billsportsmaps.com

September 15, 2023

Germany: 2023-24 Bundesliga – Location-map, with 3 Charts: Attendance, Seasons-in-1st-Division & All-time German Titles list./+ FC Union Berlin: from the 2nd division to the Champions League in 5 seasons./+ Illustration for: The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23./+ The 2 promoted clubs (Heidenheim, Darmstadt).

Filed under: Germany — admin @ 5:37 pm

germany-bundesliga_2023-24_location-map-of-the-18-clubs_w-3-charts_attendance_titles_seasons-in-1st-div_post_b_1.gif
Germany: 2023-24 Bundesliga – Location-map, with 3 Charts: Current Attendance, Seasons-in-1st-Division & All-time German Titles list




By Bill Turianski on 15 September 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 Bundesliga (en.wikipedia.org).
-World Football.net site…worldfootball.net/bundesliga.
-All the new Bundesliga jerseys for the 2023/24 season (from bundesliga.com/en).

The map page shows a location-map for the 18 clubs in the 2023-24 Bundesliga, with recently-promoted and -relegated teams noted. (Promoted in 2023: Darmstadt, Heidenheim; relegated in 2023: Schalke, Hertha [Berlin].) The map also shows the 16 Federal States of Germany, and the 14 largest cities in Germany, with 2021 population estimates listed at the the top of the map.

The 3 charts are
A) 2022-23 Attendance & 2022-23 finish, with teams playing in Europe noted. There are also columns listing Venue-capacities and Percent-capacities.
B) Seasons-in-Bundesliga by club, with consecutive seasons listed.
C) All-time German titles list (including the pre-1963-64/pre-Bundesliga amateur era), with current level [2022-23] of each title-winning club listed.





Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich took control of the 2022-23 Bundesliga title race in week 26, on the 1st of April, when they beat Dortmund 4-2. Bayern Munich have now won an absolutely unprecedented ten straight titles. Dortmund finished in second place, even on points, but with a goal-difference that was 15 less than Bayern’s. Third place went to Rasenballsport Leipzig. And fourth place – and the coveted final German spot in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage – went to former second-division mainstay FC Union Berlin. Union Berlin have reached the Champions League Group Stage in only their fourth season of Bundesliga football {see this (dailymail.co.uk/sport)}. {Also see this: Seven Bundesliga teams to play in European competition in 2023/24 (bundesliga.com/en).} Union Berlin will play in UCL Group C, with Napoli, Real Madrid, and Braga.

Union Berlin are a club from Köpenick, Berlin (population: around 67,000). A large part of Köpenick is pine forests and expanses of water, and Köpenick is often referred to as the “green lungs” of Berlin (Grüne Lunge Berlins). During the Cold War, Köpenick was part of the Soviet sector of East Berlin, before the Berlin Wall fell down in November 1989. 1. FC Union Berlin was founded in 1966, after the East German football authorities decided there needed to be a third East Berlin club, a “civilian counterpart”, to the Army club of East Berlin (ASV Vorwärts) and to the Police club of East Berlin (SV Dynamo). So TSG Berlin was established as the Workers’ club of East Berlin, out of the merger of three existing sports clubs in East Berlin, and 3 years later, in 1966, Union Berlin emerged as the football wing of TSG Berlin. Union Berlin played 15 seasons of East German 1st-division football (in the DDR-Oberliga). And in 1968, Union Berlin won the East German Cup (the FDGB-Pokal). After German reunification in 1990, Union Berlin had a hard time advancing in the Bundesliga league-system, because at that point in time Union had been a 2nd-division East German side, and only 8 spots for East German clubs were being allotted at first, in 1991-92. The top 2 East German clubs went into the 1991-92 Bundesliga (Hansa Rostock and Dynamo Dresden); and 6 more East German clubs went into the 1991-92 2.Bundesliga. So Union Berlin ended up being a 3rd-tier club for 10 years (1991 to 2001). Union Berlin finally won promotion to 2.Bundesliga in 2000-01. Union Berlin played 18 straight seasons in the second tier (2001-’19). In 2019, when Union Berlin won promotion to the Bundesliga, they became the first Bundesliga club from the former East Berlin (and the 6th from the former East Germany, after Dynamo Dresden, Hansa Rostock, VfB Leipzig, Energie Cottbus, and RB Leipzig).

Union Berlin play at the 22.0-K-capacity Stadion An der Alten Försterei (English: Stadium at the old forester’s house). The stadium was last renovated in 2009 and last expanded in 2013, with some work carried out by over 2,300 Union Berlin supporters, who donated work and building materials. {See this 10-minute video: The Fans Who Literally Built Their Club – Union Berlin (youtube.com/uploaded by Copa 90 Stories).} In 2022-23, Union Berlin drew 21,911 per-game (at 97.5 percent-capacity). Union Berlin’s top scorer last season was Sheraldo Becker (a Dutch-born Suriname international). Their manager is the Swiss-born Urs Fischer, who, in his first season at the helm in 2018-19 got Union Berlin promoted to the Bundesliga.
Below: Stadion An der Alten Försterei, home of Union Berlin, who have gone from the 2nd tier to the Champions League Group Stage in just 5 years
union-berlin_stadion-an-der-alten-forsterei_f_.gif
Photo credits above – uslatar at stock.adobe.com/images [October 2021]. 2023-24 FC Union Berlin jersey, photo from footballkitarchive.com.




