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Home > Mark Bradley > Archives > 2008 > April > 21 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTale of two sports cities: Beantown trumps Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Boston — Steve Mitchell stands on the corner of Lansdowne Street and Brookline Avenue. It is 9:45 a.m., and he has his Patriots Day planned. He’s about to enter Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play Texas — first pitch is at 11:05 a.m. — and then he’ll make his way to Kenmore Square to watch the runners in the 112th Boston Marathon chug past.
“I have a lot of friends running,” he says.
And then he’ll head home — he’s from Dorchester, south of Boston proper — to top off the local holiday by watching the Bruins play Game 7 of their playoff series in Montreal. Smiling, Mitchell says: “It’s a pretty good city.”
Even if you believe there’s no arrogance quite like a Bostonian whose team is winning, you must admit it’s a high old time to be a Bostonian. The Red Sox are reigning world champs. The Celtics, who trashed our meek Hawks in Game 1 on Sunday night, could well win the NBA title. The Patriots nearly went undefeated. The Bruins have pushed top-seeded Montreal to the limit. And don’t forget the Marathon, which is both a civic tradition and a day-long party.
Please pardon a touring Atlantan for feeling the pangs of that green-eyed monster — envy. (Not to be confused with the Green Monster, which towers above Lans-downe Street.) After a fall and winter that saw Michael Vick go to jail and Bobby Petrino take a powder and the Braves finish third in their division and the Thrashers finish next-to-next-to-last in their league and the Hawks post a ninth consecutive losing season … what must it be like to live where teams not only win but feed off one another?
“To be an athlete in this city is something special,” says Jonathan Papelbon, the Sox closer. “The fans are passionate for sports. There’s an intensity in Boston that’s unlike any other city, and it makes us want to go out and kick [butt] every night.”
An example: The Sox trailed Texas 3-2 on Saturday night when a result — the Bruins had scored four third-period goals to beat Montreal in Game 6 at the TD Banknorth Garden — was flashed on the message board. The Fenway crowd went wild and, Papelbon said, “it electrified the entire game.”
On frenzied cue, the Sox rallied — Manny Ramirez hit the winning homer — in the bottom of the inning. Said Papelbon: “This is the city of champions. No other town can come close.”
On Sunday night, four famous Sox — David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia — sat courtside at the Hawks-Celtics game. John Henry, who owns the Sox, hunkered down alongside Wyc Grousbeck, who owns the Celtics.
Speaking before his team opened its series, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said: “I’m not a hockey fan, but I watched that [Bruins-Canadiens] third period. That was phenomenal. It was great sports.”
In Boston, is there any other kind? Nowadays it isn’t enough to wear the regalia of only one team: The local fashion is to cross-dress, to mix a blue Sox sweatshirt with a green Celtics cap. Or, in Mitchell’s case, to wear a black Bruins sweater (with Ray Bourque’s No. 77 on the back) to a baseball game.
Does a Bostonian feel superior to someone, say, who must make do with following the middling Atlanta teams? Says Mitchell: “You can’t be fair-weather. I went to the Celtics opener last year, and I was so disgusted. They only won 24 games. But you have to keep being a fan.”
And maybe there’s hope for us Atlantans yet. The NFL draft is this weekend. The Falcons have the No. 3 pick. Their new general manager, imported from the regal Patriots, could well address a need by taking the highest-rated quarterback, who played for … Boston College.
Permalink | Comments (30) | Post your comment | Categories: Hawks/NBA
Comments
By Southside Drug Rep
April 21, 2008 9:02 PM | Link to this
Poor Atlanta..at least we don’t have to shovel snow!
By JSS
April 21, 2008 9:11 PM | Link to this
There’s hope you’ll get lost at Logan and Homeland Security intercepts you and sends Bradley to a third world prison. How quickly can get Schultz up there?
By atlpaddy
April 21, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this
As a native, I know that the “professional” sports tradition we have in Atlanta, is marked by consistent gutlessness and losing.
By richbrave
April 21, 2008 11:02 PM | Link to this
MARK BRADLEY:
Bostonians can’t be too smart. They let their NL affiliated team walk. Now we’ve got them and Beantown doesn’t. Nah, nah, na, nah, na!!!! GO BRAVES.
