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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/detblue524 on 2024-01-29 21:42:43.

In this sub, I often see people ask why college football isn’t a big deal in the Northeast, particularly in the Northeast Corridor (DC to Boston). There’s a lot of factors, but below are some of the reasons why CFB isn’t that big from DC up through New England:

  • In the early days of CFB, most of the East Coast powers were private schools - mainly the Ivies and Army. A lot of the state schools in the area (especially SUNY) developed without the same emphasis on athletics as other states’ flagship schools. After WWII, the Ivies and service academies also de-emphasized their focus on athletics.
  • Pro sports have been massive in the Northeast since their inception. Most of the big four pro sports got started with many teams concentrated in Northeastern cities - many of which have been around for a century or more.
  • Speaking of pro sports, the game that helped legitimize the NFL took place in NYC in 1930, when the New York Giants played the Notre Dame All-Stars. From Wikipedia:

In 1930, there were still many who questioned the quality of the professional game, claiming the college “amateurs” played with more intensity than professionals. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds to raise money for the unemployed of New York City. It was also an opportunity to establish the skill and prestige of the pro game. Knute Rockne reassembled his Four Horsemen along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, then defend. Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran passing for another. Notre Dame failed to score. When it was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, “That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt.” The game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game for those who were critical. It also was the last game the legendary Rockne ever coached; he was killed in an airplane crash on March 31, 1931.

  • Local pro teams are generally the outlet for regional pride rather than local colleges; there’s so many private colleges and satellite public colleges scattered throughout the region. Also, a large percentage of these cities’ population are immigrants and transplants (especially near DC and NYC). Many of these new residents are more likely to latch on to a local pro team rather than a local college team.
  • College fandom exists here, but it’s more of a fragmented and subcultural thing than a big statewide event. D1 basketball is the biggest: the Big East, Syracuse, and some mid-majors have pretty dedicated fanbases. The Big East Tourney at MSG is an awesome event that’s a testament to that. College hockey, lacrosse and soccer are pretty big deals here too - I would say college hockey is probably the biggest college sport in Boston and northern New England. Much of the youth athletic talent in the area is funneled into these 4 sports rather than football. FCS football has some fun rivalries and followings in the area, but it’s a smaller deal. For everyone who complains of “t-shirt fans” in college sports, the Northeast is your vibe haha - outside of some of the successful basketball schools here (and PSU football), there’s not much widespread fandom outside of alums.
  • Now this is a self-perpetuating cycle. Syracuse is a basketball school; BC is a hockey school (and everyone else in New England dislikes BC hockey). There’s a lot of football talent in NJ and the DMV, but a lot of these recruits don’t stay in-state and instead go to big programs in other parts of the country. They don’t have an attachment to the local schools, and they’ll probably get more exposure/NIL going elsewhere.
  • Also, the idea of dedicating every fall Saturday to watch a football game is baffling to people here. Saturday is when people are out and about - Sunday is for football, and weeknights and Saturdays maybe you’ll hit up a baseball/basketball game here and there.

The one exception to this is Penn State football, but PA is also an exception compared to other states in the Northeast Corridor. Central/Western PA has a football culture that’s more akin to Ohio and other Midwestern states, at least in my experience.

What do you think of this assessment? Why else is CFB not that big here, or crazy big elsewhere?

Also, If you want to read more about that 1930 Giants-ND game, here’s a good article.