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Thread: when did they start to be known as red sox nation?

  1. #1

    when did they start to be known as red sox nation?

    It seems that in the last two years the red sox fans have called themselves the red sox nation. Isn't this what raider fans have always called themselves.

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    Re: when did they start to be known as red sox nation?

    Originally posted by kevinmaas
    It seems that in the last two years the red sox fans have called themselves the red sox nation. Isn't this what raider fans have always called themselves.
    ding ding ding! WINN-AHHHHH!!!

    I've said this for years. Local sports radio (I'm in SoCal) loves to make fun of em for it.
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    Re: when did they start to be known as red sox nation?

    Originally posted by kevinmaas
    It seems that in the last two years the red sox fans have called themselves the red sox nation. Isn't this what raider fans have always called themselves.
    The name Red Sox nation has been around a lot longer than the last 2 years, though I am not sure the exact origin. It is definitely not a new thing.

  4. #4
    I think NESN made it up. My best friend is a very intense Red Sox fan and he refuses to say he is part of the "nation" because it is so stupid. I am not sure if the older Red Sox fans have taken to the phrase (perhaps the BoSox regulars here can tell me), but the college/frat crowd loves it.

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    Originally posted by Pomp
    I think NESN made it up. My best friend is a very intense Red Sox fan and he refuses to say he is part of the "nation" because it is so stupid. I am not sure if the older Red Sox fans have taken to the phrase (perhaps the BoSox regulars here can tell me), but the college/frat crowd loves it.
    I would imagine that the media created it, I have never heard anyone say they are part of Red Sox nation, I simply say I am a Sox fan. But who knows?

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    I think it is a fun nickname. It's also an easy identifier when posting on other team's fan sites. That said, I never use the term "Red Sox Nation" in conversation. I mean, picture saying, "Are you part of Red Sox Nation?" to someone instead of a simple, "Are you a Sox fan?"

    I don't remember hearing the phrase until relatively recently. If I had to guess, I would think it was a product of the new ownership, but that would definitely be a WAG.

    Hmm, I wonder how long The Red Birds fans have been Cardinal Nation? I have read that John Henry was a Cards fan as a youth. Any chance he appropriated it? (I am full of WAGs today, I guess. )

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    Who know? That said, it is a pretty cool nickname....

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    Does that mean you Sox fans aren't going to buy a $5.00 membership?

  9. #9
    For what it's worth, I just did a news search on it (not much happening here today). The oldest reference I could find in the media for "Red Sox Nation" was an article in the Boston Globe in August of 1990. After that it was used fairly frequently in the press, which makes me think that the database might not be all that complete earlier than 1990.

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    Re: when did they start to be known as red sox nation?

    Originally posted by kevinmaas
    It seems that in the last two years the red sox fans have called themselves the red sox nation. Isn't this what raider fans have always called themselves.
    Why would Raiders fans call themselves "red sox nation"?
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    ...Raider Nation.

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    I think it was started by the French while they were searching for a nation that lost more than they did.

  13. #13
    Originally posted by yeat
    ...Raider Nation.
    Yeat...meet sarcasm. Sarcasm... this is Yeat.

    Anyways, as a Sox fan, I have never heard it used in the form of someone asking "Are you a member of Red Sox Nation?" or "Red Sox Nation is fun to be a part of".

    It isn't used in conversation.... never. At least not by anyone I know. It is a media (generally, print media, but also TV/Radio) creation. It is used by them to refer to the fact that Sox fans are spread out across the nation, and when you go to many road games (ie Anaheim, Oakland), you can often hear the Sox fans over the home team's fans.

    As for the comments about RSN being a ripoff of Raiders Nation... perhaps that's true. Red Sox Nation has been around, at least as a used term, for well over 20 years. And, anyways, shouldn't a champion be the one to use it?

  14. #14
    i just thought it was funny because the raider fans have always been called the raider nation and then in the last couple of years i have heard the sox fans call themselves this, even seen people wear t shirts that say this. It just seems like a word that was always associated with the raiders and then boston just copied them. It would seem kind of dumb if yankees fans were now calling themselves yankeenation

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    FormerlyKnownAsMHHL FormerlyKnownAsMHHL's Avatar
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    Stupid U.N. copying the Radiers too... jerks.

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    Originally posted by FormerlyKnownAsMHHL
    Stupid U.N. copying the Radiers too... jerks.
    you mean because they can't win either?
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  17. #17
    Originally posted by kevinmaas
    i just thought it was funny because the raider fans have always been called the raider nation and then in the last couple of years i have heard the sox fans call themselves this, even seen people wear t shirts that say this. It just seems like a word that was always associated with the raiders and then boston just copied them. It would seem kind of dumb if yankees fans were now calling themselves yankeenation
    ...except that as discussed in about 10 different posts, Red Sox Nation, as a term, has been around for almost 20 + years. So your point is moot.

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    i dont really like red sox nation....i HATE "bunch of idiots" or "the idiots" Someone at the parade tried to hand me a sign that said "IDIOT NATION" on it and said "why the hell would i want that gay sign" He looked at me funny then kept passing them out

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    Originally posted by Jake_2

    Anyways, as a Sox fan, I have never heard it used in the form of someone asking "Are you a member of Red Sox Nation?" or "Red Sox Nation is fun to be a part of".

