Your Most Hated Team in Sports

[Corndad]

I understand those who it's just not for them. Not their cup of tea. Soccer isn't everyone cup of tea. Heck I know some who can't stand football but you can't argue with these numbers. Just don't rip on something till you actually did it and my guess is none of you have actually drove a car at that speed with others around you. There must be alot of rednecks..

Top 10 Attended Sporting Events

1. Indianapolis 500, @ 300,000. In 2004, the Indianapolis Star finally undertook a monstrous effort to count exactly how many seats are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their count? 257,325. And while hundreds of thousands of people could fit into the infield, observation by trained analysts has indicated that far fewer than that actually did. So we're looking at about 300,000 people in attendance at every 500.

2. Brickyard 400, @ 300,000. Sort of a cheat, because like the Indy 500, this NASCAR race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All of the above stats apply, of course.

3. Daytona 500, @ 250,000. NASCAR attendance figures are notably slippery. The tracks themselves don't release figures, so attendance estimation is often left to a media member who stands in the press box, surveys the stands, and estimates attendance at "about X." Now, that guess could be right on the money, or it could be off by 50,000. Still, combining the grandstands and the infield at Daytona gets you a figure of about a quarter-million. And only five of them aren't Dale Earnhardt fans.

4. Texas Motor Speedway races, @ 171,000. Everything's bigger in Texas, especially attendance figures, and Texas's two NASCAR races draw about 171,000 fans apiece. And this won't be the last time Texas shows up on this list.

5. Kentucky Derby, @ 165,000. As with the NASCAR races, it's difficult to estimate exactly how many people pile into the infield at Churchill Downs. Though the number who remain sober through the entire Derby afternoon remains pegged at a steady 0.

6. Tie, Bristol races, Talladega races, @ 160,000. This past spring marked the first time a Bristol race hadn't sold out in decades. Prior to that, hundreds of thousands of race fans descended on this tiny hamlet in the Tennessee hills, created the largest city for a hundred miles in any direction, and then vanished as quick as they arrived. And although Talladega's attendance has dipped sharply in recent years, the stadium and the infield can handle in excess of 160,000 fans -- plus a few thousand more in the surrounding campgrounds who couldn't make their way through the gates.

7. Baseball, 115,300. This figure's a bit of a stretch, since the average baseball game is in the 30,000 range. But in 2008, the Dodgers and the Red Sox held an exhibition game in the L.A. Coliseum, and the result was the most widely attended game in baseball history.

8. Michigan football, 112,000. The universities of Michigan and Tennessee leapfrog one another in attendance, adding on bleachers atop bleachers in some bizarre arms race. The Wolverines currently hold the edge, but it won't be long until the Volunteers step up.

Tie 9. Tennessee-Penn State football @ 109,000. Both stadiums (Neyland at Tennessee and Beaver at Penn State) have undergone numerous expansions in their history. Tennesee set an attendance record in 2004 against -- who else? -- Florida. (Side note: in 2005, a promoter tried to schedule a Virginia Tech-Tennessee game in Bristol, which would have broken all team sport records for attendance. Tech was willing, but Tennessee was not.) A crowd of 110,753 watched Penn State destroy Nebraska 40-7 back in 2002.

10. NBA, 108,713. Set only a few months ago, this gargantuan exhibition demolished the old record of attendance for an NBA game, previously 62,046 at the Georgia Dome when the Hawks played the Chicago Bulls in what appeared to be Michael Jordan's swan song. And where was it played? Funny you should ask ... a little old place in Texas that shows up again, next on the list.

10. NFL, 105,121. A legit regular-season game by the Dallas Cowboys when opening their new stadium in a game against the Giants last fall. Sure, tens of thousands watched from a standing-room plaza, and many others couldn't even see the field, but so what?


So that being said, even with declining numbers there are more "rednecks" out there then you all think.

I'm sure I will get flamed or told I am stupid as well, I expect it. Just wanted to bring a few more facts to light.

[Rev. Hallowell]

Originally Posted by Corndad I'm sure I will get flamed or told I am stupid as well, I expect it. Just wanted to bring a few more facts to light.

