As a sports town, Richmond is just D-ifferent
If you are interested in tightening your abdominals or improving your sex life, Men's Health magazine has plenty of advice for you.
Every issue, or so it seems, has stories on those topics.
That's all well and good. But there is one thing about Men's Health that is not so good.
In the July/August issue, the magazine ranked America's most sports obsessed towns.
Arlington, Texas, was judged to have the most sports-obsessed citizens. It is ranked No.1 and has a grade of A+.
Richmond? Well, we were a little bit behind Arlington. Quite a bit, actually.
Richmond is 92nd and has a grade of D-.
Being the 92nd best sports town in the country is not the main problem. After all, we live in a big country.
It's the Dthat stings.
Richmond is a worse sports town than Jacksonville, Fla. (sixth, A-)?
Take the NFL's Jaguars out of Jacksonville, and what do you have? The country's largest city in terms of square miles. That doesn't really jump out at you as an essential ingredient in a top sports town.
Richmond is worse than Anchorage, Alaska (10th, B+) which has, what, the first leg of the Iditarod?
Worse than Manchester, N.H. (11th, B+)?
Are we talking sports or presidential primaries?
Richmond has its shortcomings as a sports town. Some minor-league teams struggle here. But that should be taken as a sign of good taste, not bad sports fans.
And we did, uh, misplace that Triple-A baseball team. That can happen anywhere.
If Richmond is one of the worst sports towns in the country, why are Eastern League executives so intent on placing a minor-league baseball team in this market?
They think Richmond will be a jewel in their crown.
Take that, Men's Health.
Look at the two NASCAR Sprint Cup events at Richmond International Raceway. Each draws more than 100,000 fans.
Men's Health included NASCAR figures in its ratings. That alone should have boosted Richmond's ranking and grade.
Then, there is VCU men's basketball, which has about 6,100 rather avid fans at each home game.
The University of Richmond is the Division I Football Championship Subdivision defending national champion.
The Washington Redskins count about 3,000 Richmond-area fans among their season-ticket holders. Thousands more avidly follow the team.
Thousands of area residents go to Charlottesville and Blacksburg for University of Virginia and Virginia Tech football and basketball games.
You can't go to a mall without seeing someone wearing something that says Virginia Tech, Virginia or Redskins.
In Richmond, we tend to work on our abdominals by doing something, not by reading a magazine and thinking, "Yeah, I need to try that."
The Ukrop's Monument Avenue race is one of the top four 10Ks in the country in terms of participants.
The James River and James River Park system always are buzzing with activity.
The setting there is so enticing the organizers of the national XTERRA triathlon series feel Richmond must be included on the schedule.
Richmond isn't a Dsports town. It is a different type of sports town. Always has been. Always will be.
That's not such a bad thing.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or
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Reader Reactions
Sports is just one part of American culture but it by no means defines it. To be honest it sounds like you guys are suggesting every other City in the country is a sports town compared to Richmond which suggests we are unique. Why should we be clamoring to be like everyone else in that respect? If it works it works but you certainly can’t force people to enjoy paying to watch other people play a game.
Richmond doesn’t have an main interest in sports, it has a main interest in DRINKING.
If you brew it, they will come…
mshort642 - I don’t think what you said could have been said any better. Sports is a HUGE part of our American culture. It definitely adds a certain “coolness” factor to a city. I get so tired of hearing this “Richmond is a place of do’ers and not see’ers”. That is such a sad excuse as to why Richmond sucks as a sportstown. There are plenty of Do’ers in other cities around the country, fortunately for them they also have plenty of opportunities to be see’ers as well.
Jeff ... I might agree with your statement about “nothing else to do” in West Texas ... but definately NOT NorthEast Ohio. You’ve got 2 Halls of Fame (Pro Football and Rock & Roll), college sports (Akron / Kent), the Indians, Browns, Cavs, and a nightlife in Cleveland and Akron that makes Shokoe Bottom look like a high school sock hop. None the less, that comment was limited to the statement regarding how “rabid” we were about High School sports.
I laugh at all the comments about how insignificant being considered a “sports town” is. Sports is a major part of the American culture, and is one measuring stick used to determine the image any American city has. Those who simply disregard it as insignificant remind me of the fable about the fox and the grapes. We don’t have it, therefore it must not be important.
I love Richmond, but really, sometimes the lack of a comprehensive vision for the region by the government and the citizens is frustrating.
In the big picture, why does it matter if Richmond has a C,B or A rating as a sport town? It must be good for “someone’s ego” to have a professional team…but whose that is I don’t know.
We won’t support hockey, baseball (with or without a team in town) at the AAA or AA level…so who cares?
NASCAR brings in MONEY (doesn’t cost us money)- much unlike a new “stadium” for a AA or AAA baseball or hockey team.
And..by all means…if Men’s Health says it…it must be true and REALLY important!..LOL
“And did I mention the squirrels?“
hey Dengo, dont forget the squirrels!
LOL
Richmond was lucky to get a D minus. This is not a pro sports town and probably never will be. People here are more worried about making sure their cars are covered in Hokie and Wahoo crap than anything else. Woody really tried to shed RVA in a sports town light but he himself needs to see the light. This town is dead for pro sports.
While they may love corn in Omaha, Nebraska they at least have a nice venue in the Qwest Center (Coliseum=Dump). Not to mention they host the College World Series every year. Sounds like a sports town to me.
mshorts I think those are great examples of places where there isn’t much else to do besides get behind your local sports team. Ever been to Nebraska? They loooove football… and corn. In Richmond’s case there either isn’t a strong demand to watch pro sports or the teams here just do a terrible job of marketing. If the answer is the former then so be it and if you’re a sports fan then Richmond probably isn’t the place for you. If the case is the latter then teams need to figure out how to grab the interest of the community.
I love some of the comments. Richmond has “rabid interest in high school and college sports”? Really? Try visiting any town in Northeast Ohio or West Texas on a Friday night. First of all, you’ll find high school stadiums as big or bigger than any stadium in Richmond, and secondly the towns shut down til the game is over. THAT’s “rabid interest,“ and we are a long way from that here. (Ever watch the preseason “Hall of Fame” NFL game in Canton OH? That’s the home field of McKinley High School and is STILL smaller than their rival Massillon’s stadium).
And talking about moving to richmond and looking for clubs, parks, etc? I fail to see how a sports fan going to a game is any different than someone looking for a party finding the best club. Both are forms of entertainment that people enjoy, so the idea that you “participate” any more in a club than at a ballgame is just plain dumb.
Finally, I think that the fact that RTD’s sports reporter argues that Richmond is ANY kind of a sports town just emphasizes that not only can we not attract and support a successful sports team, we can’t attract or support a sports writer than can recognize a sports town.
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