East Coast Bias: They take their sports more seriously

We've long heard that when it comes to really any of the major sports - the East Coast views their sports whole lot more seriously than those of us on the West Coast. Which for the most part is true, because I really can't come up with an example of a Pac-10 rivalry being more heated than a SEC rivalry - nor can I point to a fan base that follows and criticizes their teams more religiously than East Coast fans.

And please, don't tell me any other ways, because Seahawks fans didn't get crazy till their team started making the playoffs in the early 2000s, Dodger fans don't show up to games until the playoffs and USC fans are about as friendly and passive as you can get. Many ESPN radio personalities have said on the air "things are a little more relaxed out West"

And that's not a knock. It's not that we care less, it's that we run a little more even keeled ship as fan.

Cities are spread out more on the west coast, and it's almost as if people take to their regional identity than the specific identity of their city. You won't see a person from Seattle refuse to date someone from Portland or Spokane, nor will you talk trash about those cities (well, maaaybe Spokane, just a little :D). Things happen at a slight slower pace on the West Coast - heck, we even talk slow - and therefore I don't think we see sports as so life and death.

When you're mired in the urban jungles of the East Coast such as Pittsburgh above, since theirs so many metro areas and populace centers, you really grab onto what identifies you. Therefore you're sports teams become a huge part of your life. You certainly don't want to lose to your cross-state rivals in Philadelphia, because that's part of YOU losing.

And also consider that in these urban environments with less and less space to escape from society from time to time (example, take a relaxing vacation, hike, bike ride ect. ect.), you're exposed to the myopic mini-society that your city has established.

In Spokane, there's a limited amount of media sources talking up the teams, in Seattle there's more media sources but they're also covering regions outside of the city limits and therefore their tunnel vision on sports is lost somewhat.

On the East, in a city like Pittsburgh, it's STEELERS! It's PIRATES (and their 100 losses!)! It's PENGUINS! And you'd be hard pressed to escape that media hype around sports because your in a city with thousands of people around you talking about topics that matter to your city and even if you get out of town - you're basically just in another city with thousands of people around you talking about topics that matter to their city. You can't escape it.

In the Northwest, well, you can just go fishing...