Apologies in advance to our female readers for the lack of inclusiveness in the title.A couple weeks ago, we asked whether the Red Wings were still relevant on the Detroit Sports landscape. And based upon the the response to the poll, it is obvious that those who don the Winged Wheel still command respect on the scene (as they should given their continued excellence). But, perhaps predictably, the discussion in the comments thread devolved into Pistons fans v. Red Wings fans and the reasons why one team is better than the other.
Regardless of whether you partake in this rivalry, there’s no denying the Red Wings’ sustained support as opposed to the Pistons’ relatively recent spike in popularity. Today’s Detroit News discusses a recent poll by Scarborough Sports Marketing that sheds some light on Pistons’ fans as well as the at-times divided loyalties amongst fans in markets with multiple pro-teams:
A newly released sports marketing study reveals that 17 percent of Detroiters categorize themselves as “avid” or very interested Pistons fans. That put Detroit in fourth place, behind San Antonio (33 percent), Sacramento (19) and Indianapolis (18), in the Scarborough Sports Marketing study.
What makes Detroit notable is that it’s the only town with four major pro franchises, which usually means more divided loyalties amongst fans for sports and teams.
San Antonio and Sacramento’s only pro team is their NBA franchise. Indianapolis has the NFL Colts and NBA Pacers.
I have no doubt that Metro Detroit is genuinely behind the Pistons now. But by glossing over the results of the study in only a couple paragraphs, the News fails to provide the necessary grain of salt to accompany their Kool Aid. Even the most avid Piston homer recognizes that fans were not expressing this level of interest in the team only five years ago. Back in 2001, the Pistons were wrapping up a 32-50 campaign and pondering the futures of George Irvine, Billy Owens, John Wallace, and Dana Barros. “Who” you say? Exactly.Note, the mere fact that you are visiting Detroit Bad Boys suggests that you are more than the casual or bandwagon fan, so I would expect you to know these names. But the point is that casual fans couldn’t have cared less at the time. Some were even questioning whether Joe D was capable of returning the team to the top.
So will Detroiters still carry the flame for the Pistons when they slump to near-.500 status (like the Kings and Pacers, second and third in the poll, respectively)? When the silouette of Ben’s fro disappears into the sunset? Or when Chauncey signs on with his hometown Denver Nuggets to finish his career being worshipped as a local deity, while throwing alley-oops to Carmelo?
Will the Pistons return to their luke-warm popularity of the mid-90s (five to ten years removed from the Bad Boys’ championships) — as the third or fourth favorite show in town?
I don’t know. But let’s hope we can put off answering that question for a long while.
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Well looky what we have here
Anyone wanna take a wild guess at the lowest-rated NBA city on Scarborough’s list, the city with the lowest fan avidity?
Memphis? No, they are actually tied with the Pistons for fourth with 17%. They love them some Pau.
Seattle? Nope. They are a middling 18th (and presumably would be ranked higher had they polled all of Shawn Kemp’s kidsWow. A “Shawn Kemp’s kids” joke. How retro of me!).
Milwaukee? Still no. They rank 22 on the list with 8%. (Though that number is expected to drop if the guys over at Bucks Diary have that aneurism they’re creeping towards.)
The NBA city with the lowest fan avidity is…Boston.
That’s right. A pathetic 6% of survey responders claimed to be avid Celtic fans. That’s lower than Oklahoma City and Charlotte, two cities adjusting to new teams. That’s lower than basketball hotbeds like Toledo and Syracuse (/sarcasm). Even Isiah’s reign of error in NYC hasn’t beaten Knicks fans down to that level of apathy.
My, how the mighty hath fallen.
Pistons expect Bucks to make major offensive adjustments [Detroit News]
The NBA is a slam dunk with fans in San Antonio; Sacramento, CA; and Indianapolis, IN [Scarborough Sports Marketing]
I think it’s also fair to point out that the Red Wings haven’t really had any “down years” for a long time. If the Red Wings go through a slump, it would be easier to compare the loyalty of the fan base- I mean look at the Tigers- I know that when the Tigers won the ‘84 World Series that Detroit was a BASEBALL town. But, over the past 10 years or so they haven’t been selling out too many games. In conclusion, GO PISTONS! (bring home the hardware!) GO WINGS (seriously, get moving!) and GO TIGERS (now win a few at home)!
Surpisingly I found myself watching the Wings in OT last night. That was after I listened to the Tigers on the radio, though. I won’t deny it, it would be great to have a pair of champions in Detroit. But, ya gotta prioritize.
