Most Popular Sports Team in US

[GeauxSioux]

http://bleacherrepor...e-united-states

North Dakota: The Minnesota Vikings are king though the University of North Dakota ice hockey team has some rabid supporters

[IrishSiouxFan]

I'm calling BS on this one! UND hockey is huge in North Dakota, this is about as ridiculous as saying that Oxford, Ohio is a bigger hockey town than Grand Forks. Absolute none sense!

[108498]

The sioux in no shap or form is the most populor team in the US. Over half of the population or more don't even watch hockey. I would say that The top team would be NEB FOOTBALL, duke basketball OR New england Pats.

[108498]

Maybe even new york mets

[scpa0305]

I think this article makes sense. UND hockey is huge for us hockey fans and for the eastern side of the state but the Vikings pretty much rule the state. My family is originally from the western side of the state and they don't really follow hockey whatsoever, but every sunday they watch the Vikes. It would be close between the two....that is why they are correct in mentioning both of them. They need to correct the UAA division 2 hockey thing....they are D1

FYi they go state by state. Not top teams in the country.

[Siouxperfan7]

http://bleacherrepor...e-united-states

Wait..what??? I thought NDSU football was the most popular team in the state? Oh man....lets not start this debate again!!

[fightingsioux4life]

The sioux in no shap or form is the most populor team in the US. Over half of the population or more don't even watch hockey. I would say that The top team would be NEB FOOTBALL, duke basketball OR New england Pats.

This doesn't concern the entire United States, this only deals with North Dakota. There really isn't any point to this, since everyone has their own idea of what "most popular" means.

[Let'sGoHawks!]

Wait..what??? I thought NDSU football was the most popular team in the state? Oh man....lets not start this debate again!!

Oh no! I think you just did...

[Teeder11]

On a related note, I was talking to a Forum Communication reporter recently, and the reporter relayed an interesting story that I had always had a hunch was true but it was verfied by the reporter's account of things.

Seems that a few weeks back the bosses at Forum Comm in Fargo wanted to do a comparison piece about UND hockey vs. NDSU football for king of popularity in the state. It was a joint project headed up by Herald and Forum sports guys. One of the big metrics that they were going to use to measure popularity was the annual hits to Schlossman's hockey blog and hits to Izzo/Kolpack's Bison Media Blog (or whatever it is called). Seems that the direction of the story took a decidedly different tone and was deliberatley downplayed a bit once the Fargo big wigs took a gander at the respective blog stats. The reporter was not privvy to the exact number of hits-per-blog, but, in round numbers, it was something like 600,000 to 2.4 million -- as in 600,000 for NDSU's Media Blog and 2.4 million for Schloss. What the reporter was definitley sure about was that whatever the actual numbers were it was a 4 to 1 ratio favoring Schloss' blog. Interesting.

[watchmaker49]

I thought the most popular team in the state was the Mayville State Comets football team.

[Let'sGoHawks!]

On a related note, I was talking to a Forum Communication reporter recently, and the reporter relayed an interesting story that I had always had a hunch was true but it was verfied by the reporter's account of things.

Seems that a few weeks back the bosses at Forum Comm in Fargo wanted to do a comparison piece about UND hockey vs. NDSU football for king of popularity in the state. It was a joint project headed up by Herald and Forum sports guys. One of the big metrics that they were going to use to measure popularity was the annual hits to Schlossman's hockey blog and hits to Izzo/Kolpack's Bison Media Blog (or whatever it is called). Seems that the direction of the story took a decidedly different tone and was deliberatley downplayed a bit once the Fargo big wigs took a gander at the respective blog stats. The reporter was not privvy to the exact number of hits-per-blog, but, in round numbers, it was something like 600,000 to 2.4 million -- as in 600,000 for NDSU's Media Blog and 2.4 million for Schloss. What the reporter was definitley sure about was that whatever the actual numbers were it was a 4 to 1 ratio favoring Schloss' blog. Interesting.

Oh realllllllyyyyyyy?

[fightingsioux4life]

I thought the most popular team in the state was the Mayville State Comets football team.

If we had kept the name and logo at all costs, that is the team we would have probably played in the Potato Bowl every year. That might have raised their profile above the ocean's surface. I don't know if much else could.

[ericpnelson]

If we had kept the name and logo at all costs, that is the team we would have probably played in the Potato Bowl every year. That might have raised their profile above the ocean's surface. I don't know if much else could.