    It isn't used in conversation.... never. At least not by anyone I know. It is a media (generally, print media, but also TV/Radio) creation. It is used by them to refer to the fact that Sox fans are spread out across the nation, and when you go to many road games (ie Anaheim, Oakland), you can often hear the Sox fans over the home team's fans.
    I go to school at Boston U and hear kids talk all the time about how're theyre a part of the 'Red Sox Nation.' It is used in conversation and is an identification of the fans, certainly so in Boston. However, I dont think it refers to the Sox fans all across the United States, merely to the 6 New England states as a 'Nation' of some kind. Its more of a blanket term to include the rest of NE the Sox fanbase. You see Yankees fans come out in droves all across the US and they are perennials in leading MLB in road attendance but never once have i ever heard of the fans referred to as 'Yankee Nation.' Simply being the Yankees is enough to unify us all.

    However, this also refers to a point made earlier, that the 'Red Sox Nation' may be embraced more by the younger fans.
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    Due to the lack of sold out Raider games they should change the phrase to Raider Village.

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    Punk bnorris85's Avatar
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    im glad none of my friends say their part of red sox nation

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    I hope the Yankees never do anything as corny as calling themselves "Yankee Nation". Sounds like some term for some cornball empire in a comedy. I am a Yankee fan living in the US, it is not "Yankee Nation".
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  23. #23
    Originally posted by Jake_2

    ...except that as discussed in about 10 different posts, Red Sox Nation, as a term, has been around for almost 20 + years. So your point is moot.
    is there any one else who thinks that the term red sox nation has been used for the last 20 yrs. I grew up in new england , lived there for twenty one years, moved 6 years ago, and i had never heard this until about 3 years ago.

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    Released Outright cubswin's Avatar
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    Originally posted by kevinmaas


    is there any one else who thinks that the term red sox nation has been used for the last 20 yrs. I grew up in new england , lived there for twenty one years, moved 6 years ago, and i had never heard this until about 3 years ago.

    I think it's sort of like the curse of the bambino. I believe that there were references to RSN at least when I was in late 80s / early 90s, but it was not common. Similarly, at that time you heard things ocasionally about Ruth, but not really much about the curse. The Jackass (Dan Shaughnessy) helped get the Curse hype, I think around '91, when he got a book published. I don't know what occurrence, if any, prompted the increased mention of the "Nation," but I'd guess it started 5-6 years or so.

  25. #25
    "Manager Joe Morgan is a New Englander like yourself and he understands all of the above. He is doing his best to keep a lid on the hardball hysteria that stalks Red Sox Nation."

    Boston Globe, August 19, 1990 (I can't link to article, but if you have lex/nex search engine, suffice to say, you'll find it)

    So, I guess it doesn't go back more than 3-4 years.... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


    And, as for using the term, maybe it is by the college aged kids in Boston. But, I've lived in Boston for all of my 30 years and have been surrounded by Sox diehard friends my whole life, and no one has ever, ever said "Hey, I am a member of Red Sox Nation" or anything like it.

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    Red Sox nation

    I think it was originally created by/for ex-patriate Sox fans so that they'd still feel part of it, no matter where they live.

    But, as a sox fan living in NYS for more than 20 years.... I never heard the term until I moved home about years ago.

    So.......who kows?

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    I think the media came up with Red Sox Nation after John Henry called the Yankees the Evil Empire.

    Nation vs. Empire... there's a nice duality to it.
    Josh Catone

  28. #28
    Originally posted by Bleys
    I think the media came up with Red Sox Nation after John Henry called the Yankees the Evil Empire.

    Nation vs. Empire... there's a nice duality to it.
    Why are people ignoring the Lexis/Nexis research done by at least two of us now? Are we on ignore lists? It's been in use in the media since at least 1990.

    Oh, and it wasn't Henry who called the Yankees the Evil Empire, it was Larry Lucchino.

  29. #29
    A thread on SOSH gives CHB the credit.

    http://pub208.ezboard.com/fsonsofsam...picID=54.topic

    Crap, BoSoxLady may be right. My Lexis/Nexis search shows the first "Red Sox Nation" reference dating back to a CHB column from Aug. 19, 1990:

    Quote:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Manager Joe Morgan is a New Englander like yourself and he understands all of the above. He is doing his best to keep a lid on the hardball hysteria that stalks Red Sox Nation.

  30. #30
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    Originally posted by CrazyNY
    Why are people ignoring the Lexis/Nexis research done by at least two of us now? Are we on ignore lists? It's been in use in the media since at least 1990.

    Oh, and it wasn't Henry who called the Yankees the Evil Empire, it was Larry Lucchino.
    Right, my bad.

    Even if the term was 'coined' as far back as 14 years ago, it wasn't in popular use until recently.
    Josh Catone

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    I invented the term back on September 13, 1985. Prove me wrong, somebody. You can't do it!
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  32. #32
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    Originally posted by reelbiggecko
    I invented the term back on September 13, 1985. Prove me wrong, somebody. You can't do it!
    Well, since I was using that term on September 12, 1985... (I was a very precocious child).
    Josh Catone

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    Who knows where it started and who cares frankly. On a side note, after game 6 of the ALCS a local Boston station had a live feed outside of a bar. Everyone was chanting "Here we go Red Sox, here we go" and in between this chant a lone Yankee fan would chant "YANKEE NATION." I don't know if this is the first reported use of the term "Yankee Nation" but I'm just letting you all know it had been used.
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  34. #34
    When was Raider Nation first used?

  35. #35
    i heard wally the mascot invented it

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