By Bob Sacamano
April 21, 2008 11:16 PM | Link to this
Let them have their Pro Sports.
You forgot to mention that they just about completely ignore their College Sports outside of the Beanpot. And BC isn’t half bad.
We have Georgia. I’ll take being a member of Bulldog Nation over being in Red Sox Nation any day of the week. Unlike the fans in Red Sox Nation, those of us who attend and will graduate from Georgia really are a part of the entity we love.
By FUNK DAT
April 22, 2008 12:02 AM | Link to this
Having grown up in Georgia and as an alumnus from coincidentally Boston College, I was always struck by the loyalty and passion that Bostonians have for their sports teams. No matter where you go, it’s all about the Sox and now the Pats and Celts. People were always proud to be sporting their Boston jerseys and talking about their teams no matter how bad or good they were. This type of attitude was so infectious that many people I know who went to Boston for college from out-of-state eventually became Boston fans themselves. I remember going to games at Fenway with not a single seat empty and feeling such great intensity in the stadium for a mere regular season game. Having come from Atlanta, I was completely amazed. I’ve been to many Braves games with very few fans in the stadium, and the Braves are actually a good team. Now, the Hawks are in the playoffs, and we can’t even sell out Philips Arena. I dont know if it’s just the laid-back Southern mentality or our politeness, but Atlanta fans just dont get excited about sports unless it’s UGA football. Granted most of our sports teams are mediocre, but I know that Boston fans still stuck with and supported the Red Sox, Pats, and Celts throughout their many down years more so than we ever did with any of our sports teams, even now with the Braves who are actually decent. Atlanta is known as a pretty lousy sports town and maybe that’s why big name free agents dont sign here. At any rate, I just feel that more Atlantans should show more pride for our teams just for the simple fact that they’re representing Atlanta, which is one of the greatest cities in the South. Everytime I go to sporting events in Atlanta and see that half of the fans are actually rooting for the other team, I realize why our teams stink. Teams need fans to cheer them on and give them something to play for. Atlanta fans have always been known to hope on and off the bandwagon, whereas Bostonians stick with their teams through thick and thin. I know there’s more to it, but I cant help but think that maybe the owners, GM’s, coaches, and players in Boston do everything they can to win because they know anything less would upset their fans and they take pride in that fact. All I’m trying to say is that Atlanta needs to have more pride representing our city and supporting our teams. Then maybe we might see some progress. GO HAWKS!!!
By dorrel
April 22, 2008 12:12 AM | Link to this
I agree with Funkat, Having lived in Atl for 9 years and NE for 16. I still follow the Braves and Dirty Birds, and will die with my allegiance towards ATL but as a fanbase we totally suck. Other than the Sox playing the Braves or the Pat vs the Falcons, I support Boston teams for their fans are great, we could learn from those arrogant a-holes (I say that affectionately) I must say we in Atlanta share 1 thing in common with Boston, We hate New York sports teams! To hell with Mets, Yankees, Giants and Jets!
By Riot Nrrrd™
April 22, 2008 5:34 AM | Link to this
I’m originally from a Boston suburb (ages 0-18) and have spent the last 31 1/2 years in LA. One thing you have to remember is that Boston has a hallowed tradition of sports teams. All the major leagues in each sport had teams in Boston from pretty much the beginning - the Boston Pilgrims in baseball, later the Boston Braves, the Red Sox of course. Same with the Boston Bruins (one of the original 6 teams in the NHL) and the Boston Celtics with the original NBA. The northeast part of the country is where our Nation began and it’s not all that surprising that sports teams have a long history there. The only exception (if you can call it that) is the fact that the NFL never had a team in Boston, but the Boston Patriots were - you guessed it - a founding AFL franchise. They “only” have a 38-year history, which is still longer than most sports franchises (across the board) in most other cities. Add to that a history of good teams and a solid, multi-generational blue-collar populace to support them, and it’s not that surprising that Boston has remained the most rabid hotbed of sports fanaticism over the decades. (Cities that are built of immigrants from all over - both from outside the US and from other states - also tend to be less rabid as the ranks are diluted by people with other allegiances. Did I mention how LA lost 2 NFL teams due to massive public indifference yet?)
