The Weird, Wacky and Awesome World of the NFL - General Banter thread

Syferus

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

http://io9.com/5979818/nfl-fans-by-us-county-according-to-facebook

Pretty cool. Breaks down NFL fanbases by American county according to allegiances declared on facebook. Also breaks down how the situation changes during each round of the playoffs.

Actually looking at it again, it's very confusing because they use the same colours for different teams. What team accounts for the red bit in Alaska? SF? Kansas?

Surprising the panhandle is awash with New Orleans supporters and not one of the three Florida teams. It's obviously beyond unscientific, though, a few Pittsburgh fans in places like Birmingham or Nevada is enough for the map to turn yellow.

Realt Dearg Sec

Syferus wrote: »

Surprising the panhandle is awash with New Orleans supporters and not one of the three Florida teams. It's obviously beyond unscientific, though, a few Pittsburgh fans in places like Birmingham or Nevada is enough for the map to turn yellow.

Well, it's unscientific in the sense that it measures likes on facebook. But it's done on a county by county basis, so it shouldn't skew a very massive amount of the map in that kind of way. Look at Houston, for example. Only a tiny support base geographically, and totally dwarfed by the Cowboys, who take up about a quarter of the map on their own. But the counties that do lean towards the Texans are, presumably, heavily populated. The area of Nevada you're talking about probably has about four computers, so those instances could be misleading. It's a fair point though. As one comment points out, there's a pocket of Bears fans in NE New Mexico for some reason. The think it's a witness protection program.

But they are outliers. The New Orleans example is more interesting, but maybe I'm reading it wrong but I can't see the panhandle awash with NO fans. Looks like Tampa down the west coast, and Miami up the middle with a fairly small centre of support for the Jags.

Utopia Parkway

Deadspin cover it as well.

http://deadspin.com/5979970/facebook-data-provides-the-most-accurate-nfl-fandom-map-ever-created

bruschi

Poor aul Jets fans are thin on the ground there....:pac:

Son Of A Vidic

bruschi wrote: »

Poor aul Jets fans are thin on the ground there....:pac:

Looking at that map they're virtually an endangered species.

Realt Dearg Sec

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Looking at that map they're virtually an endangered species.

Yeah but presumably the Giants will have a majority in nearly every bit of New York, but then a considerable minority would be Jets.

Or, what is probably just as much a factor, people are keeping quiet about the Jets at the moment because they are basically a three ring circus.

Son Of A Vidic

I would go for the latter option you suggested.

Hazys

bruschi wrote: »

Poor aul Jets fans are thin on the ground there....:pac:

To be honest, i thought more of Connecticut would be New York not New England.

Although i guess this where the chart can be misleading. Its only the majority of preferences that get shown up in the map. So theoretically, a county in Connecticut could be 66% NYC teams and 34% New England and the Patriots would show up as the team. Cos it could be 33% Giants, 33% Jets and 34% Patriots. As the Patriots are the majority, the county turns grey. The Connecticut count for NYC effectively gets cut in half.

Although its still surprising to see the Pats to be the majority followed team in most of Connecticut...that or stupid NYC fans don't know how to work the ol'world wide web :pac:

Son Of A Vidic

I'm going for the latter option there again...:D :pac:

Realt Dearg Sec

The Patriots had the good sense not to call themselves after anything so limiting as a city, or a state, but a whole region. If I was setting up an expansion, I would call it the East Coast Megalopolis Party-with-strippers-and-free-beer-Throwers. It could attract support from one of the most densely populated regions in the world, as well as from those who like parties with strippers and free beer.

It's all about branding.

padraig_f

Interesting, but I think it's more people commenting on a team than becoming fans of them. e.g. I'm pretty sure the state of Illinois doesn't become Packers fans when the Bears get knocked out. When the 49ers beat the Packers in the playoffs it did generate some discussion on Bears forums, but not a lot of it was complimentary

Son Of A Vidic

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

The Patriots had the good sense not to call themselves after anything so limiting as a city, or a state, but a whole region.

But the Patriots affiliation with Boston and its surrounds will always be there. They were originally known as the Boston Patriots and changed the name when they moved to the old Foxborough in 71. The name might be gone, but the association will always be there.

Syferus

Let's be fair, the Patriots are the Boston Patriots in all but title. Alway seemed a silly attempt at trying to broaden their reach to me, they appeal to the same geographical area no matter what they're called.

The Boston Celtics' fanbase doesn't suffer much because it's got Boston in the title.

Son Of A Vidic

Syferus wrote: »

Let's be fair, the Patriots are the Boston Patriots in all but title. Alway seemed a silly attempt at trying to broaden their reach to me, they appeal to the same geographical area no matter what they're called.

After a multitude of failed attempts and obstacles put in their way to get a stadium built in Boston. They ended up in Foxborough, so with this in mind, the Sullivan's felt in was only right to now associate the team with a region as opposed to a city. Especially considering the years of difficulty they had trying to get a stadium built in Boston. So it wasn't really silly, just good business. But the association with Boston will always remain.

bruschi

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

After a multitude of failed attempts and obstacles put in their way to get a stadium built in Boston. They ended up in Foxborough, so with this in mind, the Sullivan's felt in was only right to now associate the team with a region as opposed to a city. Especially considering the years of difficulty they had trying to get a stadium built in Boston. So it wasn't really silly, just good business. But the association with Boston will always remain.

plus they very nearly moved to Hartford when the Mass. governers werent going to put in for the stadium development, so it would make a move to an area around the region much easier without having a radical upheaval or name change.

robluvshandegg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/interactive/2013/jan/30/nfl-salaries-team-position#baltimore-ravens,san-francisco-49ers

NFL salaries by team and position
The National Football League has a salary cap, an upper limit on what teams can spend on their players, of $120.6m. But where the teams choose to spend that money is entirely up to them. Some, like Tampa Bay, overload their offence, while others invest heavily in defence. These figures are based on individual 'cap hit' numbers which include base salary and bonuses for the 2012-13 season.

Pretty cool stuff.

kmart6

Feels good knowing how good the Colts were this year when they had the second lowest payroll!

Son Of A Vidic

kmart6 wrote: »

Feels good knowing how good the Colts were this year when they had the second lowest payroll!

Full credit for drafting one of the best rookie classes in the league and Ryan Grigson has done an excellent job.

kmart6

RG3 is the Offensive ROTY

kmart6

No surprise, J.J. Watt is Defensive POTY

kmart6

Luke Kuechly is Defensive ROTY

kmart6

Jason Witten is Walter Payton Man of the Year

kmart6

Delighted with this..... Bruce Arians named Coach of the Year

So Peyton gets Comeback POTY, Peterson should def be getting MVP so!

Syferus

All deserved, though if play-offs entered the consideration Wilson would have been the clear ORotY.

kmart6

You just know he's shouting in his head 'I want the other one!'

kmart6

Peterson is Offensive POTY

nerd69

Syferus wrote: »

All deserved, though if play-offs entered the consideration Wilson would have been the clear ORotY.

I don't know I think rg3 had a better regular season and had he been fully fit I think the skins would have beaten the hawks pretty convincingly. The skins obliterated them in the first quarter and then the Seahawks realised rg3 couldn't run and shut them down its unfair to dismiss what rg3 did all season because of that

Syferus

kmart6 wrote: »

You just know he's shouting in his head 'I want the other one!'

Surely the only person alive man enough to brave the frozen thundra between Rodgers and Farve?

kmart6

It's a gas photo, Rodgers happy out, Manning wanting a different award and Farve not wanting to be there!

kmart6

MVP for Peterson.....a lot closer than a lot of people were making it out to be!