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[OFFICIAL] 2007 MLB Baseball Season Thread! (pg. 17)
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| Dj Smitty20 |
| quote: | Originally posted by verndogs
Actually, there are Yankees fans over the world. I've seen Yankees hats in England. I've also seen one sports store in Dublin on Henry street sell a vast array of Yankees gear. In Taipei, I saw Chien Ming Wang's face EVERYWHERE. Tokyo has a number of Yankee fans because of the Yomiuri Giants/Hideki Matsui connection. |
well the "NY" itself is pretty much its own brand now so I think a lot of people outside North America who wear Yankees stuff might just be wearing it for that purpose. But there are very serious Yankee fans all over North America. Everywhere the Yankees go their fans come out in droves. It's the same with the Red Sox, but to a lesser degree.
I just find it annoying when people say I can't (or shouldn't) be a Yankees fan since I"m from Canada...as if I'm obligated to cheer for the Blue Jays. |
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| verndogs |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
well the "NY" itself is pretty much its own brand now so I think a lot of people outside North America who wear Yankees stuff might just be wearing it for that purpose. |
In Japan and Taiwan, they take their baseball seriously.
It was pretty easy to catch a Yankees game in Taiwan.
As for Japan, A-Rod hitting home run #500 made the front pages of the papers (even on the same day Bonds tied Aaron).
edit: probably the sports section, not the overall front pages of the paper |
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| Dj Smitty20 |
oh yeah for sure Asia and definitely the Latin countries. I did my undergrad with a Cuban girl who had emigrated to Canada with her family and they were die hard NY fans. I watched one of the 2003 World Series games with them and I was pleasantly suprised at how knowledgeable and passionate they were about the game and the Yankees.
I meant Europe moreso regarding the brand issue. I spent a lot of time in England and most people there, while they might wear Yankees stuff, couldn't give a about the game. |
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| inconspicuous |
major sports are moving further and further away from the regional dominance of franchise allegiances. Fewer & fewer people are actually going to games (percentage-wise), and while sports are becoming more popular as a whole, the specific markets, teams, & even leagues are becoming less and less relevant in the overall culture, at least in the US. TV certainly has a LOT to do with it. The mere existence of cable television has introduced a whole bunch of new factors to sports, most important of all is the fact that your options are no longer limited to watching (or even earlier, listening to) the local team's games or buying a ticket.
It's also something I can definitely identify with, personally. When I was growing up, baseball was one of my favorite sports, & pitching was my primary interest. While I still loved the White Sox and watched almost every game, I always sat down for a lot of Braves games on TBS to see Glavine, Avery, Smoltz, & Maddux [my favorite pitcher of all time]. 50 years ago, I might have heard or read about that rotation, but I wouldn't have seen them play more than a couple times in my life, let alone dozens of times per season. Whether this is all for better or worse, though, is something worth an interesting debate. |
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| Dj Smitty20 |
yes I can see your point about how it may or may not be a good thing for the sport for local support to be diverted to other markets, but at the same time, there is always going to be a strong local market.
Take my dad for example. He was already 25 by the time the Jays came into the league in 77. Most people in our area of Ontario were either Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox or Expos fans before the Jays came into the AL. I was molded into a Yankees fan during the 80s when they weren't all that good. I was in high school by the time they won the World Series in 96 and I had seen them live twice every year since I was 7. I go to Yankee Stadium every 3 or 4 years and will be going again next year for the last season at Yankee Stadium. I feel just as much as part of the Yankee fan family as any New Yorker does.
Most of my friends, however (late 70s and 80s generation), if they give a about baseball at all, tend to be all Jays fans. I also know many Tigers fans too. |
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| inconspicuous |
| those are specific examples. that means nothing. |
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| Rockabye |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
I meant Europe moreso regarding the brand issue. I spent a lot of time in England and most people there, while they might wear Yankees stuff, couldn't give a about the game. |
Yeah most europeans doesn't wear Yankees clothes because they liek the Team but because of the NY on the Cap or because 50 cent wears that stuff :stongue:
It was the same in the early 90's when a lot of people had 49ers oder Raiders clothes but haven't watched a single NFL game in their life. :rolleyes: |
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| Rockabye |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
you live in Germany. Why do you even watch baseball, much less cheer for the Mets? |
Because Doug Heffernan is a Mets fan. :stongue:
No seriously. I've first watched baseball without having a team and picked the Mets than because I've liked the style of their play with Reyes, Wright and others. And of course because I don't like the Yankees. :tongue2 ;)
And I had to pick a team from the east coast, because games from western team start at 4 in the morning. :nervous:
And of course I had to pick a team from the NL because the DH Rule is gay. |
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| King Ecnal |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
not even from the Red Sox NESN commentators (who actually call very good games are NOT biased homers).
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NO YOU DIDN'T!!!!
given, the weei radio broadcasters... Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano were the WORST ever, two FOSSILS who I wished died in their sleep EVERY night, so I could actually listen to a game for once on the radio.... Trupiano FINALLY got fired this year, so one down, one to go...
BUT, back to NESN, I friggen hate JErry Remy, guy is a waste of space.... Sean McDonough was the best Red Sox commentator of all time... and the AXE'd him over Remy and that other idiot who's name escapes me at the moment...because HE SUCKS TOO!!!
I mute Red Sox games if I ever watch them.... I only ever watch if Beckett or Dice-K pitch, only for Fantasy purposes...
the NESN commentators are reason #402392 why I hate Red Sox Nation!!! |
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| Dj Smitty20 |
| quote: | Originally posted by inconspicuous
those are specific examples. that means nothing. |
sure it's an example specific to me but it applies to a lot of people. How many people here cheer for teams because they were raised watching them?
my point is that there was already an established fanbase for the Yankees (and many other teams) all over Canada way before the Blue Jays came into the league and the same is true for many newer American markets as well.
^^^^ Oh...and I really don't mind the NESN guys. Unlike the Blue Jays commentators that I mentioned earlier, they call decent games and I've never heard anything so retarded come from their mouths such as "the Yankees are heavily favoured by umpires and the MLB and get calls that nobody else does..." |
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| King Ecnal |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
^^^^ Oh...and I really don't mind the NESN guys. Unlike the Blue Jays commentators that I mentioned earlier, they call decent games and I've never heard anything so retarded come from their mouths such as "the Yankees are heavily favoured by umpires and the MLB and get calls that nobody else does..." |
yeah, see if you had to listen to them every game, they'd get on your nerves fast... or maybe not, a lot of idiots(Red Sox Nation) LOVE the Remdog, I hate the guy, no-talent waste of space, he was a lousy ballplayer and a horrid commentator...
and they don't say negative things about the Yanks, cause it might surprise people, but I'd say... for every 5 Sox fans in New England, there is 1 Yanks fan.... I might even go as far and say its 4:1 or 3:1.... lots of yanks fans around here, they just keep quiet if the Sox are doing well.... like now, Yanks fans are all over the place saying they're back and all that happy horse... |
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| Dj Smitty20 |
| well, we are back in the race for the playoffs at least. Two months ago I was ready to say it was all over given how horrible they were playing. I still think the division is a little too far out of reach but Cleveland/Detroit/Seattle look susceptible and the Yankees have big series against them all in the next month or so. At least it will be an interesting race anyway! |
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