The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23
-The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23 (bundesliga.com/en). -ea.com/games/fifa/fifa-23/ultimate-team/tots/bundesliga. -{See also, Kicker magazine Bundesliga team of the season…en.wikipedia.org/[Kicker magazine 2022-23 Bundesliga Team of the season]; Kicker magazine 2022-23 Bundesliga Team of the season (reddit.com).}
germany_2022-23_bundesliga_team-of-the-year_g-kobel_j-frimpong_m-de-ligt_n-schlotterbeck_a-davies_j-brandt_j-bellingham_j-musiala_m-diaby_r-kolo-muani_n-fulkrug_b_.gif
Photo credits above -
-Gregor Kobel GK (Dortmund), photo by Imago/Ostseephoto via sportbuzzer.de/fussball. -Jeremie Frimpong DF, RB (Leverkusen), unattributed at manutdnews.com. -Matthijs de Ligt DF (Bayern Munich), photo by Getty Images via fussballeuropa.com. -Nico Schlotterbeck DF, CB (Dortmund), photo by Imago via kicker.de. -Alphonso Davies DF (Bayern Munich), photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images via cbc.ca/sports. -Jude Bellingham MF (Dortmund), photo unattributed at football-espana.net. -Jamal Musiala MF (Bayern Munich), photo by Fantasista/Getty Images via bavarianfootballworks.com. -Julian Brandt MF (Borussia Dortmund), photo by Imago via ligainsider.de. -Moussa Diaby FW (Leverkusen), photo by PictureAlliance/Icon Sport via sport.fr/football. -Niclas Füllkrug FW (Werder Bremen), photo unattributed at rnz.de/sport. -Randal Kolo Muani FW (Eintracht Frankfurt), phot by Jan Huebner/Imago via fr.de.




2023: Heidenheim, promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever…
1. FC Heidenheim first played in the 3rd tier in 2009-10. Five years, later, in 2014, Heidenheim won promotion to the second division for the first time, joining 2.Bundesliga in 2014-15. Eight years later, in May 2023, Heidenheim won promotion to the German top flight for the first time, in dramatic fashion…on the final matchday of the season, Heidenheim scored two goals in stoppage time, to beat Jahn Regensburg. This put Heidenheim into the automatic promotion-places, at the expense of Hamburg, whose fans had already invaded their pitch in celebration {see this, from dw.com}. (Heidenheim finished top of the table, ahead of Darmstadt on goal difference.) The city of Heidenheim is in Baden-Württemberg [Southwestern Germany], and is located, by road, 53 miles (85 km) E of Stuttgart, and is just west of Baden-Württemberg’s state border with Bavaria. Heidenheim is a rather small city to be the home of a Bundesliga club (population: around 49,000). Heidenheim wear Red-and-White, and play at the 15-K-capacity Voith-Arena, which, at 1,821 feet (555 meters) above sea level, is the highest stadium in German professional football {see photos and captions below}. Heidenheim’s manager is Frank Schmidt, who has been their manager for 16 years (since 2007), and has led Heidenheim to 3 promotions. {See this article, Who are Heidenheim, the Frank Schmidt-led club who have defied the odds to make it to the Bundesliga?}
http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/heidenheim_promoted-2023_voith-arena_b_.gif
Photo credits above – Heidenheim 2023-24 jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Heidenheim an der Brenz with the castle Helfenstein in foreground, photo by Manuel Shoenfeld/Adobe Stock via outdooractive.com. Aerial drone shot of Voith Arena, by octofly at dronestagr.am/voith-arena-heidenheim-germany.




2023: Darmstadt, promoted back to the Bundesliga after 4 years…
Darmstadt is in Hesse [Southwestern Germany], located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region), located 21 miles (44 km) S of Frankfurt. The city of Darmstadt has a population of around 161,000. SV Darmstadt 89 wear Blue-and-White and play at the 17.6-K-capacity Merck-Stadion. Darmstadt first played in the Bundesliga in 1978-79, but went straight back down to the second division. Darmstadt had another one-year-spell in the Bundesliga in 1981-82. In the 1990s, financial mismanagement led to the club slipping to the third and fourth divisions. In 2008, Darmstadt barely avoided insolvency, with debts of around €1.1 million. In 2011, the club won the Regionalliga Süd, and were promoted to the third division. Three years later, in 2014, Darmstadt won promotion to 2.Bundesliga for the first time in 21 years. In 2015 Darmstadt then secured their second straight promotion, by finishing in 2nd place in the 2.Bundesliga, thereby returning to the Bundesliga after a 33-year absence. Darmstadt had a 2-season-spell in the Bundesliga from 2015-2017. So for 2023-24, this will be Darmstadt’s fourth spell in the Bundesliga, but only their 5th season in the 1st division. Darmstadt’s manager is Torsten Lieberknecht, who has been their manager since June 2021.
darmstadt_promoted-2023_merck-stadion-am-böllenfalltor_b_.gif
Photo credits above – Darmstadt 2023-24 jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor, aerial drone shot, unattributed at pinterest.com/dein_stadion. Traveling Darmstadt fans with banners etc, photo by Stefan Holtzem at sv98.de/fanhinweise-zum-auswaertsspiel-in-duesseldorf.
___
Thanks to all at the following links
-Blank map of Germany, by NordNordWest at File:Germany location map.svg (Wikimedia Commons).
-Globe-map of Germany by Rob984 at File:EU-Germany (orthographic projection).svg.
-Populations of 14 largest German cities from List of cities in Germany by population (en.wikipedia.org).
-Bundesliga; -List of German football champions (en.wikipedia.org).
-(West) Germany – List of Champions (rsssf.com).
-2022-23 attendance figures and 2022-23 capacity figures: from soccerway.com.

August 20, 2023

Italy: Serie A, 2023-24 season – Location-map, with 3 charts: Attendance (2022-23), Seasons-in 1st-Division [current clubs] & All-time Italian Titles list./+ Illustration for Napoli: Serie A champions for the 3rd time./+ The 3 promoted clubs (Cagliari, Frosinone, Genoa).

Filed under: Italy — admin @ 7:22 am

italy_2023-24_serie-a_map_w-seasons-in-1st-div_italian-titles-list_post_i_.gif
Italy: Serie A, 2023-24 season – Location-map, with 3 charts




By Bill Turianski, on 20 August 2023 ; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-2023-24 Serie A (en.wikipedia.org).
-Serie A page at WorldFootball.net.
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, etc…Serie A/summary (soccerway.com).
-English-speaking coverage of Italian football…Forza Italian football.com.

