I'll be there to help us win the pennant! And I promise I will order the online MLB package so I can watch your games in HD and listen to Dave Sims announce us to victory. We're bringing back the Refuse to Lose years. Yours truly, Will. Click here to read the article published in the Seattle-PI this morning.

what do I do now?

When I came into work today I thought to myself, “What am I going to do for the next five months?” Since April, my time has largely been spent on two things: sailing and baseball. With the Yankees win last night in game six of the World Series, the 2009 baseball season has come to a close. The sailing season ended last weekend, and now I’m sitting here at my desk wondering what I’m going to throw myself into during these winter months of chilly nights and early sunsets.

Well, I’ve got Saturday college football, but that’s not the same. I could develop my culinary side and become a world class chef; but I really don’t want to spend my free time cooking; so that’s out. Winter is a good time to travel, so I’ll do some of that. I guess I could give my gym membership some attention again. What else am I going to do—get a girlfriend?! Ha. But really, this break affords me the opportunity to finally check off all those books on the “to read” list. I can’t think of a better winter-time activity. I’ll spend the lion’s share of my time marking up new books, and scribbling in my notebooks. I could write a book. Yes, this may be the offseason for sailing and ball, but this will be the season for the gym and books.

does the game get any better?

Baseball has so many exciting elements woven into the fabric of the game. The pregame batting practice, the singing of the national anthem, the usual crack of the bat, the "umph" sound the ball makes as it flys into a readied glove, the smiles, the anguish, the cheering of the fans, the booing of the fans, the heartache, the elation, the expression on little boy's faces, the expression on old men's faces, the manager vs. umpire bouts, the remarkable plays on the ball, the calculated pitches, the thrill of stealing a base, the strategy, the smells of the park, the unpredictability, the seventh inning stretch "take me out to the ballgame", the trivia, ballpark dogs, the open air, the double plays, charging the mound, the home runs, doubles, triples, beating out the throw, diving catches, leaping into the sea of fans to catch a foul ball, tactical pitching changes, gutsy base running calls, predicting where the batter will hit the ball, behind the back circus esque vendor throws, salted peanuts, sunflower seeds, waves of fans wearing their favorite ballcaps, dugout antics, standing ovations, nail-biting suspense, the theme music as the top closer runs out of the bullpen and onto the field, and the raw emotion of players and fans alike. This is the game I love, this is the game I long for.

One may ask, does it get any better than this? Well, I didn't think it could until I witnessed the pregame performance inside Yankee Stadium before game two of the World Series. Alicia Keys peforming inside a ballpark, during the World Series, in New York City, singing "Empire State of Mind," well, it was, for lack of a better word, perfect. See the video of the performance below: