[cardcrimson]

A brief overview of my background:

I grew up in the Bay Area. Was raised a Stanford fan because my dad, who grew up in Palo Alto, was a fan from childhood himself. I attended a different Pac-10/12 school and have lived primarily on the East Coast since 2008, but I did live in the Bay Area during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Anyway, I'm bearish when it comes to Stanford's ability to gain any sort of serious following among Bay Area sports fans. There are just too many obstacles.

1. Few people are admitted into Stanford, which means there's a small base of alumni fans.
2. Even fewer of these graduates stay in the Bay Area upon graduation.
3. There are so many other sports options in the Bay Area, and the general culture of the area focuses on professional sports. 49ers, Raiders (well, for now), Giants, A's, Warriors, Sharks. Very few markets have as many professional sports teams as the Bay Area.
4. In addition to sports, there are so many other entertainment options.
5. Stanford's elite status probably is a turn off. Why root for Stanford if you had no chance of being admitted or if your children have no chance of being admitted?
6. Stanford has close ties with the tech culture, and there has been a backlash against tech culture in recent years.
7. As the cost of living has gone up, a lot of Bay Area natives have left. These people may still follow Bay Area teams, but they can no longer attend the games. And the new arrivals bring their different allegiances with them.

I think some of these factors work against all Bay Area sports teams, not just Stanford and the other college programs. But I also think Stanford has some unique challenges. I never got the sense that Stanford football was truly part of the Bay Area zeitgeist during the 2010-2016 seasons.

Fair points all. Add that the media pays little attention to Stanford sports. Even in the best days, KNBR and the Chronicle didn't cover a lot. Does Stanford have a sports marketing program?

[cardcrimson]

A brief overview of my background:

I grew up in the Bay Area. Was raised a Stanford fan because my dad, who grew up in Palo Alto, was a fan from childhood himself. I attended a different Pac-10/12 school and have lived primarily on the East Coast since 2008, but I did live in the Bay Area during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Anyway, I'm bearish when it comes to Stanford's ability to gain any sort of serious following among Bay Area sports fans. There are just too many obstacles.

1. Few people are admitted into Stanford, which means there's a small base of alumni fans.
2. Even fewer of these graduates stay in the Bay Area upon graduation.
3. There are so many other sports options in the Bay Area, and the general culture of the area focuses on professional sports. 49ers, Raiders (well, for now), Giants, A's, Warriors, Sharks. Very few markets have as many professional sports teams as the Bay Area.
4. In addition to sports, there are so many other entertainment options.
5. Stanford's elite status probably is a turn off. Why root for Stanford if you had no chance of being admitted or if your children have no chance of being admitted?
6. Stanford has close ties with the tech culture, and there has been a backlash against tech culture in recent years.
7. As the cost of living has gone up, a lot of Bay Area natives have left. These people may still follow Bay Area teams, but they can no longer attend the games. And the new arrivals bring their different allegiances with them.

I think some of these factors work against all Bay Area sports teams, not just Stanford and the other college programs. But I also think Stanford has some unique challenges. I never got the sense that Stanford football was truly part of the Bay Area zeitgeist during the 2010-2016 seasons.

Fair points all. Add that the media pays little attention to Stanford sports. Even in the best days, KNBR and the Chronicle didn't cover a lot. Does Stanford have a sports marketing program?