New Map Showing Fan Territory in the MLB

[roadman65]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1102010558212960&set=a.711189830628370&type=3
What I don't like is the fact the New York Mets don't have any fan territory as all of New York State is considered Yankee Territory as well as Northern New Jersey.

Let's Go Mets!😀

[hotdogPi]

2014 for reference (NYTimes, so paywalled):
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/24/upshot/facebook-baseball-map.html

The 2014 map has percentages, you can see that Virginia and North Carolina are actually in "no team hits 30%" territory and Yankees just happen to be first. No team hits 20% in Montana, and in 2014, no team hit 20% in Nebraska but we don't know in 2024 because the leader changed.

The 2014 map also has it more granular than by county.

Red Sox have lost eastern Connecticut.
Nationals have expanded slightly but definitely not taken all of Virginia. This includes to the northwest, taking some Orioles territory in MD and WV.
Dodgers have taken over more unclaimed land, notably Utah and New Mexico.
Astros have expanded significantly, including San Antonio, Austin, and the Rio Grande Valley (previously Rangers) and more of Louisiana (previously unclaimed). I'm surprised, weren't they hated for cheating?
Royals have taken Nebraska (which was previously unclaimed).
Scranton is now Phillies territory instead of Yankees.
Braves seem to have taken the central third of North Carolina, although it was really close between them and the "default" Yankees before, so this could be just a few percent change.

Some things haven't changed. For example, the Cubs have exactly the same parts of Iowa and Indiana as they did in 2014.

[SectorZ]

I call doubt on eastern CT going from NYY to BOS. That NW/SE line from the Berkshires and straight thru Hartford to New London still holds pretty well today.

The Mets are also like the Jets. I remember seeing a map like this for the NFL. I believe 2010 or so, the Jets had one county around NYC, the next year they were down to zero. This was in that brief window where the Jets were pretty good to boot, albeit sandwiched between two Giants Superbowl wins.

HDP - you are right on the Astros; despite them being good I feel like the fringe territories wouldn't be adding Astros fans. On the other hand the Astros were a complete dumpster fire in 2014 and three years later won that infamous world series. Early 2010s their RSN almost went belly up because they were literally pulling 0.0 ratings in Houston during games, long before the complete mess so many are now.

[SEWIGuy]

Poor White Sox...

[mgk920]

Poor White Sox...

I was always under the impression, hat the Cubs-Whitesox line was at I-88 and its logical continuations. while the Whitesox-Cardinals line was around Bloomington/Normal, IL, maybe halfway between there and Lincoln, IL.

Also, I'm under the impression that the Brewers-Tigers line in Michigan is around where the Packers-Lions line is, about halfway between US 41 and I-75.

Mike

[SEWIGuy]

Poor White Sox...

I was always under the impression, hat the Cubs-Whitesox line was at I-88 and its logical continuations. while the Whitesox-Cardinals line was around Bloomington/Normal, IL, maybe halfway between there and Lincoln, IL.

Also, I'm under the impression that the Brewers-Tigers line in Michigan is around where the Packers-Lions line is, about halfway between US 41 and I-75.

Mike

I think the Sox fanbase has slowly degraded overtime due to the incompetence of the organization.

[bing101]

Kind of interesting to see that Oklahoma City and Honolulu supports LA Dodgers in the OP map.  Also this map does not take into account that the A's are heading to Clark County.

Also Yankees have fragments of fans too like Virginia, Florida parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming on this map.

[jeffandnicole]

Well, these are created and shared to obtain hits on Facebook pages.  Accuracy isn't a criteria.

[hotdogPi]

Well, these are created and shared to obtain hits on Facebook pages.  Accuracy isn't a criteria.

Given that there are some areas that match the New York Times 2014 map exactly (such as most of the Midwest), and I trust the New York Times on this, I would say it's accurate.

As I said before, check the Cubs in Iowa and Indiana. In addition, the extent that the Twins extend into Wisconsin and the Tigers extend into Ohio also hasn't changed.

Wherever you see Yankees far from New York, it's an area with no team at all and Yankees just happen to be first with under 30%. I imagine the same is true with Oklahoma City's Dodgers (although I can't confirm because there are no percentages in the 2024 map and this was a change from 2014).

[CoreySamson]

I bet the bulk of those searches for the Dodgers in OKC are for the minor league team in OKC formerly known as the OKC Dodgers up until last year. They are still the LA Dodgers' AAA affiliate. I would guess that OKC's baseball fandom is pretty equally split between the Royals, Yankees, Rangers, and whatever team is getting the bandwagon fans (which right now is the LA Dodgers).

[roadman65]

I posted this to really show what some of us think of the teams.  After all all following is what it is. No one ever offered a survey to the general public to see who we like in Sports.

Everything is known by who we see and meet and none of us know the true fans base of each area and won't know. Articles like this are what kind of informs us, but we got to know just like a sports game, it's just hype and none of these are actual surveys with an actual considered acceptable audience.

  I do find it that the Mets aren't in a specific area as I believe in my heart that the Mets aren't that well disliked. We have our ups and downs, but do have a loyal fan base and stick with them through thick and thin. I
Accepted meaning the amount of votes needed from a specific region of everyplace to be considered accurate by Harvard and agencies that have made polling considered legitimate.  That's why they can say Joe Smith carries 60 per cent of votes in the upcoming election when 60 percent were never polled  to say they are voting for Smith.  Basically it's called a numbers game in the sales industry. Poll a few and you can guess the whole.