Trust me, if I was worried about getting flamed, I wouldn't post this stuff. Nascar is statistically the 2nd most popular sport in the United States after the NFL.

And the fuel study makes sense. They run all the cars on one track every week, instead of flying a bunch of players to 15 different stadiums every day (Baseball, Basketball, or Hockey), or every week (Football).

[Cooler Tom Schuler]

Originally Posted by Rev. Hallowell Nascar is statistically the 2nd most popular sport in the United States after the NFL.

Proof?

And the fuel study makes sense. They run all the cars on one track every week, instead of flying a bunch of players to 15 different stadiums every day (Baseball, Basketball, or Hockey), or every week (Football).

The amount of fuel used is not what makes it a waste.

[Cooler Tom Schuler]

NFL - Cowboys
MLB - Yankees / White Sox

Originally Posted by Corndad I understand those who it's just not for them. Not their cup of tea. Soccer isn't everyone cup of tea. Heck I know some who can't stand football but you can't argue with these numbers. Just don't rip on something till you actually did it and my guess is none of you have actually drove a car at that speed with others around you. There must be alot of rednecks.. Top 10 Attended Sporting Events 1. Indianapolis 500, @ 300,000. In 2004, the Indianapolis Star finally undertook a monstrous effort to count exactly how many seats are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their count? 257,325. And while hundreds of thousands of people could fit into the infield, observation by trained analysts has indicated that far fewer than that actually did. So we're looking at about 300,000 people in attendance at every 500. 2. Brickyard 400, @ 300,000. Sort of a cheat, because like the Indy 500, this NASCAR race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All of the above stats apply, of course. 3. Daytona 500, @ 250,000. NASCAR attendance figures are notably slippery. The tracks themselves don't release figures, so attendance estimation is often left to a media member who stands in the press box, surveys the stands, and estimates attendance at "about X." Now, that guess could be right on the money, or it could be off by 50,000. Still, combining the grandstands and the infield at Daytona gets you a figure of about a quarter-million. And only five of them aren't Dale Earnhardt fans. 4. Texas Motor Speedway races, @ 171,000. Everything's bigger in Texas, especially attendance figures, and Texas's two NASCAR races draw about 171,000 fans apiece. And this won't be the last time Texas shows up on this list. 5. Kentucky Derby, @ 165,000. As with the NASCAR races, it's difficult to estimate exactly how many people pile into the infield at Churchill Downs. Though the number who remain sober through the entire Derby afternoon remains pegged at a steady 0. 6. Tie, Bristol races, Talladega races, @ 160,000. This past spring marked the first time a Bristol race hadn't sold out in decades. Prior to that, hundreds of thousands of race fans descended on this tiny hamlet in the Tennessee hills, created the largest city for a hundred miles in any direction, and then vanished as quick as they arrived. And although Talladega's attendance has dipped sharply in recent years, the stadium and the infield can handle in excess of 160,000 fans -- plus a few thousand more in the surrounding campgrounds who couldn't make their way through the gates. 7. Baseball, 115,300. This figure's a bit of a stretch, since the average baseball game is in the 30,000 range. But in 2008, the Dodgers and the Red Sox held an exhibition game in the L.A. Coliseum, and the result was the most widely attended game in baseball history. 8. Michigan football, 112,000. The universities of Michigan and Tennessee leapfrog one another in attendance, adding on bleachers atop bleachers in some bizarre arms race. The Wolverines currently hold the edge, but it won't be long until the Volunteers step up. Tie 9. Tennessee-Penn State football @ 109,000. Both stadiums (Neyland at Tennessee and Beaver at Penn State) have undergone numerous expansions in their history. Tennesee set an attendance record in 2004 against -- who else? -- Florida. (Side note: in 2005, a promoter tried to schedule a Virginia Tech-Tennessee game in Bristol, which would have broken all team sport records for attendance. Tech was willing, but Tennessee was not.) A crowd of 110,753 watched Penn State destroy Nebraska 40-7 back in 2002. 10. NBA, 108,713. Set only a few months ago, this gargantuan exhibition demolished the old record of attendance for an NBA game, previously 62,046 at the Georgia Dome when the Hawks played the Chicago Bulls in what appeared to be Michael Jordan's swan song. And where was it played? Funny you should ask ... a little old place in Texas that shows up again, next on the list. 10. NFL, 105,121. A legit regular-season game by the Dallas Cowboys when opening their new stadium in a game against the Giants last fall. Sure, tens of thousands watched from a standing-room plaza, and many others couldn't even see the field, but so what? So that being said, even with declining numbers there are more "rednecks" out there then you all think. I'm sure I will get flamed or told I am stupid as well, I expect it. Just wanted to bring a few more facts to light.

