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Five Themes of Geography: Regions Regionalism and Minor League Baseball Franchises Ezra Zeitler | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Department of Geography & Anthropology Purpose: This exercise applies concept of regions to the geographic arrangement of North American cities with Minor League Baseball teams in 2011. As a result of completing this exercise, students will be more familiar with the three types of regions (formal, functional, and vernacular) and the role they play in the organization and structure of Minor League Baseball. Supplies: To complete this exercise, students will need a pen or pencil, a, scissors, and a calculator. Data: Primary data for this exercise was obtained from Minor League Baseball Online, Baseball Reference Online, and the websites of individual Minor League Baseball franchises. Data analysis required to design this exercise was completed by the author. Part A: Major League and Minor League Baseball Teams and Formal Regions Formal Regions have recognized boundaries and are defined by a uniform characteristic. Formal regions can be distinguished by their physical or human attributes. Examples include topography (Rocky Mountains), watersheds (Mississippi River watershed), biomes (Mojave Desert), economic features (Corn Belt), political definitions (Florida or the City of Denver), and cultural patterns (Mormon cultural region). A map on page 2 uses physical features to define ten formal North American regions. Use the map to determine the number of Major League and Minor League Baseball teams that are located in each region. After doing so, calculate the percentage of the total number of Major and Minor League teams in each region. Number of Major League Baseball Teams Formal Region Percent of all Major League Teams Number of Minor League Baseball Teams Percent of all Minor League Teams Appalachian Upland Atlantic Coastal Plain Canadian Shield Central Lowlands Great Lakes Great Plains Gulf Coastal Plain Intermountain West Pacific Coast Mountains Rocky Mountains List the regions that have greater than 2% more Major League than Minor League teams below: List the regions that have greater than 2% more Minor League than Major League teams below: 1. 1. 2. 2. Provide two explanations why regions may have significantly more Minor League or Minor League teams. 1. 2. 1 2 Part B: Functional Regions of Minor League Baseball: The Power of Television Functional regions are defined by the connections and relationships between places. Activities that define functional regions are often in a hierarchical structure, with one or two places (usually with a large population) acting as centers of power over other places with smaller populations. Examples include the distribution area of the local newspaper and the organization of bank locations in a region (a centralized location in a large city addresses the needs of branches in smaller cities nearby). A surge in the number of regional sports networks since the late 1990s has increased revenues for Major League Baseball franchises, and since 1998 a number of them have severed ties with Minor League franchises located outside their television market to affiliate with franchises located within them. These strategic connections streamline marketing campaigns by reducing the number of out-of-market media outlets, facilitate ease of movement between the parent franchises with their Minor League affiliates, and build upon a growing Minor League fan base that identifies with and roots for the parent Major League team. The maps below depict the locations of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia’s Minor League affiliates in 1998 and 2011. The maps also show the Major League Baseball television markets – functional regions – where their games are broadcasted on regional sports networks. Use the maps to document the change in the number of Minor League affiliates in and outside television markets between 1998 and 2011. Team # of Minor League affiliates in 1998 TV market # of Minor League affiliates outside 1998 TV market # of Minor League affiliates in 2011 TV market # of Minor League affiliates outside 2011 TV market Cleveland Pittsburgh Philadelphia 3 Part C: The Vernacular Regions of Minor League Baseball Team Nicknames Unlike formal and functional regions, vernacular regions are more loosely defined. Vernacular regions are based on perceptions and common acceptance rather than official boundaries or criteria. Regions like the American South, Midwest, and West conjure various images in one’s mind, and a person’s experiences and knowledge of these places can play a significant role in delineating them. Cultural variables like religion, dialects, and cuisine often weigh heavily in determining the boundaries of vernacular regions. The map on page 6 contains team nickname labels in the location of all 160 Minor League Baseball teams in 2011. Your task is to examine the nicknames and create your own vernacular regions of Minor League Baseball that are based on nickname similarity. Be creative with your regions and their names, and use the appendix on page 7 to learn the meaning for a team’s nickname if you are not familiar with