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You know what I think would be really interesting? Some kind of urban vs. rural study on this. I live in the middle of nowhere, USA. The number of kids that tur
by poulsbohemian 8y ago
You know what I think would be really interesting? Some kind of urban vs. rural study on this. I live in the middle of nowhere, USA. The number of kids that turn out for sports is truly amazing. You drive past a soccer pitch on the weekend and there are hundreds of kids out there playing. Same is true for the baseball field. But, I talk to my urban friends and it isn't the same; their kids are either playing even more exotic sports like lacrosse, or they simply aren't playing. Baseball is a funny one, because even though the Mariners are top of their division at the moment, you can walk right up and get any ticket you want any day of the week - serious lack of fan support. So yes, baseball has declined overall, but I'm also left to wonder what role urban vs. rural interests play in this, as here in the heartland, baseball is still very much a big deal.
- ghaff 8y agoI assume there are people who know these things but I only am familiar with some things anecdotally. There are a lot of demographic dimensions. Basketball tends to be associated with inner cities although, historically, there were some other groups like Catholic schools where hoops was popular. Ice hockey was a northern sport; at one time a large percentage of NHL players were Canadian. Today, I expect that the availability of frozen ponds and lakes is much less important although I also expect its popularity is still fairly skewed to the north. "Friday Night Lights" high school football obsession tends to be associated with the South. It's an interesting question especially as some college-educated parents choose to increasingly live in certain dense cities where the soccer-mom lifestyle doesn't necessarily fit very well.