Stadium capacity is hardly a reasonable measure of popularity. TV ratings, though imperfect, would be a much better gauge.

[Ogen]

Originally Posted by Corndad I understand those who it's just not for them. Not their cup of tea. Soccer isn't everyone cup of tea. Heck I know some who can't stand football but you can't argue with these numbers. Just don't rip on something till you actually did it and my guess is none of you have actually drove a car at that speed with others around you. There must be alot of rednecks.. Top 10 Attended Sporting Events 1. Indianapolis 500, @ 300,000. In 2004, the Indianapolis Star finally undertook a monstrous effort to count exactly how many seats are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their count? 257,325. And while hundreds of thousands of people could fit into the infield, observation by trained analysts has indicated that far fewer than that actually did. So we're looking at about 300,000 people in attendance at every 500.

Well thats the worst endorsement of a sport said to be for redneck idiots I've ever come across. " The Indianaplois Star finally undertook a monstrous effort to count exactly how many seats ". Are you fucking kidding me. In the year 2004 nobody knew how many seats were in the stadium. That is outstanding.

[DaveBrawl]

Originally Posted by Ogen Well thats the worst endorsement of a sport said to be for redneck idiots I've ever come across. " The Indianaplois Star finally undertook a monstrous effort to count exactly how many seats ". Are you fucking kidding me. In the year 2004 nobody knew how many seats were in the stadium. That is outstanding.

It's not just that, but comparing attendance figures for a race as opposed to a game in a stadium is kind of ridiculous. Tracks are built to accommodate a few hundred thousand fans whereas the largest NFL stadium barely makes 90,000. Of course the race will be higher since if I can't get Broncos tickets I can watch another NFL game. You can't do that with Nascar or IRL since they only have one race per week per series so people pretty much have to tune in to one place to see their guys.

Now all of that aside I am a racing fan, and it is a sport. All you have to do is look at the definition of the term "sport" to see that it is indeed a sport. You may hate it, which I can definiately understand because even as a fan certain races are beyond boring, but that doesn't make it not a sport. I mean I detest golf, but I'm not going to say it isn't a sport. I mean you can break anything down into it's simplest form "all you do is drive straight and then turn left for 2 hours" well all you do is "try to put a ball in a hole more than the other guy" or "get 300 feet more times in 60 minutes than the other guys" and they all sound dumb.

[Ogen]

Originally Posted by DaveBrawl83 It's not just that, but comparing attendance figures for a race as opposed to a game in a stadium is kind of ridiculous. Tracks are built to accommodate a few hundred thousand fans whereas the largest NFL stadium barely makes 90,000. Of course the race will be higher since if I can't get Broncos tickets I can watch another NFL game. You can't do that with Nascar or IRL since they only have one race per week per series so people pretty much have to tune in to one place to see their guys. Now all of that aside I am a racing fan, and it is a sport. All you have to do is look at the definition of the term "sport" to see that it is indeed a sport. You may hate it, which I can definiately understand because even as a fan certain races are beyond boring, but that doesn't make it not a sport. I mean I detest golf, but I'm not going to say it isn't a sport. I mean you can break anything down into it's simplest form "all you do is drive straight and then turn left for 2 hours" well all you do is "try to put a ball in a hole more than the other guy" or "get 300 feet more times in 60 minutes than the other guys" and they all sound dumb.

Well that missed my point brilliantly. I'm more baffled that they somehow didn't know how many seats were in the stadium and had no idea how many people were turning up.