The map page has a location-map of 2023-24 Serie A, along with 3 charts.
The location-map features each club’s home kit [2023-24]. The map also shows the 20 Regions of Italy. And the map also shows the 11 largest cities in Italy (2020 metropolitan-area figures) {Metropolitan cities of Italy}. The cities’ population figures can be seen at the top of the location-map. Also, the map shows the locations of both the 3 promoted clubs and the 3 relegated clubs from 2022…Promoted to Serie A for 2023-24: Cagliari, Frosinone, Genoa; relegated to Serie B for 2023-24: Spezia, Cremonese, Sampdoria.

The 3 Charts…
The Attendance chart shows 2022-23 home domestic league average attendance, and lists each club’s 2022-23 finish. Also noted are the 7 European qualifiers from Italy for this season, and the 3 promoted clubs. The 7 European qualifiers from Italy for this season [2023-24] are:
-4 teams in the Champions League Group Stage (Napoli, Lazio, Inter, Milan).
-2 teams in the Europa League Group Stage (Atalanta, Roma).
-1 team in the Europa Conference play-off round (Juventus).

The chart on the upper-right-hand side of the map page shows Seasons-in-1st-Division [current clubs/2023-24]. Alongside that are shown each club’s consecutive seasons in Serie A. Or, with the case of the 3 promoted clubs, the chart shows when they were last in the top division: both Cagliari and Genoa return to Serie A after one season; Frosinone returns to Serie A after 4 seasons.

The chart at the lower-right-hand side of the map page shows the All-time Italian Titles list (1898-1915; 1920-43; 1946-2023).



    In 2022-23, Napoli won the Serie A title.

It was the first time in 21 years that the title was won by a club other than Juventus, Milan, or Internazionale. And it was the first time in 33 years that Napoli were the Italian champions.

33 years ago, in 1986-87, Napoli won their first Serie A title. It was the first time that a club from mainland Southern Italy had won the title. In ’86-87, Diego Maradona, the only foreign-born player on the Napoli squad, was the working-class icon and catalyst, scoring 10 goals. New signing Andrea Carnevale scored 8 goals, and central defender Ciro Ferrara anchored the defense. Napoli led at winter break by 2 points, and won it by 3 points ahead of Juventus. A crucial match in late April saw Napoli beat Milan 2-1, with the winner scored in spectacular fashion by Maradona… {See this 54-second clip: 26 April 1987, Maradona goal in 2-1 win over Milan.} A month later, Napoli became just the third Italian team to win the Double, after beating Atalanta 4–0 aggregate in the 1987 Coppa Italia Final.

Three years later, in 1989-90, Napoli won their second Serie A title. Diego Maradona scored 16 of Napoli’s league-best 57 goals, while Brazilian international Careca scored 10, and Andrea Carnevale scored 8. Napoli beat Lazio 1-0 in the final match, and won the title by 2 points over Milan.

Thirty three years later, in 2022-23, Napoli won their third Serie A title. Napoli won the 2022-23 Serie A title by 16 points. Manager Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli side coasted to the title, clinching with 5 matches to spare, after a 1–1 draw away to Udinese. Napoli scored the most (77 goals), and conceded the least (28), ending up with 90 pts. and a +49 goal-difference.

The league’s top scorer was Napoli’s Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen (with 31 goals). Top assist-maker for the league was Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (a Georgia international), who had 10 assists (plus 12 goals). Joint-second-most assists was Napoli’s Poland international, MF Piotr Zieliński, with 8 assists (plus 3 goals). Napoli’s captain in 2022-23 was Tuscany-born right-back and Italy international Giovanni Di Lorenzo. {See photos and captions of these 4 players, below.}

In 2022-23, Napoli also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Napoli won their group-stage group over Liverpool on goal-difference, then beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the round-of-16s, before falling to Milan in the quarter-finals. In Napoli’s 22-23 UEFA CL run, Victor Osimhen scored 6, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored 2 (with 4 assists), and Piotr Zieliński scored 4.

http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/napoli_2022-23-serie-a-champions_stadio-diego-armando-maradona_maradona_luciano-spalletti_victor-osimhen_kvicha-kvaratskhelia_piotr-zielinski_gio-di-lorenzo_d_.gif
Photo credits above – Napoli embroidered badge, from etsy.com. 2022-23 Napoli home jersey, unattributed at soccerarmor.com. Aerial drone photo by dronaut at stadiumdb.com. Napoli players celebrate a goal at Stadio San Paolo (1986-87 season), photo unattributed at ghanasoccernet.com. 1986-87 Napoli jersey, photo unattributed at 10footballentertainment.com. Maradona salutes fans in Stadio San Paolo (1987), photo unattributed at getfootballnewsitaly.com. Careca celebrates a goal (1989-90 season), photo unattributed at thesefootballtimes.co. 1989-90 Vallardi Il Grande Calcio 90 Andrea Carnevale sticker, from ebay.com. Maradona with trophy (1990), photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@SuperpowerFb].
’22-23 Napoli players celebrate after a goal, photo unattributed at caughtoffside.com. Victor Osimhen, photo unattributed at onefootball.com. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, photo unattributed at scisports.com. Piotr Zieliński, photo unattributed at caughtoffside.com. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, photo by Ivan Romano/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti, with Victor Osimhen, photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images via theathletic.com.



    Below: the 3 promoted clubs (Cagliari, Frosinone, Genoa)…

Cagliari Calcio – promoted in 2023, back to Serie A after one year.
Cagliari first played in Serie A in 1964-65. Cagliari have won 1 Italian title (1969-70). Counting 2023-24, Cagliari have played 43 seasons of 1st division football (the 14th-most in Italy).

cagliari-calcio_promoted-2023_unipol-domus_d_.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Cagliari home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Aerial shot of Unipol Domus (aka Sardegna Arena), unattributed at unicaradio.it/blog. Unipol Domus [Sardegna Arena], dron-shot shot by Stadiony.net via stadiumdb.com.


