Poll shows state loves a winner

7/9/08
Is there a bigger bunch of bandwagon-jumpers than the baseball fans of Connecticut? Maybe not, judging by the results of the latest poll from Quinnipiac University, which showed state residents now prefer the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, 41-40 percent.
It’s a small margin, but consider the change over the past few years. In 2003, the Yankees led Boston by 47-33 percent. Since then, the numbers have grown closer every year until now, with the Sox finally overtaking their rivals.
Can it be a coincidence that the fortunes of the teams have matched state preferences? Back in 2003, the Yankees were perennial winners, and not far removed from three straight World Series titles. The Red Sox were just another team in the pack, chasing down the powerful Bronx Bombers.
Since then, their roles have changed. It’s the Red Sox who have won two World Series, and they finished atop the American League East last year for the first time this decade. The Yankees have become the team that can’t seem to put it all together. (This year, the Sox are again ahead of the Yankees, but both teams tremble in the shadow of the mighty Rays of Tampa Bay, Fla.)
Then consider the team that’s an afterthought in its own city, the New York Mets. The numbers show fans’ preference for that team fell to 9 percent in the state, and from 24 percent down to 13 percent in Fairfield County. Any chance the team’s middling performance in the past year is linked to that drop?
One thing is clear — Connecticut likes a winner. If the Mets somehow put together a stellar second half of the season and won the World Series, they’d probably pull 35 percent next year. As it is, the Yankees and Red Sox dominate depending on who happens to be having the better season.
Diehard fans must be shaking their heads. And politicians must be secretly thankful — they’re lucky we don’t run elections this way.