Bick
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Post by Bick on Mar 21, 2019 17:10:32 GMT -8
I've wondered what it is that draws fans to one HS stadium v. another. I know winning is a big thing...maybe the most important thing. But it seems there might be other factors as well. What's going on in Texas HS stadiums seems pretty special. Wondering what it would take to create that same vibe over here in So Cal.
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SK80
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Post by SK80 on Mar 22, 2019 8:31:55 GMT -8
Maybe close down Disneyland and block access to the Pacific Ocean.....! Point in jest, there is just too much going on in this environment.... too many free time options. I also believe living in a place like So Cal creates a lack of free time. Getting to or supporting a high school sport just isn’t at the top of the list.
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Mar 22, 2019 9:16:57 GMT -8
There’s more than one reason for the difference but the biggest one is, like, it‘s a cultural thing, y’know? Cowboys, Confederates and manly men.
Football is a bigger deal in certain areas of the country than it is in Southern California. Look at how much larger and more raucus the crowds are in the SEC as opposed to the PAC 12. UCLA might play in front of 35 - 40,000 in a city of 10 million whereas you have a hard time even finding a place to stay near Athens, Georgia on game day. Hell, even I'm not that interested in HSFB anymore.
There's simply more interest in football at all levels in the South and Texas in particular, including and maybe especially high school (which, by the way, has always made me wonder why University of Texas football has been so mediocre -relatively - for the last decade).
What would take to “create that same vibe over here”? Transplant about 10 million Texans to Southern California………………………………Luca
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Mar 22, 2019 10:54:23 GMT -8
Bick, have you ever been to most of Texas? There is nothing to do EXCEPT watch high school football.
So to answer your question about what it would take to create the same vibe here, the answer is simple: Get rid of the mountains and the ocean. Get rid of Hollywood, the entertainment industry, nightclubs, good restaurants, concert venues, Broadway-caliber theaters, Disneyland, Knotts, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain, eight pro sports teams, and everything else there is to do around here. Yes, everything. Then sit everybody in the sun until all their necks are bright red, and you'd get more people going to high school football games.
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Bick
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Post by Bick on Mar 22, 2019 11:45:13 GMT -8
I'm pretty sure all those entertainment choices have been in place the past 40+ years, and few if any decided to run to the beach or Disneyland v. going to a HS football game on a Friday night.
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Mar 26, 2019 8:25:15 GMT -8
Bick, have you ever been to most of Texas? There is nothing to do EXCEPT watch high school football. So to answer your question about what it would take to create the same vibe here, the answer is simple: Get rid of the mountains and the ocean. Get rid of Hollywood, the entertainment industry, nightclubs, good restaurants, concert venues, Broadway-caliber theaters, Disneyland, Knotts, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain, eight pro sports teams, and everything else there is to do around here. Yes, everything. Then sit everybody in the sun until all their necks are bright red, and you'd get more people going to high school football games. I’m afraid MDDad is right. When I came to Central Illinois to my employers headquarters for training in the late 80’s and 90’s, i would not Denny’s on Saturday mornings and I was amazed at the numbers of people, usually but not limited to men sitting throughout the coffee shop end talking about last night’s game(s). and it hasn’t changed since. Now that I’m covering some of those same High School teams, there are adults who freaking FOLLOW a given team all over Illinois on Friday nights. The visitors side bleachers and the home bleachers are filled with them. High School Football out here is more like a Friday night religion, much more so than we saw in California (for the reasons MDDad noted). |
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Mar 26, 2019 8:35:54 GMT -8
Dave's experience in central Illinois X 1,000 = west Texas.
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Mar 26, 2019 8:44:05 GMT -8
Dave's experience in central Illinois X 1,000 = west Texas. And a few of those teams are perennial inhabitants on those Sports weekly or monthly “country’s best” lists.a |
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Credo
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Post by Credo on Mar 26, 2019 10:30:07 GMT -8
I lived in Indiana for a year in the early 1990's and I discovered that H.S. basketball in the Hoosier State is also a kind of religion.
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Mar 27, 2019 14:58:05 GMT -8
I lived in Indiana for a year in the early 1990's and I discovered that H.S. basketball in the Hoosier State is also a kind of religion. I’ve seen the movie Hoosiers over 300 times (quite literally), so, yes, Welllllcome to the Indiana State High School Basketball Finals... |
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