Frosinone Calcio – promoted in 2023, back to Serie A after 5 years.
Frosinone first played in Serie B in 2006-07. Frosinone first played in Serie A in 2015-16. Counting 2023-24, Frosinone have played 3 seasons of 1st division football.

frosinone_promoted-2023_stadio-benito-stirpe_d_.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Frosinone home jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Photo inside Stadio Benito Stirpe [March 2023], by Franco Celletti at google.com/search?q=Stadio+Benito+Stirpe+Frosinone [Photos]. Interior shot of Stadio Benito Stirpe, from tunews24.it. Aerial shot of Stadio Benito Stirpe, from toa.eu/references. Traveling Cagliari supporters in Venice, appx. 500 of them [2022], photo by Getty Images at gettyimages.com/photos/supporters-of-caglia.




Genoa CFC – promoted in 2023, back to Serie A after one year.
In 1898, Genoa competed in, and were winners of, the first Italian Championship, at Velodrome Humbert I in Turin. Genoa have won 9 Italian titles (1898, 1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1914–15, 1922–23, 1923–24). Genoa have won 1 Coppa Italia title (1937).
Counting 2023-24, Genoa have played 56 seasons of 1st division football (12th-most in Italy).

genoa-cfc_promoted-2023_stadio-luigi-ferraris_c_1.gif
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Genoa home jersey, unattributed at footyheadlines.com. Stadio Luigi Ferraris, photo by Gabriel Rinaldi at commons.wikimedia.org. Genoa supporters, photo unattributed at gentlemanultra.com. Interior shot, by Nicolò Campo / LightRocket via Getty Images via gettyimages.com/photos/marassi-stadium-genova.
___
Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of Italy by TUBS, at File:Italy provincial location map.svg.
-Globe-map of Italy by Rob984 at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EU-Italy_(orthographic_projection).svg.
-Populations of Italian cities’ metro-areas from Metropolitan cities of Italy (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance figures, worldfootball.net/attendance/[Italy].
-Seasons in Italian 1st division, from English translation at Participating clubs since inception of Serie A [Teilnehmende Vereine seit Gründung der Serie A] (de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A).
-General info, crests, kit illustrations, from 2023-24 Serie A (en.wikipedia.org).

July 26, 2023

2023-24 Premier League – Location-map, with 3 charts (Average attendance; Seasons-in-1st-Division; English titles list).

2023-24_premier-league_map_w-attendance-chart_post_f_.gif
2023-24 Premier League – Location-map, with 3 charts (Average attendance; Seasons-in-1st-Division; English titles list)



By Bill Turianski, on 26 July 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 Premier League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, attendances, etc…Summary – Premier League [2023-24] (soccerway.com).

2023-24 Premier League – Location-map, with 3 charts (Attendance; Seasons-in-1st-Division; English titles list).
The map is a basic location-map, with an inset map of Greater London. Also shown are small labels which point out the three promoted clubs (Burnley, Luton Town, Sheffield United). And there are three charts…

The Attendance chart, at top-centre of the map page, shows 4 things for each of the 20 current Premier League clubs…A) 2022-23 finish (with promotions noted). B) 2022-23 average attendance [from home league matches]. C) Stadium capacity [2022-23]. D) Percent-capacity [2022-23].

At the right-hand side of the map page are two more charts. The chart at the top-right shows Seasons-in-1st-Division for the 20 current Premier League clubs. Also shown are consecutive top-flight-seasons, and first season of current spell. (Counting 2023-24, there have been 125 seasons of English 1st division football; the English 1st division was established in 1888-89, with seasons played from 1888-89 to 1914-15; from 1919-20 to 1938-39; and from 1946-47 to 2023-24.)

Everton have played the most seasons in the top flight – 121 – and Everton have been in the top tier without relegation since 1954-55 (70 straight seasons). There are three other clubs that have played over 100 seasons in the English top flight: Aston Villa (110 seasons), Liverpool (109 seasons), and Arsenal (107 seasons). Arsenal are the club with the longest spell in the top tier – 98 seasons (since 1919-20). Of the 3 newly-promoted sides, Burnley return back to the top flight after one year. Sheffield United return back after two years. And Luton Town are playing top flight football for the first time in 31 years. The last time previously that Luton Town had been in the top tier was in 1991-92, which was the last season the English top flight was called the First Division. (The following season of 1992-93 was, of course, when the Premier League was established.)

The final chart, at the right-hand foot of the map-page, shows the all-time English Title Winners list (1889 to 2023/ 124 titles). Manchester United has won the most English titles, with 20 (last in 2013); Liverpool has won the second-most titles, with 19 (last in 2020). Arsenal have won the third-most titles, with 13 (last in 2004). Reigning champions Manchester City, and Everton, have jointly won the fourth-most titles – 9. Everton won their last English title in 1987; Man City have now won 5 of the last 6 titles. Twenty four clubs have won the English title. The most recent club to win their first title was Leicester City, in 2016.




Below are illustrations for the 3 promoted clubs (Burnley, Luton Town, Sheffield United)…

Burnley – promoted in 2023.
burnley-FC_promoted-2023_turf-moor_m_.gif
Photo credits above – Burnley 2023-24 home jersey, photo from shop.burnleyfc.com. Aerial shot of Turf Moor by Richard McCarthy via www.imago-images.de via weltfussball.de/news.




Luton Town – promoted in 2023; promoted back to the 1st division after 31 years. Luton Town are the first club to go from non-League football to the Premier League.
{Kenilworth Road: The throwback Luton Town stadium hosting the Premier League, by Kris Holland at bbc.com/news.}
luton-town-fc_promoted-2023_kenilworth-road_oak-stand-entrance_f_.gif
Photo credits above – Luton Town 2023-24 home jersey, photo unattributed at footyheadlines.com. 2 photos by Carl Recine/Reuters {@twitter.com/carlrecine}: Aerial drone shot of Kenilworth Road. Aerial drone shot of the two Oak Stand entrances (built into the row of terraced houses along Oak Road; entrance to the stadium, from there, is via a back-yard staircase). 2 photos via @twitter.com/James_Dart.




