OT: popular sports in AZ?

[NashDishesDimes]

What are the rankings for team popularity in arizona?

Someone else posted this topic on the Suns board. Ive thought about this a lot lately. My perception is that it has dramatically changed the last 5-7 years but im only 23 so i dont really trust my judgement when i was younger. 5-7 years ago i think it could have easily been:

1.Suns
2.diamondbacks
3.cardinals
4.coyotes

Now:

1.cardinals
2.suns
3.diamondbacks
4.coyotes

Im guessing the reasons for the change are:

1. New suns management that has just completely lost the fanbase. The city still has tons of loyalty to steve nash and what hes done but most fans have completely lost faith in this organization.

I also think fans have come to the realization that big name free agents only want to play for big market teams now a days. This obviously leaves the suns out of the big name FA mix. This is going to hurt the NBA as a whole and fans realize the suns will have to rebuild through the draft which means 3-5 years of jungle ball.

2. Baseball i think is just slowly phasing out in general and just doesnt compare to basketball and football IMO.

3. The Cardinals got a new stadium and have since been more commited to putting a winning product on the field. The superbowl season was obviously the most exciting thing ever, and like someone else said, football is king.

Id love to hear what some of the older members in here think?

 

[52brandon]

IMO...

Cards
Coyotes
D-Backs
Suns

I've always followed the Cards. I used to follow the Suns closely until Sarver became the owner and sold the franchise out. Nash was his draw for the past 3 years, and when he leaves, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sarver sell em once fans stop caring. After the stupid lockout this past year, I wont be going to a game for a couple years though. I love that the Coyotes have had the best 3 consecutive seasons that they've ever had when they don't even have an owner. D-Backs turn over their roster so much that I stopped following so closely. Drives me insane that so many of our teams don't have a single player that we drafted and stuck with us through their career. The Cards, with their infamously cheap owners, have the most players in that category

 

[TigToad]

Phoenix has always supported Jerry Collangelo.

5-7 years ago I think it was:

Suns
Diamondbacks
Cardinals
Coyotes

After the Superbowl run and Collangelo leaving town I think it is more like this:

Cardinals
Diamondbacks
Suns
Coyotes

With respect to the current amazing playoff run, I don't see the Coyotes as more than a distant fourth, but they are definitely gaining fans with the possible new sale and the playoff performance.

 

[Gee!]

Cardinals
Diamondbacks
UofA Wildcats Basketball
UofA Wildcats Football

 

[pinetopred]

1. Cards its not that close either IMO

2. D-backs baseball slides under the radar because the season is so long, but I think there are alot of people who really care and follow the game.

3. Suns the NBA is losing fans faster then any sport I have ever seen, I used to love the game now it is so much one on one play I perfer a decent college game to any NBA game at this point.

4. Coyotes there are alot of diehard fans, but still doesn't get the causual following IMO, but I feel hockey is gaining ground on the NBA at this point.

 

[Duckjake]

1. Cards its not that close either IMO

2. D-backs baseball slides under the radar because the season is so long, but I think there are alot of people who really care and follow the game.

3. Suns the NBA is losing fans faster then any sport I have ever seen, I used to love the game now it is so much one on one play I perfer a decent college game to any NBA game at this point.

4. Coyotes there are alot of diehard fans, but still doesn't get the causual following IMO, but I feel hockey is gaining ground on the NBA at this point.

I think that the NBA has the same problem as the one we discussed about the NFL with the field being too small for today's players. NBA guys are so big and athletic how can an NBA team run any kind of offense? At least basketball could institute the 3 point shot to spread the court. Don't know what the NFL could do.

As to which team is the favorite in PHX what always puzzled me was the jersey sales at the Sporting Goods stores. It always seemed like the Coyotes had the most prominent display of the local teams and until the SB run the Cards stuff was always off in some dusty corner.

 

[wilycoyote24]

The Cardinals are without question #1. You see people with Cardinals stuff all the time. The D'backs are a clear #2. I see people with their stuff often as well. The Suns have a large, hibernating fan base, in my opinion. I had always thought that Phoenix was the Suns' town, but their current ownership and the current state of the NBA has run off a lot of people. The Coyotes can't even really sale out a playoff game.

So: Cardinals >> D'backs >> Suns >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Coyotes

And this is coming from someone that picked a username based upon that perpetually unpopular team.

