Baseball, Fan Data, Sports Data, Top 10, watch party

Oakland Athletics (A’s) MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for OAK

The Oakland Athletics have fostered a culture built by former general manager, Billy Beane. Starting in 2000, Billy Beane used mathematics, pure statistics of a players’ on-base percentage, and other metrics that will be discussed later, in order to allocate the money efficiently towards “cheaper players”. Moneyball, a film made in 2011, illustrates the magnificence and brilliance Beane and the Oakland Athletics management had in building a roster in the early 2000’s. Beane used mathematical metrics like a pitcher’s ERA in order to build a team. According to fictional character Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), who played a role as Billy Beane’s (Brad Pitt) right hand man in the movie Moneyball, said that the Oakland Athletics we’re a team that were a team that were like: “an island of misfit toys”. Although he is no longer the general manager, Beane remains an executive with the Oakland Athletics and is trying to revitalize the team. 

The Oakland Athletics are in discussions of potentially moving to Jack London Square by building a new ballpark that would create a more modern, and replenished atmosphere. Also, the A’s will be working around and building a young, but fiesty roster. All A’s fans need to be patient, because only good baseball is in the Athletics’ future.

Baseball, Fan Clubs, watch party

Chicago White Sox MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for White Sox

Chicago White Sox MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for CWS

The Chicago White Sox, originally known as the Sioux City Cornhuskers, are a member of the American League Central division. Founded as a minor league club in 1894, the White Sox have had an decorated history that includes three World Series titles. Recently, the team has struggled to maximize its potential; however the Sox plan to dominate the 2020. With the signings of Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal, White Sox fans are excited for the new team to showcase itself in the coming months. The White Sox official website offers deals and holiday packages to fans that are interested in attending spring training and other public team events. 

 

Courtesy of Flickr.com
Baseball, Fan Clubs, watch party

Philadelphia Phillies MLB Watch Parties and Fan Club Events for PHI

The Philadelphia Phillies are the longest tenured franchise with the same name in American professional sports. The Phillies have won two World Series titles and 7 National League Pennants through their existence. They have just about 700K followers on Instagram and 1.6 million followers on Facebook. They also have 1.85 million followers on Twitter, bringing their total to 4.15 million followers across all three platforms. 

Waiting for the Patco in Camden
Baseball, Fan Clubs, watch party

Milwaukee Brewers MLB Watch Parties and Fan Club Events for MIL

Milwaukee Brewers photo
Photo by Jim Bauer

Did you know the Milwaukee Brewers were once the Seattle Pilots? As an expansion team founded in 1969, the Pilots were 33 games out of first place. After only one season, the Seattle Pilots were relocated to Milwaukee. Now, with the recent success of Christian Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP, the Brewers are well on their way to becoming a mainstay playoff team is always competitive NL Central Division. The success of the Brewers has not only been on the field, however. The social media presence of the Brewers has allowed them to continue to build their fanbase both in Milwaukee and around the world. With 1.05 million Facebook followers, 630 thousand Twitter followers, and 440 thousand Instagram followers, the three main social media platforms provide Brewers fans with the ability to be a part of their franchise regardless of where they live. 

Baseball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data

Cincinnati Reds MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for CIN

The MLB would be in a much different place if it were not for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are the first team to ever be established by professional baseball. The Reds were established as the Cincinnati Red Stockings and played their first game in 1869 against the Great Westerns of Cincinnati. The Red Stockings did not lose their first game until the 131st game played on June 14, 1870. In 1876, Cincinnati was adopted into the National League. In 1880,  The Reds were expelled from the National League for 10 years for selling beer at games. So for 10 years, the Reds were a part of the American League. 150 years later, Cincinnati is still a baseball town and the Cincinnati fans are loyal to their Reds like its family. Today, the Reds are striving to rejuvenate the winning culture in Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, everyone bleeds red and black. 

In 2010, Cincinnati Reds fans had the opportunity to receive autographs and take pictures with Cincinnati Reds players and legends.
Baseball, Fan Clubs, watch party

Washington Nationals Game Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for WSH

          The Washington Nationals, winners of the 2019 World Series, are among the top teams baseball teams in the country and continue to establish a supportive fanbase throughout the Washington D.C area and other parts of the country. The team’s usage of social media allows the fans to truly feel as if they are part of the team, interacting

with players and coaches, and understanding what goes through the minds of the team. The 524,000 Instagram followers, 740,000 Twitter followers, and 690,000 followers on Facebook allow the Nationals to incorporate the fans not only in D.C but around the country to into the lifestyle of the Nationals.  

