On the eve of the World Series, it’s time to ask: Exactly where is Red Sox Nation? Strange Maps (click on the map to get a more complete view) has one answer, although it’s unclear who drew the boundaries. CommonCensus has a slightly different take, based on an admittedly small sample of online votes. Both maps show Red Sox nation taking in a slice of upstate New York and almost all of Connecticut, which seems rather generous to me.
Amont the comments on the Strange Maps post:
actually about half of Connecticut (the southern half unsurprisingly) are very loyal yanks fans. we here in mass and northern CT find it very distressing to have so many crazy people so close to us.
Eric Gagne was quoted a few days ago saying that Red Sox country extends all the way to Montreal now that the Expos have left town.
Upstate NY is solidly Yankee country with a smattering of Mets and Red Sox fans. Last year the local Syracuse paper touched off an uproar by including the Red Sox in their upcoming week’s schedule sidebar. They aren’t included this year.
The Common Census map also allows you to pick a geographical point and see all the votes cast for 50 to 200 miles in all directions. It’s probably not too shocking that the second most popular team in the heart of Red Sox territory is the New York Yankees; if you live in Boston but don’t like the Red Sox, what better way to show your contempt? I was more amused that when I clicked on the heart of Colorado Rockies territory, the number two team was the Red Sox (185 to 37 votes), but there seem to be a handful of Red Sox fans almost wherever one clicks.