Sheffield United – promoted in 2023.
sheffield-united-fc_promoted-2023_bramall-lane_e_.gif
Photo credits above – Sheffield United 2023-24 home jersey (w/ no sponsor), photo unattributed at footballshirtculture.com. Aerial shot of Bramall Lane by Michael Regan/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.au/photos/bramall-lane-sheffield.

___
Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg (en.wikipedia.org).
-2022-23 attendance figures, and venue-capacities from: soccerway.com.
-Seasons in Football League by Club: Club League Divisional History Summary 1888-89 to 2023-24 (myfootballfacts.com); fchd.info (Football Club History Database); England – First Level All-Time Tables 1888/89-2018/19 (rsssf.com).
-Distances: mapdevelopers.com/distance_from_to.php (mapdevelopers.com).

June 30, 2023

Billsportsmaps’ 15th anniversary throwback: Major League Baseball, 1903 to 1952 [Hand-drawn map].

Filed under: 15th anniversary maps,Baseball,Hand Drawn Maps,Retro maps — admin @ 9:20 pm

mlb_hand-drawn-map_16-mlb-teams_logos-circa-1903-1952_billsportsmaps_enlarged_post_c_.gif
Major League Baseball, 1903 to 1952 [Hand-drawn map]





By Bill Turianski on the 30th of June 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Billsportsmaps.com had its 15th year anniversary, on the 17th of August 2022. So I am posting a series of maps from the early days of this blog. This hand-drawn map was originally posted in November 2007.

Major League Baseball, 1903 to 1952 [Hand-drawn map]
Between 1903 and 1952, there was no franchise movement among the 8 National League and 8 American League baseball clubs. This map shows all the 16 MLB clubs from that time period, with emblems, cap crests and uniform details. Included is an inset map of the Greater New York City area. In the inset map, the locations of Yankee Stadium (NY Yankees), the Polo Grounds (NY Giants), and Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Dodgers) are marked. The evolution of these three NYC clubs’ crests and the evolution of the three ball clubs’ colors are also shown here.

This map would not have been possible without the incredible book “Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century” {at Amazon, here}. That book was researched, written, and illustrated by Marc Okkonen. His artwork for this book can now be found as the main uniform database (from 1900 to 1994) for the Baseball Hall of Fame site “Dressed to the Nines – A History of the Baseball Uniform”…{exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/database}

I made this map in early 1993, after my brothers had given me, for Christmas, the now-out-of-print “Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century” by Marc Okkonen. I used Caran d’Ache watercolor pencils and graphite pencil, on Bienfang semi-transparent paper. In 2023, I added the banner at the top of the map.

May 30, 2023

England (including Wales) – map of all football clubs drawing above 1,000 per game (2022-23 attendance figures): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs.

Filed under: >Eng-144 highest draws — admin @ 5:34 pm

england_map_2022-23_attendance_all-143-clubs-drawing-over-1k-per-game_premier-league-20-clubs_football-league-72-clubs_also_51-non-league-clubs_post_b_.gif
England (including Wales) – map of all football clubs drawing above 1,000 per game (2022-23 attendance figures): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs



By Bill Turianski on the 30th of May 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Sources…
-List of metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom (en.wikipedia.org).
-Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England (en.wikipedia.org).
-Article on defining the largest cities in the UK.. Where are the largest cities in Britain? (citymetric.com).
Attendance figures…
-worldfootball.net. (Average attendances last season from the 1st division through 4th division.)
-nonleaguematters.co.uk. (Average attendances last season of all non-League clubs, ie from 5th division down.)

The map shows all clubs in the English football system which drew above 1,000 per game in 2022-23 (home domestic league matches): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs. Also, there is an inset-map for all the clubs drawing above 1-K-per-game from Greater London-plus-the-immediate surrounding area (18 clubs from Greater London + 4 clubs from surrounding areas of the Home Counties).

On the left-hand side of the map-page, the clubs are listed by average attendance, along with a column showing 4 things: A) 2022-23 League-level; B) 2022-23 league-finish; C) Champions League Group Stage qualification [for the top 4 teams in the Premier League] (text in blue); D) promotion-or-relegation, if applicable (text in green for promotion / text in red for relegation).

On the right-hand side of the map-page are 2 charts showing the English football league system, aka the Pyramid. {See this, English football league system (en.wikipedia.org).}

(Note: in bold-17-to-36-point-type, on the map, are listed the 9 largest cities within England (all English cities with more than .6 million inhabitants…Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Bristol). Also, in 12-to-15-point-type, on the map, are listed the 83 Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. Also, in 14-point-all-cap-bold-type, are listed prominent British regional names such as: the East Midlands, the West Midlands, East Anglia, the West Country, and the Lake District; as well as North Wales and South Wales.)



(Note: historical attendance figures noted below are from European-Football-Statistics.co.uk/[England non-League]. League histories noted below from FCHD.info.

There were 143 clubs which drew above 1,000 per game in 2022-23, plus I added one club to the map which drew 12-per-game shy of that mark (Havant & Waterlooville FC, of Hampshire). I included Havant & Waterlooville because there are almost always slight discrepancies in attendance figures from source to source, especially in non-League football, and 988 per game is just too close to one thousand to leave them off the map.

Of the 143 clubs that drew above 1-K-per-game last season, 5 are clubs which were not drawing above 1-K-per-game in the last three seasons of full attendance. Three of those 5 clubs, to the best of my knowledge, had never drawn above 1-K-per-game before last season (AFC Totten, Halesowen Town, Tonbridge Angels). Below are short profiles of those 5 clubs.
-(Note: on my corresponding map from the previous season [2021-22], I did the same thing, and profiled 11 clubs which similarly had not been drawing above 1-K-per-game; you can read about them at the following link,
England (including Wales, and Isle of Man) – map of all football clubs drawing above 1,000 per game (2021-22 attendance figures): 143 clubs, including 51 non-League clubs.)