Washington Nationals Baseball photo
Photo by skyfaller
Analysis, Baseball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, watch party

Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for PIT

Other than being known as the Steel City, Pittsburgh is a city where everyone bleeds black and yellow. In fact, only black and yellow. The unique part of Pittsburgh sports, is that all professional teams wear black and yellow: The Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates, along with the other Pittsburgh professional teams, have a lot of history. The Pirates are tied in seventh place for the most World Series wins. They won 5 World Series. They won in 1909,1925,1960,1971, and 1979. The Pirates were one of the first teams to ever be established, in fact they played in the first World Series (1903). Even though the Pirates are coming off of a not-so-good season, Pirates fans have a lot of hope in the Pirates’ future although there has been a four year playoff drought. The Pirates have a very good chance of surprising many people next season. The Pirates were going through cycles of mediocrity, so owner Robert Nutting fire the general manager, manager, pitching coach, and team president. Nutting wanted a change and understands that with a new culture, and a winning atmosphere, the Pirates can be rejuvenated into the Pittsburgh’s winning culture.

Baseball, Fan Clubs, watch party

Miami Marlins MLB Watch Parties and Fan Club Events for MIA

Located in the 6th most densely populated major city, the Miami Marlins have a very large, and diverse fan base. The Marlins are accessible to anyone from any city. The Marlins have 344k followers on Twitter and 700k followers on Facebook. They also have an additional 472k followers on Instagram. The Miami Marlins have a grand total of 1.516 million followers across the 3 major social media platforms. 

Courtesy of Flickr
Baseball, Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, watch party

Baltimore Orioles MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for BAL

A Minor League franchise that was established in 1894 named the Milwaukee Brewers would eventually become the Baltimore Orioles in 1901 during the inception of the American League. The Orioles have a special blueprint behind their playing. They have won three World Series and have several members of the National Baseball League Hall of Fame. The most notable player that ever played for the Baltimore Orioles would unanimously be Cal Ripken Jr. Jr., otherwise known as the Iron Man: a 19-time all star, 9-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and a 2-time Golden Glove award winner.

Although this team is coming off of two not-so-good seasons, the Baltimore Orioles are a team to watch in the near future. Considering the Orioles have had two consecutive seasons with losing records, their farm system is developing strongly. Orioles fans are currently frustrated, but maintain optimism as they are building a team around younger,  future core-players. Last season, Manny Machado, a star-player, and seemingly the future of the Orioles franchise was traded in a blockbuster deal. On July 18th, 2018, The 26 year-old, center of the franchise, star Manny Machado was traded in exchange for five players. Baltimore’s management felt that this move was “transformative, offering both quality and depth to a system in need of both.” In exchange for this trade, Orioles fans suffered one and a half years of losing, but the future is bright.

All, Analysis, Baseball, Football

Was Kyler Murray Right In Choosing Football?

Last September, FanWide asked if there would ever be another multi-sport star? The gold standards in this regard have long been the inimitable Bo Jackson and the flashy Deion Sanders. Russell Wilson and Tim Tebow have tried to join the club, with mixed results. Usain Bolt looked decent on the pitch when he gave soccer a shot, but a contract dispute prevented him from fully pursuing what might have become an interesting career. And then, of course, there was Michael Jordan, whose brief foray into baseball didn’t exactly pan out.

The reason we’re revisiting this idea now is Kyler Murray, who was mentioned in the previous article mentioned above and was just drafted first overall in the NFL Draft. The Oklahoma quarterback made his mark on sports history when he was selected, becoming the first athlete to be drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts. He was picked ninth overall in the MLB Draft just 10 months ago, by the Oakland Athletics. Following that selection, Murray received permission from Oakland management to play out his senior year in college football and certainly made the most out of the opportunity. In his final season, he totaled 5,362 yards and 54 touchdowns and was awarded the Heisman Trophy.