By russ
April 22, 2008 7:46 AM | Link to this
As a native Atlantan (40 years)…as long as the fans do the wave at the Braves’ games—while the Braves are at bat no less—I will continue to believe we have the worst and least knowledgeable fanbase in the country. I’m jealous of the traditional sports cities like Boston, Chicago—yes, even NY. Yes, the Bulldog Nation does itself proudly and I am proud to be a member, but when I see the crowds at a Celtics game or a Philly hockey game I can’t help but be a little jealous.
By Tommy
April 22, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this
This ‘Atlanta fans are the worst’ bit has been around for as long as I can remember, and I get sick of reading it after a while. First, comparing Atlanta and Boston fans is comparing apples to oranges. If 50% of fans in the greater Boston area moved in from another part of the country, and brought their old allegiences with them, they would have the same problem.
Second, Southern sports fans approach rooting from a college angle. That’s because we do have the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs in the south, only they’re called the Dawgs, Vols and The Tide. While people up north were building traditions with pro sports in the early 20th century, we were building off of college football.
This is why Atlanta teams have a hard time filling the stadium, because half the fans are only interested when their childhood team hits town and many in the other half, who grew up watching UGA go 9-2 every year think that, therefore, the Falcons should go 13-3 every season, despite the NFL not having any Vanderbilts or New Mexico States.
On the flip side, this is also why fans north of Pennsylvania couldn’t fill a college football stadium even if you held a gun to their heads.
One is not better or worse. They’re just different.
By prospero
April 22, 2008 9:26 AM | Link to this
I got a kick out of that comment about not having to shovel snow. Nope, you don’t. You just raid the grocery stores for all of the bread and bottled water and slide into each other when there is half an inch.
By David
April 22, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this
There is no comparison. You are comparing a very old city with generations of fans growing up following the Bruins, Celtics and Sox. Atlanta is just starting in on the second generation. If the Pats lost consistently you’d see fair weather fans. The Celtics stunk a few years ago and the place was empty for a game I saw at the Fleet Center.
Bottom line, Georgia and Atlanta is a college town and the reach of the Bulldogs is huge. Boston has none of that. Every area has passionate fans it just comes down to what they are passionate about.
By Mark C.
April 22, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
@ FUNK DAT
Everytime I go to sporting events in Atlanta and see that half of the fans are actually rooting for the other team, I realize why our teams stink.
You must go to a lot of Tech games.
By Amen Corner
April 22, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this
Tommy, you nailed it, dude. Exactly. All the imports, including Bradley, will never understand.
By Notre Don't
April 22, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this
Wow … Boston is a better sports town than Altanta. Geez, what a shock. Thanks, Bradley. What’s next … an article on how eggs are from chickens and not pigs?
By Amen Corner II
April 22, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
One more thing: As one who can remember the 1970s and 1980s, I’ll take the Braves’ following any day. Are you kidding me? 2.5 to 2.8 million fans a year? It’s just right — enthusiasm every game but still a little elbow room. I’ll take our Braves fans over the haters in places like Philly any day. Yeah, the wave is misplaced every now and then. I can live with it.
By FUNK DAT
April 22, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
Mark C,
If I went to any Tech games then I would be one of the those fans rooting against the home team. I’m talkin more about Hawks games when they play any good opponent (i.e. Lakers, Cavs with Lebron, even Boston) or Braves games when they play the Cubs, Mets, or Red Sox. Many times the visiting team’s fans make much more noise than the Atlanta fans.
By Dr. Warren
April 22, 2008 11:36 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is a bigger and more relevant city now than Boston. I live in China—9,000 miles away. Nearly every single person I’ve met here in 2 years has heard of “Yatalanda.” The fact that in such a short time Atlanta has become more ethnically diverse, more international, a more popular destination for Americans from other regions, and a far more popular destination for Fortune 500 companies than Boston says more about our city’s spirit than waving flags for privately owned sports clubs ever could.