Mayville would have to schedule it around the Farmer's Bowl

[Sodbuster]

I thought the most popular team in the state was the Mayville State Comets football team.

Comets baseball, maybe........(they did beat the Bison baseball team last spring).

[nodak651]

Speaking of popularity... espn is having a college popularity contest. Vote for UND and have a chance to win free gear. http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/clc/2012/

[KBH2010]

Speaking of popularity... espn is having a college popularity contest. Vote for UND and have a chance to win free gear. http://promo.espn.go...tests/clc/2012/

We are currently beating the Bison 14 to 7

[GFG]

I agree with the North Dakota one, although UND hockey is very popular the Vikings are without a doubt more supported.

Minnesota is a tough one, because the Vikings and Twins are both VERY popular in Minnesota. In fact, IIRC, the Twins are top 5 in MLB TV ratings pretty much every season, and they're always ahead of the Yankees. In reality that's a very tough call, especially to not even give the Twins a close second mention

My Favorite:

Alaska - University of Alaska-Anchorage Ice Hockey

The rest of their sports scene must be pretty fricken empty then

[Siouxperfan7]

I agree with the North Dakota one, although UND hockey is very popular the Vikings are without a doubt more supported.

Minnesota is a tough one, because the Vikings and Twins are both VERY popular in Minnesota. In fact, IIRC, the Twins are top 5 in MLB TV ratings pretty much every season, and they're always ahead of the Yankees. In reality that's a very tough call, especially to not even give the Twins a close second mention

My Favorite:

Alaska - University of Alaska-Anchorage Ice Hockey

The rest of their sports scene must be pretty fricken empty then

I would have expected a dog led team to win there

[yababy8]

Its baffling to me how confused the perspective regarding the significance of Fighting Sioux Hockey.

To the point that I start to question my bias in the matter.

But then I recall my trip to the frozen four in St. Paul or I remember that the Fighting Sioux have the only National Broadcast of their entire home hockey schedule. Or I think about the Sioux crowd at the plethora of CC and DU games I have attended for over a decade vs a Wisconsin playoff game at DU last year where there were about 5 Badger fans in attendance. I even recall how often Sioux hockeygets mentioned during the Nhl playoff broadcasts where former Sioux players are competing. Then I realize that my perspective has a sound basis.

Ofcourse after the crap that has been spewed recently regarding the all importance of "supporting the athletes" I am fully expecting to see 11,500 fans in attendance at the next UND womans tennis match. Then I will no how misguided I have been..

[mg2009]

I would have gone twins #1, vikings #2, then und hockey and ndsu football at roughly a tie. NDSU football probably has a broader fanbase if only because it's football, the hockey fans are on average more dedicated.

[Let'sGoHawks!]

I would have gone twins #1, vikings #2, then und hockey and ndsu football at roughly a tie. NDSU football probably has a broader fanbase if only because it's football, the hockey fans are on average more dedicated.

Twins #1! hahahaahah

I won't get into the UND vs NDSU thing.

[watchmaker49]

If anything the Twins have a broader fan base than the Vikings. A lot of older people like to listen to baseball on the radio. One difference bewtween UND hockey and NDSU football is support during down tmes. There I believe UND wins hands down.

[zonadub]

I would have gone twins #1, vikings #2, then und hockey and ndsu football at roughly a tie. NDSU football probably has a broader fanbase if only because it's football, the hockey fans are on average more dedicated.

thank you for your unbiased perspective, Bizun troll

[Teeder11]

thank you for your unbiased perspective, Bizun troll

I think mg has explained before that he/she is more of a "double agent" (my words) than a troll. mg, I think, went to both UND and NDSU and is from Fargo. Thus, he/she tends to have bit more of an allegiance to Scream Yellow having grown up in that environment. I do agree his/her assessments do tend to be a little glass half empty for UND and half full for SU, or, in other words, mg tends to be more pragmatic when it comes to comments on UND and more optimistic when it comes to NDSU. But that could be a product of one team just coming out of transition with a lot to prove and the other coming off a NC season in their most important sport.

[fightingsioux4life]

If anything the Twins have a broader fan base than the Vikings. A lot of older people like to listen to baseball on the radio. One difference bewtween UND hockey and NDSU football is support during down tmes. There I believe UND wins hands down.

Minneapolis is a Vikings town and it always will be. The Twins are a nice, summer distraction at best. Target Field has leveled the playing field for now, but once the Viking's new stadium opens, those gains will vanish.