The fans of teams on your fringe

That's the general consensous in this business right now - fewer resources and less space to actually get everything in that should be getting in a sports section.

For instance, being smack dab in the middle of ACC country (Wake Forest, Duke, UNC and N.C. State within 90 minutes, Va Tech 2 hours away, and UVA about 2 1/2 hours north) does not help when there is really no true college/university that gets dominant coverage. Not every team can get coverage do to the lack of space. Sure, people will be upset if their favorite team or alma mater does not make the section, but these times are rough for everyone.

 

Ruston (and I don't even know if they have a newspaper) would be doubly screwed, because Grambling is in the same parish.

 

Not the dominant contingent, obviously. But you definitely had to deal with them, and this was the mid to late '80s, when they were really good, so you couldn't just blow them off.

 

I'll bet this is a problem at almost every paper in SEC Country.

 

Which also happens to be NASCAR country. I'd like to see the reactions of some folks from down there when you tell them that if Bama/Auburn/Ole Miss, etc. get in, Junior/Tony/Kyle have to get axed.

 

Yep, I can confirm the same problem here. Not close to any of the big state schools, but there are plenty big state schools and plenty of alumni of all of them. Texas and Texas A&M take precedence, but Tech, Baylor, even UofH calls come in. On top of that, Arkansas, LSU, and Oklahoma have to get some representation, too.

A few hours apiece from Austin, Aggieland, Waco, H-Town, two hours from the Oklahoma line, 90 minutes from the Arkansas line, 45-60 minutes from the Louisiana line. And there's a lot of SEC fans, despite technically being Big 12 South country.

 

In my experience, the folks who get their panties in a bunch are those from the locally-based FBS school who think any coverage at all of the more popular BCS school is an affront to their existence, despite the fact their own school is covered home-and-away.

Fan myopia is part of the territory, though.