Cavalier Film Room: The Boston Royal Double
April 23, 2015After the Oop, Into the Celebration
April 23, 2015When it comes to college football, most of the Buckeye State is united in the state’s namesake. Professional baseball, however, is a different story. The Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates can all claim portions of Ohio as their base. While we can safely guess which baseball hats you would see in Kirtland, it is not always as predictable when rolling through Columbus, Dayton, or Youngstown. Where do these clubs’ spheres of influence end among Ohioans?
On Wednesday, The New York Times released an interactive map that aggregates Facebook users’ favorite baseball teams based on both county and zip code. It is a neat map and I encourage you to play around with it. For now, we will focus on Ohio and how the fandoms break down by county. Take these rankings with a grain of salt: Not everyone has Facebook so this is more of a rough representation of the population than anything. Also, the poll only listed the top three vote receiving teams so not every county will add up to 100 percent.
As a bonus, here are all the neighboring non-Ohio counties that favor the Indians as a top-three team.
Tribe Stronghold
The Cleveland Indians are the undisputed fan favorite of Northeast Ohio. Medina, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Wayne, and Ashtabula Counties all contain at least 70 percent Tribe supporters. Akron and Canton are ensconced in Wahoo Red, White, and Blue. It gets interesting closer to Central Ohio where Licking County is split 28 percent Indians, 28 percent Reds, and 10 percent Yankees. Franklin County, which includes Columbus, is equally divided at 26 percent Indians, 26 percent Reds, and 12 percent Yanks. So if you are looking for a line to identify where Ohio’s baseball interests diverge, it seems to run down High Street in the state capitol. It is notable that the Tribe owns 33 of Ohio’s 88 counties but does not lay claim to any outside the Buckeye State. They are a more provincial team than their I-71 rival.
Reds Country
Cincinnati has a proud baseball history. Just ask anyone from there; they will be happy to tell you all about it. The Reds (née Redlegs, née Red Stockings) were established in 1881 and have won five World Series. Their lengthy history and winning tradition adds up to millions of fans. Forty two counties chose the Reds as their favorite ball club. Highland, Brown, Clermont, Adams, Hamilton, Butler, and Warren Counties all sit at over 70 percent proclivity for Cincy. What makes the Reds more remarkable than the Indians is the breadth of their kingdom. You will find Reds fans in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The geography benefits them in that none of those other states field a pro ball club closer than the Queen City.
Tiger Den
Toledo occupies a unique place in Midwest history. In 1835-36 Ohio and Michigan militias fought over which state would lay claim to the Glass City. Ohio won the conflict but it seems Toledo residents’ hearts may still reside in That State Up North. Fulton, Lucas, Williams, Wood, Henry, Ottawa, and Defiance Counties all chose the Detroit Tigers as their favorite team. In some cases it was not even close: 53 percent of Fulton County prefers the Motor City Kitties compared to 10 percent for the Tribe and 10 percent the Yankees. Doubtless the Tigers’ recent success has contributed to this swing; the Indians face an uphill battle if they desire a strong fanbase in Northwest Ohio.
Pirate Waters
A brief 132 miles separate Progressive Field and PNC Park which leaves many in Eastern Ohio torn between allegiances. Jefferson, Belmont, and Monroe Counties all selected the Pittsburgh Pirates as their favorite team by a fairly comfortable margin. Considering their proximity to the Steel City this is not very surprising.
Damn Yankees
There is just something about the New York Yankees. Maybe it’s the pinstripes. Maybe the mystique of Babe Ruth still looms larger than life. Maybe it’s scores of hip hop artists rocking the interlocking NY cap. Regardless, 75 of 88 Ohio counties listed the Bronx Bombers as a top three favorite team. The Yanks ranged from as low as 3 percent in Clermont County to as high as 13 percent in Paulding County, but no county placed them first overall.
Red Sox Nation
Like their divisional rivals, the Boston Red Sox appeared throughout the state. Twenty different counties have enough Red Sox fans to earn it a spot in the top three for their county. However, I would not expect them to grasp territory anytime soon; the Sox top out at only 8 percent in Gallia County.
