Fun with Maps

Being bored, I took to the Internet doing some minor research on some possible relocation/expansion cities for the NHL. It first started as an NHL/NBA comparison along with other sports, but then it led me to some interesting sites with sweeeet maps.

The first site that got me thinking was the CommonCensus Sports Map Project. The first question is "Where do the fans for your sports team live?" I'm hooked.

Using their sister project, the CommonCensus Map Project, people are allowed to "record" themselves via their hometown. They then answer some questions based on how they feel they relate to the area they live in. Then, at the end of the questionnaire, you have the option to pick your favorite sports teams from the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and Division 1 NCAA Football. You can pick your favorite, and then optionally pick your #2 or 3. I suggest you do it, and tell your friends, it kills time and it is slightly interesting.

The site says the maps are updated every couple of days, but the Maps itself says Updated as of June 30, 2008. Either way, its still cool. The NHL have the least number of "fans" (surprise surprise!) so far in this survey. Take a look:



As you can see, I clicked on the NHL map. And without further adieu (click to enlarge):



Plenty of Hockey fans (Vancouver) near Seattle, eh? Food for thought.

What does all of this mean? Nothing, at the moment. I will be using maps like these (and ones to come) over the summer when I look at teams and cities more in depth, so I'm glad I found them.

So, lets view some more maps...

First, a map with all the NHL teams (found here):

So exciting I almost fell over. I'm sure you felt the same. (ha).

And now we have a map of Pro, College, and Major Junior Hockey by County in the US (found here):



Gives a good idea of where hockey is watched the most, in my opinion.

And finally, a map I will definitely use again when it comes to analyzing teams and cities, we have this dandy which shows the number of Ice Hockey Rinks by State/Province throughout Canada and the US (found here):



The numbers that caught my eye were 87 in California, 51 in Dallas, and 39 in Missouri. Kansas City Islanders anyone?

So that's that. I realized as I was writing this I don't use many pictures, so I'll make more of an effort to do that. Check back tomorrow as I will have another edition of Playing Below Capacity.