AFC Totton. From Totton, Hampshire (population: around 28,000), located just east of the New Forest, and located (by road) 5.3 mi (8.5 km) W of Southampton city centre. AFC Totton wear an all-blue kit, and are nicknamed the Stags. Since 2011, AFC Totton have played at Testwood Stadium (capacity 3,000; 500 seated). In 2007-08, Totton were winners of the Wessex Premier League (in the 9th level), and were promoted into the Southern League system, where they have remained to this day. In 2008-09, AFC Totton joined the Southern League Division One South & West; they drew 305 per game that year. Two years later (2010-11), Totton drew 330 per game and won the division, and were promoted to the Southern League Premier (7th level). The next season (2011-12), Totton reached their highest league-placement, finishing in 3rd in the Southern Premier, drawing 442 per game (their best average attendance at the time). After 3 seasons in the Southern Premier, in 2013-14 Totton fell back down to the Southern League D-1 South & West. Totton remained in the Southern League’s lower divisions for the next 9 years (7 seasons, plus the 2 COVID-abandoned seasons). For 7 straight seasons, from 2014-15 up to the first-COVID-abandoned season of 2019-20, Totton were only drawing in the high-200s-per-game. That changed in 2021-22, when Totton finished in 6th in the Southern D-1 South, drawing a division-best 535-per-game. And then in the following season of 2022-23, Totton won the Southern D-1 South by 7 points, and doubled their average attendance, drawing 1,107 per-game. {See this from 16 April 2023: AFC Totton win Southern League Division 1 title with win over Exmouth Town (advertiserandtimes.co.uk/sport).} So, for 2023-24, after an absence of 9 years, AFC Totton returns to the upper level of the Southern League [the Southern League has two upper divisions these days]. For 2023-24, Totton will play in the Southern Premier South, as the division’s highest-drawing club.

Halesowen Town FC. From Halesowen, West Midlands (population: around 60,000), located (by road) 9.5 mi (15 km) WSW of Birmingham city centre. Halesowen Town wear blue jerseys, and have the steeple of the Norman-era parish church of St John the Baptist, Halesowen on their badge. Halesowen Town are, somewhat mysteriously, nicknamed the Yeltz. {See this: The Origin of Yeltz (yeltzland.net).} Since 2012-13, Halesowen Town have changed league-systems 3 times: they have been shuttled back and forth, and then back again, between northern- and southern-based leagues. Nine years ago (2013-14), Halesowen drew 345-per-game, as the Northern Premier League D-1 South champions, and were promoted to the Northern League Premier (in the 7th level). Four seasons later, in 2018, Halesowen were relegated back down to the 8th level, and the club was also transferred – to the Southern League system, into the Southern League D-1 Central (as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid that year.) Halesowen almost got relegated again, the next season (2018-19), finishing in 21st place. But then in the COVID-abandoned season of 2019-20, Halesowen had rebounded, and were in 2nd place when matches were stopped in March of that dire year; they were averaging 534 per-game that abandoned season. After the next COVID-abandoned season of 2021-22, Halesowen Town were transferred to a new league again, back to the Northern League system, into the Northern League D-1 Midlands (still in the 8th level). The next season (2021-22), Halesowen finished in 3rd place, 4 points back, and drew a solid 968 per-game (an attendance increase of over 400 per game). Last season (2022-23), Halesowen Town continued their good run, and finished in 2nd, 9 points back, and finally surpassed the one-thousand-per-game mark, with an average crowd of 1,087. And in the Northern D-1 Midlands play-offs in April 2023, Halsowen won promotion, by beating Coleshill Town 3–1 in the semi-finals, then beating Spalding United in the final [2–1 aet]. That play-off final, on 29 April, was at Halesowen Town’s ground, The Grove, and there were 3,250 in attendance. {See this: Gallery: Halesowen win promotion in extra time thriller (expressandstar.com/sport).} And so for 2023-24, after 6 years elsewhere, Halesowen Town are now back again in the Northern Premier, and the Yeltz will almost certainly draw better than 1.0-K-per-game.

Eastbourne Borough FC. From Eastbourne, East Sussex (population: around 101,000), located (by road) 25 mi (40 km) E of Brighton; and located (by road) 84 mi (135 km) S of central London. Eastbourne Borough wear red-&-black and are nicknamed the Sports. Eastbourne Borough’s crest features a depiction of a Martello Tower, ‘one of a large number of coastline fortifications along the South Coast, dating from the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th Century’ {text from FootballCrests.com/[Eastbourne Borough FC]. Eastbourne Borough were founded in 1964 as Langney FC, naming themselves after the Langney district of Eastbourne where they played. In 1983, the club moved into their present-day home, Priory Lane, in the residential north end of Eastbourne. In 2000, Langney FC were promoted as champions of the Sussex League (in the present-day equivalent of the 9th level). So Langney FC joined the Southern League system in 2000; they changed their name to Eastbourne Borough in 2001. Eastbourne Borough won promotion to the Southern League Premier in 2003. They finished in 11th place the following season (2003-04), and that was good enough for promotion into the newly-formed Conference South. {See this, 2004-05 Football_Conference (en.wikipedia.org).} In their fourth season in the 6th level they were promoted, by winning the 2007-08 Conference South play-offs. Eastbourne Borough played three seasons in the Conference (5th level), before being relegated back to the 6th tier in 2011. And that is where Eastbourne Borough have remained for the past 12 years. Eastbourne were drawing in the 500s (as a 7th tier side) circa 2003; as a 6th-tier side, they were drawing between 600 and 720-per game for 3 seasons, then drew 872 per game in 2007-08, when they won promotion to the 5th tier. The next season (2008-09), the newly-promoted Eastbourne first broke the one-thousand-per-game mark. In their 3 seasons of 5th division football (2008 to 2011), Eastbourne drew 1.3-K-, 1.2-K-, and 1.1-K-per-game. In 2012, after the club’s relegation back to the 6th tier, crowds dropped by almost 450-per-game. And then, as a lower-mid-table side, their crowd size was in the 500-580-per-game range for 7 seasons (2013 to 2020). Then, in 2021-22, with the return of non-League football after COVID restrictions were lifted, Eastbourne’s attendance at Priory Lane shot up 77 percent: they finished in 6th place, and drew 969 per game. And in 2022-23, Eastbourne, as an 8th place finisher, drew 5 percent better, at 1,053 per game.

