A genuine question about American sports

Jukebox Jury

Retired
OK, one of the issues over American sports that is completely different than how sports are run in Europe is the word FRANCHISE.

The Brooklyn Dodgers are one of the worlds most famous baseball teams.... yet they moved from New York to Los Angeles..... where does that leave fans?
That is just one example..... teams from different sports have up sticks and moved to another area of the country to what is deemed a more prosperous area, where attendances may be bigger.....
This has happened ONCE only in English football*, when Wimbledon moved 70 miles to Milton Keynes a few years ago and supporters groups were up in arms demonstrating.....
To sports clubs in Europe, the local teams represent the local community..... for a team to move 5000 miles from New York to LA is just unthinkable.....

How do US sports fans cope with supporting a team and then finding out the team is moving out of town to another state or hundreds of miles away because the owners wish to move to another city / town?

Jukebox Jury

* I know Arsenal moved from south east London (Woolwich) to north London (Islington) in the early 1900's but that was still a reletively short move.
 
i dunno. didnt the Dodgers move from Brooklyn to LA like 50 years ago? ask someone whos like, 80. haha.

what about the Raiders? they moved from Oakland to LA, back to Oakland. i think? they must have some really confused fans....


yes, believe it or not I used to be a huge sports freak when I was in jr high...
 
for me, being a sports fan is about family & identity :straightface:
my father grew up in Brooklyn and his father took him to Brooklyn Dodgers games
then the team moved to L.A. but my father and his family followed the Dodgers to the west!
they were not alone in this, the transplanting of baseball teams & people from New York City to California is a part of American history :)
so I will follow my Dodgers no matter where they go, even if it be the moon!
my family bleeds Dodger blue, always has and always will, amen :pray:

however, i do not reserve the same place for other professional sports such as the "NFL"
my father was a season ticket holder for years of the "L.A." Rams when they played in Anaheim
the last professional football game i attended was their last home game there :tears:
i no longer follow professional football, i feel like the Rams abandoned me :o

i'll skip going on about the glorious Lakers of the NBA
who i still follow as did my father before me :clap:

but what you gotta understand about American sports is the importantance to many of us of college sports
particularly that of NCAA basketball and football
I went to UCLA, as did my father and 1 of his brothers
so UCLA sports are near and dear to me :love:
and the best thing about college sports is that its not like the team is going to move :straightface:
is it?
 
teams from different sports have up sticks and moved to another area of the country to what is deemed a more prosperous area, where attendances may be bigger.....

I think one of the things that is different here is that attendance doesn't matter. Everything is on TV. Most people can't really afford to attend a game in person more than a few times. Physical attendance is not relevant.
 
The Phillies get their World Series rings today...:love::bow::rock:
 
I think one of the things that is different here is that attendance doesn't matter. Everything is on TV. Most people can't really afford to attend a game in person more than a few times. Physical attendance is not relevant.

well, living in another city makes it hard to go to Dodgers games :o
but i have made it to at least 1 Dodgers-Giants game every year i have been here
and my boys in blue are undefeated when i attend :D
 
OK, one of the issues over American sports that is completely different than how sports are run in Europe is the word FRANCHISE.

The Brooklyn Dodgers are one of the worlds most famous baseball teams.... yet they moved from New York to Los Angeles..... where does that leave fans?
That is just one example..... teams from different sports have up sticks and moved to another area of the country to what is deemed a more prosperous area, where attendances may be bigger.....
This has happened ONCE only in English football*, when Wimbledon moved 70 miles to Milton Keynes a few years ago and supporters groups were up in arms demonstrating.....
To sports clubs in Europe, the local teams represent the local community..... for a team to move 5000 miles from New York to LA is just unthinkable.....

How do US sports fans cope with supporting a team and then finding out the team is moving out of town to another state or hundreds of miles away because the owners wish to move to another city / town?

Jukebox Jury

* I know Arsenal moved from south east London (Woolwich) to north London (Islington) in the early 1900's but that was still a reletively short move.