I do know that the Mets do have a loyal fan base and find this to be untrue. We may have our ups and downs, but we follow them through thick and thin. Therefore I know this is inaccurate, but I find it interesting what others think. 

It's not to mock what others think, but to share what our unique qualities are.

[epzik8]

Those two counties in Arizona are bold for not siding with the Arizona team

[webny99]

Wherever you see Yankees far from New York, it's an area with no team at all and Yankees just happen to be first with under 30%.

This is also true of parts of New York state itself. LOL.

[kurumi]

I can't find a primary source anymore, but MLB defines market and territory borders for the teams, not defined by fandom or internet activity. For example, you would not even explore locating a team in Stamford, CT, because that is officially inside the Yankees' domain. All I remember is that if you are south of I-84 and west of CT 58, no matter who you root for, you're in pinstripes territory.

This apparently differs from the blackout map (where CT is blacked out for both Sox and Yanks). There's a map thread here: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/showthread.php?p=4882615

[02 Park Ave]

The core of MLB consists of five teams:  Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Cards, and Dodgers.

Support for all of the other teams is localised and quite dependent upon how well they are doing in a particular year.

[SEWIGuy]

The core of MLB consists of five teams:  Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Cards, and Dodgers.

Support for all of the other teams is localised and quite dependent upon how well they are doing in a particular year.

What do you mean by "core?" These are the teams who have among the largest fan-bases sure, and some have some fans outside their local area for sure, but that's really no different than the other sports.

[02 Park Ave]

Those five teams have largest number of fans in and outside their home town.

[Henry]

For those who either don't have, or don't want to access Facebook for the actual map, here you go:

[Stephane Dumas]

I'm surprised then the Toronto Blue Jays didn't have a small part of western NYS, they have a farm club in Buffalo.

[SEWIGuy]

Those five teams have largest number of fans in and outside their home town.

I guess I need to know what you mean by "home town." The Yankees and Dodgers, and to some extent the Cubs, have a more national fanbase.  But I don't think the Cardinals have much of a following outside of their geographic area...and ditto with the Red Sox. Obviously completely anecdotal, but I don't know if I have ever met a Red Sox fan who doesn't have some sort of connection with New England.

[Scott5114]

I bet the bulk of those searches for the Dodgers in OKC are for the minor league team in OKC formerly known as the OKC Dodgers up until last year.

That would be it, yes.

I would guess that OKC's baseball fandom is pretty equally split between the Royals, Yankees, Rangers, and whatever team is getting the bandwagon fans (which right now is the LA Dodgers).

The one person I ever met in Oklahoma who gave a shit about the MLB was a Braves fan. And that was in, like, fifth grade, so who knows if he even still follows them.

Aside from basketball, people in Oklahoma generally follow college sports or not at all. And baseball is basically a non-entity. Hell, I think more people in Oklahoma follow softball than baseball.

[SectorZ]

Those five teams have largest number of fans in and outside their home town.

I guess I need to know what you mean by "home town." The Yankees and Dodgers, and to some extent the Cubs, have a more national fanbase.  But I don't think the Cardinals have much of a following outside of their geographic area...and ditto with the Red Sox. Obviously completely anecdotal, but I don't know if I have ever met a Red Sox fan who doesn't have some sort of connection with New England.

People forget how many people have fled greater Boston, New York, Chicago, and St. Louis.

[Roadgeekteen]

I find it hard to believe that Orange County isn't the Angels and eastern CT isn't the Red Sox. For hardcore, real fans of the sport in those counties it's likely Angels and Sox all the casuals who only know Judge and Ohtani go for Yankees/Dodgers.

[Flint1979]

Whenever I'm in Ohio I notice more Cincinnati fans than Cleveland fans. Might have something to do with me being in Cincinnati more than Cleveland.

[Flint1979]

Poor White Sox...

I was always under the impression, hat the Cubs-Whitesox line was at I-88 and its logical continuations. while the Whitesox-Cardinals line was around Bloomington/Normal, IL, maybe halfway between there and Lincoln, IL.

Also, I'm under the impression that the Brewers-Tigers line in Michigan is around where the Packers-Lions line is, about halfway between US 41 and I-75.

Mike

I think the Sox fanbase has slowly degraded overtime due to the incompetence of the organization.

You know what I finally did? I have liked the White Sox since I was a kid because Frank Thomas was on the team and he was my favorite player. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 so I was still on board. I can't stand Jerry Reinsdorf so I'm boycotting the team. I actually followed the Tigers this year for the first time in over 30 years and I think I might be more of a Tigers fan now. The reason being is obviously because of my dislike of Reinsdorf, the state of the team as they are the worst ran franchise in MLB and I lost interest in them. Plus he also owns the Bulls and has run that franchise into the ground as well. I don't know if I'll ever come back to like them. When I followed the Tigers this past season it was fun to watch their playoff run and I went to some games that I normally would have gone when they played the Sox and rooted for the Sox but I think I'm finally alright with all this.