Obviously judging them after three days is ridiculous. It's like predicting whether or not a guy will be getting an invitation to Cooperstown after three solid MLB seasons. But I'll obviously take three awesome days over three stressful days.
Anyways... I'm sure there are some of you who remember the whole "getting to know you" activities that take place at the start of the year. My class is no different. Among the activities, there are a few questions embedded to help me figure out what sports they enjoy watching and what teams they support. Tonight I figured I share some of the data I collected this week:
#1: Oakland A's
I have Oakland A's stuff all over my walls, so my fandom is pretty obvious. There wasn't a single student who mentioned my favorite baseball team all week. In fact, I didn't see a single A's shirt, jersey, backpack, hat, or pencil enter my classroom all week.
#2: Stephen Curry
On the other hand, there wasn't a single period where multiple students didn't mention Steph Curry. He's this generation's Babe Ruth. Well... at least where I teach.
Side note. There are more Golden State Warriors fans sitting in my classroom than fans of all of the other professional franchises combined.
#3: Oakland Raiders
Growing up in the Bay Area, there's always been a strong rivalry between the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately... there never seems to be a 50/50 split when it comes to their fandom. Usually 55 to 70% of my students are 49er fans. However this year I was shocked that only a handful of students mentioned the 49ers. Most of my students who care about football are Raiders fans. Although there were a handful of New England Patriots fans too. I wonder why.
#4: Dodgers vs. Giants
While there were no students who would openly admit to cheering for the A's, there were a few San Francisco Giants fans. That's not very surprising. The Giants have been very popular the past ten to fifteen years in regards to my students. What did surprise me was the number of Los Angeles Dodgers fans walking through my door. I didn't do an exact count... but I'd say there were at least one or two Giants or Dodgers fans in each class. And not a single A's fan. WTF? Thank goodness I didn't see any New York Yankees fans either.
#5: San Jose Sharks
I'll wrap things up with our hometown team... the beloved San Jose Sharks. There were maybe ten to twelve students who mentioned the Sharks in their presentations. However when I asked one kid who was wearing a Sharks hat, he couldn't tell me a single player's name. It makes me wonder how many of them actually know the players on the team.
I feel I should mention that there were a handful of students who rocked Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys. Soccer is a very popular sport in our area. Sadly... none of them show strong support for our local San Jose Earthquakes.
Well that wraps up my student support report for the 2017/2018 school year. I'm hoping to return to my regular posting schedule this week. One of them is a pretty big announcement in regards to collecting and the future. I'm still putting the finishing touches on that post... so stay tuned.
By the way...
Anyone watching the fight tonight? Who are you pulling for?
Although I enjoy watching MMA way more than boxing and I usually pull for the underdog... tonight I'll be rooting for Mayweather. I'm not really a fan of either of these guys... but I'm pretty excited to watch it.
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
12 comments:
I'll sound like an old man but I haven't much cared about boxing since Ali retired. Babe Ruth, Fuji? Why not Michael Jordan? (Says the Chicago guy) Glad to hear about your positive start. Wish I had had a teacher like you.
Pats, and Dodgers...... They're riding the bandwagon, lol.
"What did surprise me was the number of Los Angeles Dodgers fans walking through my door."
Winning equals more fans.
Sounds like fun.. I go back to driving the day after Labour Day..
Congrats on surviving your first week! My wife starts back next week. Not much in to boxing though, but do love watching Ronaldo
Is there no backlash regarding the Raiders moving to Vegas down the road?
I wouldn't even have known there was a fight tonight if Thursday night's "Weekend Update" hadn't have made fun of the Irish MMA guy (whose name I don't even remember).
First week of school is always so much fun. Never really thought to figure out the breakdown of sports teams fans in my classes. The pro sports here kind of sway with who is popular at the time and not many people are actually from Raleigh-Durham, so you get some interesting favorites. The UNC/Duke/NC State rivalries however are pretty serious, especially once basketball season rolls around.
I don't work in a school environment, but I live in NJ where it's an amalgam of NYC and Philly team support. 20 minutes south and it's more Philly based. 20 minutes north and it's more NY team based. Then there's me...ALL Pittsburgh and a random supporter of the Indiana Pacers.
hackenbush - lol. not sure. i think i went with ruth, b/c i just watched a hbo documentary on him
john miller - yeah... some teens have a way with switching allegiances
zippy zappy - i know... but we're in giants territory.
mike matson - enjoy the rest of your vacation
b man - one of these days i'll get into european soccer. for now... i'll stick to the quakes. hope your wife has a great year!
shlabotnikreport - honestly... not as much as i would have thought. most of my friends who are raiders fans are staying loyal. then again... their offense will probably lead them back to the playoffs. if they miss the playoffs, then maybe things will change
snorting bull - honestly this is the first time i've ever broke it down. maybe next year i'll make it even more official. college basketball is one sport not many kids get excited about around here. now the teachers... that's another story. we're all over march madness.
collecting cutch - i've always admired pittsburgh fans. you guys seem very loyal to your city's teams
Sounds like an interesting class.
(Nice cards above to by the way)
Sorry, but I would say Stef Curry is more like this generations Ty Cobb. High percentage player, that lacks Ruth's outsized personality. If I had to pick this generations Ruth from the NBA players, I'd pick Russell Westbrook. But, admittedly, I am a little biased.
sports card collectors - i have a bunch of awesome classes. i really lucked out this year
carlsonjok - if you're ever in the bay area, you'd know what i'm talking about. you can't go walking around for 10 minutes without seeing at least on curry jersey. he may not be ruth-like in other parts of the country, but i can't think of a more popular bay area athlete right now.
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