Keller @ Large: Fans Make Boston The Best Sports City In America
BOSTON (CBS) - The annual New England sports fan survey conducted by Channel Media Market & Research came out the other day, and I thought it was an inspirational example of the thoughtfulness and intelligence of local fans.
First of all, while the survey reaffirms that we are primarily a football town, that does not come at the expense of other major sports. While a plurality say the Patriots are their favorite team, Pats fans are also very likely to be fans of the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins as well.
The survey shows that while fans hold the Patriots organization in high esteem, they also hold them accountable for failures. Most fans say the team hasn't improved itself going into this season, a finding which, knowing the Pats, will be used as a motivational tool.
Boston fans know their sports, and they give good advice to the Red Sox, urging them to beef up their bullpen and lock in their best players to longer-term contracts.
And the survey shows local fans know good-quality sportscasting when they see it. For the third straight year they voted Dennis Eckersley best game analyst, yet another rebuke to David Price, Dustin Pedroia, and the other Sox players who dared diss Eckersley last year.
The fans also named WBZ-TV's Dan Roche and Steve Burton their first and second-favorite TV sports reporters, with our Levan Reid coming in fourth. That's a nice tribute to hard-working guys who bring joy to their work. After all, isn't sports supposed to be fun?
We're lucky to live in the country's best sports town on so many levels. And our teams are lucky to have such alert, passionate fans.
Share your thoughts with me via email at keller@wbztv.com, or use Twitter, @kelleratlarge.