Odds and Ends:
• Apparently Paulding County is Cubs Country. Surprisingly, this small county of 19,614 in Northwest Ohio favors the Cubbies (21 percent) to the Reds (15 percent) or Yankees (13 percent). This is especially odd since Paulding’s city hall rests 204 miles from Wrigley Field and there are other big league clubs closer. I blame WGN.
• 77 of 88 Ohio counties list the Indians in their top three teams. The Reds, on the other hand, only appear in the top three of 64 counties. Also interesting is the severe lack of Reds fans in Northeast Ohio. You don’t see any Reds rooters on the map north of Ashland County or east of Sandusky. Meanwhile Indians supporters are scattered throughout the Ohio River Valley. I do not know if we can attribute that to greater population dispersal from Cleveland or stronger radio stations. Either way I find it fascinating.
The Indians have employed a series of slogans in the past few years: “It’s Tribe Time Now”, “What If?”, and most recently “This is Tribe Town.” As the map shows, Cleveland is undoubtedly a Tribe Town. However, that same description may not apply to nearby Columbus, Toledo, or Erie, PA. The best way to win over fair weather fans is of course to win. If not, those areas of yellow and orange may expand over time. Regardless, those of us who call the corner of Carnegie and Ontario our summer home can take solace in knowing that the Tribe stands strong along the shores of Lake Erie.
13 Comments
Live in Youngstown. Have never seen a Pirates fan around. Plenty of Steelers fans though, but that’s a completely different article.
Riff on an old joke:
In 1835-36 Ohio and Michigan militias fought over which state would lay claim to Toledo. Ohio lost.
Sorry.
Medina County, proud Tribe stronghold. Damn right.
Live in Erie. Never see any Pirates fans.
Lots of Penguins people and about 50/50 Browns-Steelers…
being from suburban toledo, i really dont think the tigers hold the majority of fandom there.
We’re going to have to figure out a way to support those beleaguered Tribe fans in Columbus, Berlin Airlift style, or like the 4th Armored Division relieving Bastogne.
Now that the Pirates have improved each year over the last few years could start to see more fans.
I’m from Ohio and The Tribe will always be the #1 team I root for, I watch and support the Pirates. I live in Indy where the AAA team for the Pirates is so I’ve had nearly 10 years of watching all of their prospects get called up so I’ve became a fan of them.
There isn’t a rivalry between the pirates and Indians like the browns and steelers plus they are in the NL.
But when I go to PNC this 4th of July to watch them play eachother I will for sure have Indians gear on.
How appropriate that “Defiance” County is mostly Tigers.
Also, being an Erie, PA native, I can attest that 5 years ago this would have been a totally different number.
I would venture that CLE’s recent growth which includes a lot of young-ish returnees with a spouse has brought a lot of NY fans. I was at a symposium this week where close to 1/3 of the people had moved to CLE in the past many years, many originally from here and often bringing a spouse, mostly from NY/Boston/DC/Chicago. A lot of CLE people who go to college in NY will end up moving back with a Yankee fan.
The survey should include “name 3 current players on the team” and those “yankee fan” numbers would drop.
The Indians keep playing like they are and not even Native Americans will care about Chief Wahoo anymore!
It’s not all about the Big Leagues. Part of it is minor leagues and proximity. “Doubtless the Tigers’ recent success has contributed to this swing; the
Indians face an uphill battle if they desire a strong fanbase in
Northwest Ohio.” Nope, NW Ohio has always been mostly Tigers country due to proximity and more recently since the Mud Hens have been the top farm club the last 25 years or so. You’ll also find plenty of folks who root for both, or have split allegiances. My father will tell you he grew up a Tigers and Browns fan. Part of that was due to what you could get on the radio or with a TV antenna.
And Yankees fans in C-bus make sense too, since the Clippers were the farm team for awhile.
Never give up the good fight!