Linguistic boundaries [was: A novel notion of "balance"]

[Amy West]

Overall, I agree that the sports alliance boundaries are much more fluid
and complicated. And we haven't even figured in the soccer loyalties:
Revs vs. the Red Bulls.

My brother was a Yankee supporter - we lived in Buffalo, NY and then New
Britain, CT (further east). He married  a Red Sox supporter from
Wallingford, CT (further west). (I think my brother converted after
marriage, and this pleased my grandmother and uncle, Bostonian Red Sox
fans.)

---Amy West

On 1/13/14 12:00 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
> Date:    Sun, 12 Jan 2014 21:03:54 -0500
> From:    Victor Steinbok<aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Linguistic boundaries [was: A novel notion of "balance"]
>
> I was actually discussing this very issue with a friend only a couple of
> days ago. IMO the answer is yes. There seems to be a lot more support
> for Patriots in Connecticut than for the Red Sox and it inches a lot
> closer to the NY border. But there are Giants fans in Rhode Island and
> no Yankees fans to speak of. Remember that it's "New England Patriots",
> not "Boston Patriots". Fandom for both Boston teams stretch up North as
> well, but there's measurable Giants support in Vermont and Maine.
>
> It's even more complicated with hockey. Since Hartford (formerly New
> England) Whalers left, the void in Connecticut filled very slowly, as
> the Bruins were always thought of as "the Enemy" and neither Islanders
> nor Rangers had much appeal historically. That's what started the
> conversation on this subject with my friend -- a long-time Whalers fan.
>
>       VS-)

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