Tonbridge Angels FC. From Tonbridge, Kent (population: around 41,000), located (by road) 42 mi (67 km) SE of central London. Tonbridge FC were formed in 1947; their ‘Angels’ nickname has been used by fans since the early 1950s, but was not formally adopted by the club until 1994. Tonbridge Angels wear blue-and-white; since 1980, they have played at Longmead Stadium (cap. 3,000; 720 seated). A year after their formation, in 1948, Tonbridge FC joined the Southern League. And with the exception of 4 seasons in the early 1990s, when they played in the Kent League, the club remained in the Southern League system for 53 years (1948-1989; 1993-2004). In 2004-05, Tonbridge were transferred to the Isthmian League Premier. They were relegated to the Isthmian D-1 the next year, but bounced straight back to the Isthmian Premier in 2006, where they stayed for 5 seasons, before winning promotion via the play-offs in 2010-11, drawing 448 per game. In 2011-12, as a 6th-tier-side for the first time, Tonbridge drew 663 per game. Tonbridge lasted 3 seasons in the 6th tier, before relegation back to the Isthmian League in 2014. 5 years later, in 2018-19, they won promotion back to the 6th tier, drawing 542 per game. In their next three seasons, in the National League South, Tonbridge saw a gradual attendance rise: 607 per game in the COVID-abandoned season of 2019-20; 827 per game in 2021-22, when non-League football re-opened, and Tonbridge finished in 16th place; and 1,047 per game last season in 2022-23, when Tonbridge Angels finished in 9th place. In Tonbridge Angels, one can see the larger overall trend of post-COVID increase in non-League football attendance. Because between 2019 and 2023 (3 seasons), Tonbridge Angels had a 400-per-game attendance increase – from 600-per-game to 1,000-per-game, yet the team remained a 6th-tier mid-table side which only improved 6 league-places. In late April 2023, Tonbridge Angels changed their crest. {See this, Tonbridge Angels leaves fans split after revealing their brand new crest (fanbanter.co.uk).}

Southport FC. From Southport, Merseyside (population: around 91,000), located (by road) 20 mi (32 km) N of Liverpool city centre. Southport wear amber-and-black, and are nicknamed the Sandgrounders. Since 1905, Southport have played at Haig Avenue (capacity 5,414; 1660 seated [previous capacity: 6,008]). In 1921-22, Southport were a founding member of the Football League Division Three North. Back then, the club was drawing in the 5-K per game range. {See this, Southport FC attendance history at European-Football-Statistics.co.uk.} Their attendance peak was in 1947-48 (the second season after the return of pro football following the end of World War II), when Southport drew 8.0-K per game. Southport played 39 successive seasons of 3rd-tier-North football (1921 to 1958). After finishing second from last in 1957-58, they were re-elected – but sent down (with the eleven other clubs in the bottom half of the table) into the new Football League Division Four. Around this time, Southport were drawing in the mid-3,000s. In 1966-67, Southport finished in 2nd place, and were promoted back to the 3rd tier, drawing 5.2-K per game. They were relegated back 3 years later in 1970. Three years later they won promotion again, and to this day, the club’s main honour is winning the 1972–73 Football League Fourth Division title. But they went straight back down to the 4th tier the following season. And it got worse: in 1978, after 3 out of 4 seasons finishing second-to-last, and after drawing only in the 1.4-K-to-1.9-K-range for those four years, Southport lost re-election and were voted out of the Football League. Southport played 50 seasons in the Football League. Since then (1978-79), Southport have been a non-League team. Their highest league-placement since expulsion from the League was in 2000-01, when they finished in 4th place in the Conference (5th level), drawing 1.4-K per game. The last time they were in the 5th division was in 2016-17. In the second decade of the 2000s, Southport drew between 0.9-K and 1.4-K per game. Last season, despite finishing in 18th place in the National League North, Southport managed to draw slightly over 1-K per game.



___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of English Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Counties, by Nilfanion, at File:English metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties 2010.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-English football league system (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance…
-worldfootball.net (1st division through 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (all non-League from 5th division down).

May 1, 2023

Billsportsmaps’ 15th anniversary throwback: The American League, established in 1901 as a major league. [Hand-drawn map from 2005.]

Filed under: 15th anniversary maps,Baseball,Hand Drawn Maps,Retro maps — admin @ 4:39 pm

american-league_est-1901-as-a-major-league_hand-drawn-map_all-al-teams-shown_w-selected-old-logos_post_c_1.gif
The American League, established 1901 as a major league [Hand-drawn map from 2005]



By Bill Turianski on the 1st of May 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Billsportsmaps.com had its 15th year anniversary, in August 2022. So I am posting a series of maps from the early days of this blog. This map was originally posted in October 2007.

The National League was established in 1876. It had competition from other pro baseball leagues, most notably the American Association (1882-91). Then for several years at the close of the Nineteenth Century, the National League was the sole major league. That changed in 1901: The Western League had renamed itself the American League for 1900, while it was still a minor league. But the next year – 1901 – the American League broke from the National Agreement, and declared itself a major league. So starting in 1901, there were once again two major leagues in pro baseball, and that has not changed since then. And since 1903, the winner of each league has gone on to play in the best-of-7-game World Series.