Considering the football team here won three Super Bowls in four years and the baseball team is actually one worth watching, it’s no surprise the Celtics — never Number One in Boston — don’t have an “avid” fan base in the city.
It’s OK. Just the other day I was watching Classic and saw Bird steal the ball over and over and over. Good times.
Ouch. A painful memory made only slightly less bitter by the fact that the Pistons are working on title #4 since the Celtics last won.
I’m a bad person to ask because I can’t stand hockey. I think it’s is too advanced for me to understand or something. I’ve been a Pistons fan since Lanier and Bing were looking good while winning nothing and will continue to be so when Carlos Delfino is throwing off-target lob passes to Amir Johnson.
…and thanks for sticking that fork in our eye, Jason. Adam Viniteri called, he’s ready to be the Patriot Curse.
Ian, the Bucks ARE about to lose an avid fan, you’re right. Seriously, though, that Boston factoid doesn’t surprise me. On the ESPN Sportscentury episode about Bobby Orr, the comedian Dennis Leary (the chain smoker)said even in the Celtics heyday everyone in Boston preferred the Bruins and not many cared about the Celtics. I wonder what’s at play there… hmmm.
It wasn’t all that long ago that they were the “Dead Things.” From the early 70’s thru the mid-late 80’s, the Wings were an afterthought most seasons. Hell, I remember buying a pair of Red Wing opening night tickets on the day of the game in 1984. Despite buying on game day, I was only halfway up the upper bowl. It was the era where Mike Ilitch had just bought Bruce Norris out, and gave away a car every home game to drum up interest. That’s how bad things were for the Wings. Fan interest is cyclical, always has been, always will be.
The Pistons will be able to keep it up and here’s why:
Joe D. and the Pistons did 2 1/2 things that changed the course of the franchise: They lowered the price of tickets (while aggressively courting people 17-30 at the same time) and they swung the sign-and-trade for Ben wallace and Chucky Atkins. Even though they stunk during the 2000-01 season, there was a buzz building around Ben Wallace. Talking with casual fans, you started to hear the “That guy Wallace plays like Rodman did” talk and similar things. Fast-forward 16 months: The team is scrappy and playing WAY over its head; Ben Wallace has moved from “Guy with buzz” to becoming a huge star in the city, and–thanks to cheap tickets and good marketing–the Palace becomes the rowdiest place to watch live sports in Detroit. ( Reminiscent of the glory days of the Silverdome.)
I mention all of this because living in New York i’ve witnessed an interesting phenomenon that you see when the ’stones play road games on TV too. A lot of those kids who were going to games 2-3 years ago (and every year since) have left detroit, and live elsewhere. As a result I’ve ridden to the Nets game with a bus filled up entirely with Pistons fans. When you start to get the “Green Bay Factor” (you’ll understand if you’ve attended a Lions game against the pack at Ford Field) you’re in good shape for the long haul.
I haven’t lived in the metro-Detroit area for a long time but I have definitely noticed a bit of a rivalry between Wings fans and Pistons fans on the internets. Part of it could be that the internet is the place to get your snark on so people are more likely to take sides and support their favorite team.
The Pistons definitely do not get the national attention you would expect them to get based on their achievements over the past 3 to 4 years (ie, I think ABC would prefer to show a Cleveland v. LA Final because more people would want to see Kobe v. LeBron than say the Pistons getting a rematch with the Spurs). However their ratings in Detroit are better than the Wings.
The Wings, however, are one of the most popular NHL teams and they will usually have their games aired on OLN/ESPN/Community Access, etc. That is because they are one of the most popular “franchises” in the NHL. I don’t think their popularity is due so much to Steve Yzerman or Brendan Shanahan. In my opinion it is sort of like the Dallas Cowboys being “America’s Team” back when Tom Landry was walking the sidelines or the 49ers back when Bill Walsh was running the show. If you follow hockey you might like Detroit because they have been one of the best teams over the past 10 years.
So, are the Wings still relevant? Sure they are. Just because they get lower ratings than the Pistons doesn’t make them irrelevant - just less popular in the D.
That’s what happen when other local pro teams win a world series and 3 super bowls in a span of 5 years while the NBA entry has been terrible for over 10 years.
Ty, you insinuate racism, but during the Celtics second heydey that Leary referred to, the team was led by Larry Bird.
FYI, Larry is white.