 

[NashDishesDimes]

On the forum home page you can see that 6 people are viewing the suns board and 20 are viewing the Cards. Does this make the cardinals three times more popular?

Nobody is viewing the DBacks or coyotes, and those are the two that are still in season...

 

[Gaddabout]

I can tell you in terms of web traffic among all the media sites I know (and I've been doing this since 1995), it's solidly like this:

1. Cardinals
2. Suns
3. D-Backs
4. ASU football
5. Coyotes
6. UA football

And I can tell you Coyotes are a distant 5th, even while in the playoffs.

 

[FArting]

Cardinals
Suns
Diamondbacks
Coyotes

 

[BigRedRage]

If the coyotes would be on local channels their popularity may sky rocket.

 

[Gaddabout]

If the coyotes would be on local channels their popularity may sky rocket.

NBC locals would have gladly taken playoff hockey over NBC primetime fare.

 

[CardLogic]

If the coyotes would be on local channels their popularity may sky rocket.

The Coyotes are one series removed from their sports world championship series and the games aren't even being televised unless you have the package upgrades. That's pathetic.

 

[52brandon]

NBC locals would have gladly taken playoff hockey over NBC primetime fare.

out of curiosity, why would you say they didn't? Playing it on obscure NBCS was a stupid decision IMO

 

[Gaddabout]

out of curiosity, why would you say they didn't? Playing it on obscure NBCS was a stupid decision IMO

Because NBC is ... NBC. Local stations (most of which are not owned by NBC) had no choice in the matter. NBC still got killed in the ratings.

 

[Darkside]

What are the rankings for team popularity in arizona?

Someone else posted this topic on the Suns board. Ive thought about this a lot lately. My perception is that it has dramatically changed the last 5-7 years but im only 23 so i dont really trust my judgement when i was younger. 5-7 years ago i think it could have easily been:

1.Suns
2.diamondbacks
3.cardinals
4.coyotes

Now:

1.cardinals
2.suns
3.diamondbacks
4.coyotes

Im guessing the reasons for the change are:

1. New suns management that has just completely lost the fanbase. The city still has tons of loyalty to steve nash and what hes done but most fans have completely lost faith in this organization.

I also think fans have come to the realization that big name free agents only want to play for big market teams now a days. This obviously leaves the suns out of the big name FA mix. This is going to hurt the NBA as a whole and fans realize the suns will have to rebuild through the draft which means 3-5 years of jungle ball.

2. Baseball i think is just slowly phasing out in general and just doesnt compare to basketball and football IMO.

3. The Cardinals got a new stadium and have since been more commited to putting a winning product on the field. The superbowl season was obviously the most exciting thing ever, and like someone else said, football is king.

Id love to hear what some of the older members in here think?

Suns lost it when they got rid of Amare Stoudemire, that proved they didn't want to win. They also traded other dudes, but that's the big one. That just proved they didn't want to give max contracts to anyone. Getting rid of Dantoni hurt also. After 50+ win back-to-back-to-back seasons they fire him. Ridic. Because he didn't win it all? Stupid. He had this team running and gunning, even though I don't think that type of style can win a championship, they did push deep every year. Getting rid of Dantoni was the death nell. Imagine Whisenhunt pushing deep into the playoffs 4 years in a row and we fire him because we have the perception that he just can't win the big game. That's totally idiotic. Reminds me of Andy Reid in Philly. You don't fire the guy.

I don't watch baseball, so have no comment.

Cardinals: They leveraged a new stadium. That = power. In dollars and in talent and connections. They make bank every year. Then in talent, they've funneled a lot of that money into talent on the field, with Fitz, Dock, Adub, now Cambell, and our former rooks in PP, etc, and now new rooks. You get a coach like Whisenhunt and it's money time. I know people bash on Whisenhunt for being all calm and saying what they don't want to hear, but from a money standpoint, my God, you have to think this guy is in control. Even if he doesn't make you tons of money, he's not going to lose it all either. Bad talent at QB last year, still goes 8-8. This isn't a guy who's going to lose a lot of money or games. It's a franchise on the upswing.

Not only that, but we're always in the running when they talk about bringing the SB here. We have a great stadium, and a great fan base, with accessible parking (I hate the parking personally, LOL), but there's a shopping mall nearby and hotels and everything and it's right by the freeway. That is SB heaven. HEAVEN!!

 

[boricuazroadie]

cardinals > (suns+dbacks+coyotes)
asu football (post lisa love?)
dbacks
suns
coyotes