Posted on 02/17/2007 12:39:02 PM PST by scrabblehack
Map of NCAAF I-A Team Fan Areas
Important: this map is highly inaccurate and should be understood only as a demonstration, and not as any kind of reliable data yet. It is based on only a few thousands of votes spread across all teams, across the country. Areas with virtually no data are shown in gray, and many boundaries are still expected to change their shape drastically. A map with more accurate boundaries will gradually emerge as the number of votes reaches the upper tens of thousands.
Within the colored area associated with each team, more fans support that team than any other. Little dots of color represent individual votes, large masses represent agglomerations of the predominant local vote (minority votes get 'sucked up' and disappear). State boundaries are overlaid in white.
Another one that stands out compared to actual attendance is Boston College -- but according to the map, their fan base extends into New Hampshire, Vermont, and upstate New York. Hmmm...do their TV/radio ratings show this?
Georgia Tech outpolling UGa is a bit surprising...it doesn't happen at the actual stadium gate...and it appears that East Carolina has a larger following than UNC or NC State. ECU's average football attendance isn't that far behind UNC's or NC State's though.
There could be a digital divide with Ga Tech outpolling UGa.
Other maps on the same site show MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL maps.
I'm guessing ECU looks bigger because it has all of eastern NC to cover, while UNC & NC State are competing for essentially the same fans.
Notice there are very few DOOK fans on the map, though...
Total votes (as of the date of the last map):
East Carolina 238
UNC 199
Duke 164
NC State 112
Wake 41
Duke's fans seem concentrated around Durham...
Actual attendance this year:
NC State 56K+
UNC 48K+
ECU 37K+
Wake 32K+
Duke 19K+
I don't have TV/radio ratings readily available.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.