it. List the names and brief descriptions (location and basis) of your vernacular regions below. Name Description ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4 5 Team Name 51s 66ers Aces Aeros Aqua Sox Astros Barons Bats Bay Bears Bay Sox Bears Bees Biscuits Bison Blaze Blue Claws Blue Jays Blue Rocks Braves Brewers Bulls Canadians Captains Cardinals Chiefs Chiefs Chukars Clippers Cougars Crawdads Crosscutters Cubs Curve Cyclones Dash Doubledays Dragons Drillers Drive Dust Devils Emeralds Express Fischer Cats Flying Squirrels Flying Tigers Generals Ghosts Giants Grasshoppers Green Jackets Grizzlies Hammerheads Hawks Hill Cats Hooks Explanation Area 51 (mascot is an extraterrestrial alien) Route 66, famous highway Playing card Aeronautical engineering "Sox" is a traditional name in baseball; area get a lot of rain, mascot is a frog derived from Houston Astros Nobility Baseball bats, mascot is a bat (mammal) Located on Mobile Bay Located on Chesapeake Bay Mammal Insect Flour biscuit Mammal Hot temperature Crustacean Bird Nickname for Pennsylvania Bluestone Indigenous warrior Makers of drinks Male cow Person from Canada Leader of a boat or ship Bird Fire Chief (Peoria, Illinois) Railroad Chief (Syracuse, New York) Bird Type of ship sailed by Christopher Columbus Mammal Crustacean Saws Infant to adolescent-aged bear Famous curve in railroad track Famous rollercoaster Host city, Winston-Salem, includes a dash in the name Abner Doubleday, inventor of baseball Mythological mammal Oil drillers Driving an automobile Dry weather cyclones Color of local landscape (dark green) Nickname for Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's pitches Mammal Mammal Nickname of 1st American Volunteer Group of Chinese Air Force in WWII Military leader Ghost towns Tall people Insect Prize for winning Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course Bear; mammal Shark; fish Bird Cat that lives in the hills (mascot is a bobcat) Instrument for catching fish 6 Team Name Hot Rods Indians Intimidators Iron Birds Iron Pigs Isotopes Jammers Jet Hawks Kernels Keys Knights Lake Monsters Legends Lookouts Loons Lugnuts Lumber Kings Manatees Marauders Mariners Mavericks Mets Miracle Missions Muck Dogs Mud Hens Mudcats Mustangs Nationals Naturals Nuts Osprey Owls Padres Pelicans Phillies Ports Power Quakes Rainiers Raptors Rawhide Rays Red Hawks Red Sox Red Wings Red Birds Renegades River Bandits River Rats River Dogs Rock Cats Rock Hounds Rough Riders Royals Explanation Nickname for fast cars Generalized name for the Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere Nickname for Dale Earnhardt, stock car driver Cal "Ironman" Ripken, Jr. and affiliation with Baltimore Orioles Pig iron, a product of steel manufacturing process Atoms of a specific chemical element People who stomp grapes to make wine Aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base Individual pieces of corn Francis Scott Key, composer of the Star Spangled Banner Medieval warriors Mythological monster in Lake Champlain Baseball players of early 20th century Lookout Mountain, site of Civil War battle Bird Car parts Lumber magnates Marine mammal Pirates People who work on boats Adolescent cows Derived from New York Mets Special occasion Spanish colonial era church Nickname for dogs who live in swamps Nickname for birds who live in shoreline marshes Nickname for catfish Wild horses Derived from Washington, DC Nationals Beautiful natural scenery Food Bird Bird Spanish for "Fathers," leader of Catholic parishes Marine bird Derived from Philadelphia Phillies Place for ocean going ships to dock Electricity Earthquakes Mt. Rainier Dinosaur Animal skin that has not been tanned Derived from Tampa Bay Rays (fish) Bird Derived from Boston Red Sox Bird Nickname for Cardinal (bird) Mischievous persons (raccoon is mascot) Thieves who perform their trade on a river Rats that live along river Dogs that live along river Cats that love Rock 'n Roll People who explore for oil Nickname for horse riders Derived from Kansas City Royals 7 Team Name Sand Gnats Scrappers Sea Dogs Sea Wolves Senators Shorebirds Silver Hawks Sky Sox Smokies Snappers Sounds Spikes Spinners Stars Stone Crabs Storm Storm Chasers Suns Threshers Thunder Tides Tigers Timber Rattlers Tin Caps Tourists Travelers Twins Valley Cats Volcanoes Voyagers White Sox White Caps Yankees Zephyrs Explanation Insect People that exist on little (mascot is a dog) Nickname for seal (marine mammal) Wolves that live along the sea Politicians Birds that live on the shore Bird "Sox" is a traditional name in baseball; area is high in elevation Smoky Mountains Snapping turtles Music Adolescent male deer Machines that load thread onto a spool Distant suns Crustacean Dangerous weather Chasers of dangerous weather Local stars Shark; fish Sound associated with storms Natural rise and decline of ocean Mammal Snake Named for pot that Johnny Appleseed wore on his head Vacationers Working and playing away from home, on the road Derived from Minnesota Twins Cats that live in a valley (mascot is a cougar) Mountains that discharge magma Colonial era fur traders Derived from Chicago White Sox Large wave on body of water Derived from New York Yankees Type of railroad locomotive 8