Robby gave a good description of the Dodgers' move to L.A. There were many loyal fans and quite a few angry ones, as well. Most of the time when franchises move, the fans become irate. There are New Yorkers who still speak with misty eyes about the Brooklyn team.

Generally the controversy surrounding the move depends on the fans. In L.A., the move of the NFL Rams from California to St. Louis, Missouri, barely caused a ripple. On the other hand, in the Eighties when the NFL Raiders moved from Oakland, where they were dearly beloved, down to Los Angeles, the outcry was savage-- probably as passionate as English football fans are about their teams. Same with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts, two old franchises who left their cities to a great uproar, including death threats.

The bottom line is money. It's America, what do you expect? There are maybe a few franchises in any of the major sports that would never, ever move. The New York Yankees are one such franchise-- but then again, they're the most profitable team. If times got tough fiscally, believe me, they'd be the San Antonio Yankees faster than you can say "Steinbrenner". :) Otherwise, all bets are off-- money's the driver, not tradition or history.

Except in college sports. Robby is correct about that. Though money does play a part... ;)
 
Except in college sports. Robby is correct about that. Though money does play a part... ;)

it sure does at UCLA, when we do well in basketball or football then donations by alumni go way up! :eek:
i know i wont donate until another banner* hangs from Pauley's rafters :cool::lbf:


*=yes, we have the most, but we need more :thumb:
 
I think one of the things that is different here is that attendance doesn't matter. Everything is on TV. Most people can't really afford to attend a game in person more than a few times. Physical attendance is not relevant.

But surely physical attendance has to be relevant..... to make it a watchable show on TV, you need the atmosphere of an excited / hostile crowd - appreciate that distances are greater in the USA but the rivalry of fans in the UK football (soccer) makes the spectacle of TV worth watching..... the chanting and singing etc....

Jukebox Jury
 
But surely physical attendance has to be relevant..... to make it a watchable show on TV, you need the atmosphere of an excited / hostile crowd - appreciate that distances are greater in the USA but the rivalry of fans in the UK football (soccer) makes the spectacle of TV worth watching..... tha chanting and singing etc....

Jukebox Jury

i think its relevant, i cannot imagine rooting for a team i did not grow up going to the games of :o
but people do, they are what we call "bandwagon fans" :cool:
 
Dont get me started on the ''World Series'' (ie USA + Toronto):thumb:

Jukebox Jury

I know your feelings on this matter. And I agree. Stupid name for a championship. However I didn't name it. My city's team just happened to win it in 2008 and we are all still very pleased at this.
 
I know your feelings on this matter. And I agree. Stupid name for a championship. However I didn't name it. My city's team just happened to win it in 2008 and we are all still very pleased at this.

we also have the best mascot in sports :thumb:

phanatic.jpg
 
Dont get me started on the ''World Series'' (ie USA + Toronto):thumb:

Jukebox Jury

its the World Series because all the best players in "the World" play in Major League Baseball
my god man, there are people from all over the world that toil in our minor leagues just for a shot at playing in "the big show" :o
sure, they could be the best player on a team somewhere else, but they want to be in the MLB! :thumb:
baseball is a beautiful thing :bow:
 
I know your feelings on this matter. And I agree. Stupid name for a championship. However I didn't name it. My city's team just happened to win it in 2008 and we are all still very pleased at this.

Appreciate your words..... enjoy the celebration and congrats on being the best team in the USA and Toronto:clap::bow:

Jukebox Jury
 
its the World Series because all the best players in "the World" play in Major League Baseball
my god man, there are people from all over the world that toil in our minor leagues just for a shot at playing in "the big show" :o
sure, they could be the best player on a team somewhere else, but they want to be in the MLB! :thumb:
baseball is a beautiful thing :bow:

Now you are just trying to wind me up:rolleyes:
Best players in the world......
Name me more than three countries (outside USA and Canada) where these players are coming from..... including at least one European country......

Jukebox Jury
 
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