Results are in from the UMBC Poll, and while Maryland state colors are red, white, black, and gold, it appears a plurality of Marylanders bleed orange.
Part 3 of the UMBC Poll did ask questions about politics but also polled more than 800 residents about their Major League Baseball fandom. The question posed before Opening Day: “Do you consider yourself more of a Baltimore Orioles fan, a Washington Nationals fan, a fan of some other team, or not really a baseball fan?”
Dem Os came out on top, with 40% responding that they were Baltimore Orioles fans. Beltway rival and National League team The Washington Nationals got 16% of respondents’ votes, 9% said they were fans of “some other team,” and 33% admitted they were “not really a baseball fan.”
“It was a no-doubter that the Baltimore Orioles would have a considerable Maryland fandom advantage over the Washington Nationals, their Battle of the Beltways rival,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the UMBC Institute of Politics and Orioles season ticket holder, in a statement. “Fandom can mean anything from a casual affinity to an obsessed diehard, and every new season presents the opportunity to turn some of the former into the latter. I wish the Nats and all other MLB teams an adequate season and hope their fans have a moderate amount of fun. Let’s go O’s.”
This diehard Mets-and-Orioles fan would never be so generous as to wish the Yankees an “adequate” season, nor would she hope their fans experience even a “moderate” amount of fun. This author is still reeling from her sister’s inexplicable decision to marry a Yankees fan and her inevitable transformation into the very thing we were raised from birth to revile. (Therapy helps.)
Your reporter is not bitter. The fact that six games into the season the Orioles (3-3) are two games behind the first place Yankees (5-1) is not cause for concern. Pete Alonso is settling in nicely, batting .304 and hitting his first home run as an Oriole here at Camden Yards, which itself has gotten quite the facelift. The food scene remains Baltimore-centric, where in one row a fan can chow down on a classic corned-beef sandwich from iconic deli Attman’s, and two rows away another can be enjoying Asian-fusion from Ekiben while their kid devours a juicy burger from Fuzzies.
The stadium retains its retro charm (even with recent tech upgrades), the team is still a beloved scrappy underdog, and its fans are not shy with their opinions. Capital News Service interviewed people who attended the Opening Day game, reporting that the stadium continues to be an important gathering place for Orioles fans. One fan said, “It’s a staple of the community. It’s where everybody comes together.”
Is it possible to turn fans of the Nationals (16%) or “some other team” (9%) into Orioles fans? Is it worth attempting inroads with the 33% who are not “really a baseball fan”? There are 156 games left in the season to find out.
