Every year, Facebook releases a map of MLB fanbases by most popular team in each county. We can draw some interesting nuggets from the map.
(click to enlarge so you can actually see some of the counties)
-Only two teams aren’t represented, and both are second class citizens in their local markets – the Mets and Athletics. Poor guys. The Giants’ 2014 World Series win likely helped dampen some of the Athletics excitement in norther California, northwest Nevada, and southern Oregon.
-The random patches of Pirates fans in Idaho and Oklahoma confuse me.
-The Yankees and Red Sox seemingly pop up everywhere, which is understandable given the history of both teams.
-The White Sox are more popular in Chicago than the Cubs? Huh. Imagine that.
-Canada is all about the Blue Jays…except for some parts of Quebec. They’re probably still bitter about the Expos.
-Is it me, or is Atlanta’s dominance in the south shrinking a bit? In Florida, they only dominate the panhandle. The same is true for North Carolina, where the Yankees have taken over the coast and are creeping inland.
-One more year like 2014, and the Phillies could lose even more ground in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.
It’s all very interesting, and worth a look.