By Dr. Warren
April 22, 2008 11:36 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is a bigger and more relevant city now than Boston. I live in China—9,000 miles away. Nearly every single person I’ve met here in 2 years has heard of “Yatalanda.” The fact that in such a short time Atlanta has become more ethnically diverse, more international, a more popular destination for Americans from other regions, and a far more popular destination for Fortune 500 companies than Boston says more about our city’s spirit than waving flags for privately owned sports clubs ever could.
By Bulldog Nation
April 22, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this
For those of you stating that Bulldog Nation represents so well, remember the Ray Goff days when the Sanford-Dooley was half-empty for the non-UT games? Bulldog Nation is only slightly better than the rest of us cruddy Atlanta fans - they do tail off when the team is down (fortunately for Dawg fans, that has been a long time).
By truckstop
April 22, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this
Really - who cares if Atlanta is a sports town or not. If the “teams” win, the fans will come out. If the teams don’t, the fans won’t.
By richbrave
April 22, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
DR. WARREN:
Georgia’s not the “Empire State of the South” for nothing. Do you realize that forty years ago Richmond and Atlanta were roughly equal in population and prosperity? Look at the disparity now. 8 Richmond Fortune 500 Companies against 16 back then. Where did they go? S.E. U. S. mostly. Some to Charlotte, some to Atlanta. And today 1.3 million vs. Atlanta’s - what 2.5-3.0 millions?
By Hawksville Resident
April 22, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
Amen Funk Dat…Amen
By Brian
April 22, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Our professional sports fans are terrible, but like somone mentioned earlier - it’s in its second generation. Either way, it makes little difference. The product we see on the field is worse than the product in the stands. 4-12, next to last in the NHL’s Eastern conference, 37-45, and an amazing 9-9. Our mediocre fans are no worse than our mediocre teams. When they give us something to cheer on, we’ll cheer louder…
Meanwhile, Boston stinks. Their women are god-ugly, they’re miserable, and other than looking at age-old statues and ripped documents there’s nothing to do there BUT go to those games.
I love being from Atlanta and being a Grady Baby…To hell with Boston!
….By the way, Go Falcons, Hawks, Thrashers, Braves, Dream, Force, and Dawgs!!
By scooter11
April 22, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this
I was there when the Chiefs won it all in ‘69 - one of only 2 ‘world’ championships won by an Atlanta sports team!! We were a GREAT sports city back then. Bring back the NASL, Phil Woosnam, Kaiser ‘Boy Boy’ Motaung, et al. Geez, how depressing. Thank God for college sports.
By brian
April 22, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this
boston ranked 20th in attendance last year so don’t say they support the teams when they are down. you’re just ignorant and flat wrong.
By scottbravesfan
April 22, 2008 6:39 PM | Link to this
First Boston DOES NOT support their teams when they are down. The Patriots almost moved from New England because they could never sell out. They were blacked out more than the Falcons. The Bruins are outdrawn every freakin year by the Thrashers. The Celtics were down towards the bottom in attendance for the last ten years that they were terrible. When Roger Clemens struck out 20 back in the 1980s there wasn’t even 20,000 fans in Fenway park.
DON’T BELIEVE THE BOSTON HYPE!!!!!
They have it good now but that’s because they are winning. If the teams start losing they will not support their teams. They are just like every other city.
By Remie
April 22, 2008 11:51 PM | Link to this
Well said, Funk Dat!! I have been embarrassed at times at the fans in Atlanta. And, unless a fan has gone to other hockey arenas for games, they don’t know what a great production the Thrasher machine puts on during the moments between calls, time-outs, etc. We all want a winning team but the fans need to be there, always, for the guys. I enjoy reading positive, productive comments rather than the crazy rants.
By Dr. Warren
April 23, 2008 2:20 AM | Link to this
Richbrave,
No I did not realize Atlanta was so similar in size to Richmond—I was born 41 years ago. But we call know what happened in my lifetime. And by the way, metro Atlanta now has 5.1 million people.
By Dr. Warren
April 23, 2008 2:21 AM | Link to this
Richbrave,
No I did not realize Atlanta was so similar in size to Richmond—I was born 41 years ago. But we all know what happened in my lifetime. And by the way, metro Atlanta now has 5.1 million people.