I hand-drew this map in 2005. The media I used were Caran d’Ache watercolor-pencils, graphite pencil, and Sharpie markers. Featured on this map are caps, logos, and cap crests from the past, with the ball clubs’ years of existence listed. I usually selected the oldest distinctive logos of each team. The text-box overlays, for each team’s formation-dates and for the logos’ time periods, were done on the computer in 2007. Franchise shifts are also noted. The map was updated and tightened up in 2023. And I added a banner at the top showing the 8 charter members of the 1901 American League, which includes any name-changes or franchise-shifts of those 8 ball clubs {info gleaned from this page at Wikipedia…American League: Charter franchises}.

The map lists every ball club that has played in the American League, since its inception as a major league in 1901. The main map is focused on the Northeast and the Midwest of the United States, which, of course, is the area where all of the original teams of both the National League and the American League were located. There are also 5 inset-maps. One inset-map is of Greater New York City (the New York Yankees), and the other four inset-maps are for areas where the American League expanded to, or moved into: California (the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakand Athletics), the state of Washington (the defunct Seattle Pilots, and then the Seattle Mariners), Texas (the Texas Rangers, and the Houston Astros [who switched over from the N.L. in 2013]), and Florida (the Tampa Bay Rays).

The logos and cap designs were primarily sourced from Sportslogos.net and from Marc Okkonen’s drawings found at the HoF site Dressed to the Nines.




In the 18-year interim between when I made this map [2005], and now [2023], there have been 5 changes. These following five things I have added to the information on the map…There have been two changes in the names of teams in the American League, there has been one league-status change, and there will be another change – a franchise-shift – after the 2024 season, plus there is one change in the way that the history of the A.L. is officially reported.

A). The two team name changes: 1) in 2008, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays changed their name to the Tampa Bay Rays; 2) in 2022, the Cleveland Indians changed their name to the Cleveland Guardians. B). The league-status change: in 2013, the Houston Astros switched from the National League to the American League. C). The change soon to happen: the Oakland A’s will leave Oakland, CA after 2024, and will move to Las Vegas, Nevada. D). The recent ‘change’ in the history of the American League: according to Baseball-reference.com and official Baseball Hall of Fame baseball historian John Thorn, the New York Highlanders [the present-day New York Yankees] were actually an expansion team, and the franchise has no links to the defunct Baltimore Orioles of 1901-02.

The Baltimore Orioles (II, A.L., 1901-02) went bankrupt in the mid-summer of 1902, following ex-Orioles’ manager John McGraw defection to the New York Giants of the National League. And so the American League took over the operations of the 1902 Orioles for the remainder of the season. Following the 1902 season, the American League, under the directive of commissioner Ban Johnson, placed a franchise, under new ownership, in New York City. The team would turn out to be called the New York Highlanders, and they would play at Hilltop Park, about a mile south of the old Polo Grounds in northern Manhattan Island. (That team would change its name to the New York Yankees in 1913, move into Yankee Stadium in The Bronx in 1923, and then go on to become the most successful ball club in the history of Major League Baseball.) Five players from the 1902 Baltimore Orioles joined the roster of the new 1903 New York Highlanders. There are several reports in the news media, during the August-1902-to-March-1903 time frame, that the defunct 1902 Orioles’ franchise was transferred to new ownership in New York City {see 2 paragraphs below}.

And it is even more complicated than that, as described in this July 2014 article from the NY Yankees fan-site called The Captains’ Blog, Yankees Lose Their Oriole Way: BR.com Removes Baltimore Years From Franchise History. Here are some excerpts from that article…“American League President Ban Johnson endeavored to place a team in New York, which, not surprisingly, the incumbent Giants of the National League did everything possible to thwart. Although Johnson wasn’t able to establish a franchise in New York when the A.L. ramped up in 1901, his ultimate plan was to eventually move an existing team into the Big Apple. By many accounts, the Baltimore Orioles were that team.”…“John McGraw was selected to manage the Orioles in 1901, and, he believed, eventually shepherd the team to New York. However, when he learned that Johnson’s plan to reach Gotham didn’t include him, McGraw decided to write his own ticket. Not only did the fiery manager jump ship to the New York Giants in the middle of the 1902 season, but he helped his new bosses gain a majority ownership stake in the Orioles, which he then used to sabotage the franchise. This subterfuge eventually put the Orioles on the brink of collapse, and only by Johnson seizing the reigns was the team able to complete the 1902 season. Then, after negotiating a peace settlement with the National League during the offseason and securing a site for a new ballpark, Johnson folded the tents in the Baltimore and brought his show to the big top in New York.”…“…it could be argued that Johnson was the de facto owner of both the 1902 Orioles and 1903 Highlanders because the A.L. president was largely responsible for constructing their rosters and determining where they played. Who knows, if not for the inhospitable political climate in New York, which forced Johnson to award the franchise to owners backed by the powerful Tammany Hall, the A.L. might have retained control of the team in its early goings. In Yankees Century, baseball historians Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson go so far as to say Johnson was basically extorted out of the franchise by Tammany big wig Joseph Gordon, who forced the sale to a syndicate led by cronies Frank Farrell and Bill Devery in exchange for being able to build a ballpark within the city. “To make it happen,” Stout and Johnson wrote, “all Johnson had to do was say yes – and hand the franchise over to Tammany.” [New paragraph]…“Stout and Gordon’s research also showed that the American League footed some of the bill for the construction of the new ballpark, giving further credence to the notion that the league was a “part owner” of the new franchise in New York. Finally, the commissioner’s lawyers directly advanced a legal argument asserting Johnson’s status as owner. In response to a lawsuit filed by the remnants of the Baltimore American League Baseball Club, which asked for a judge to place the team’s assets in receivership, the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Johnson’s attorney…claims that Mr. Johnson, as President of the American League, is continually acting not only as owner of the Baltimore club, but all other clubs of the American League.”…“…[Ban Johnson]‘s mission was to land a franchise in New York, with or without nominal ownership, meaning only one asset had real value: the right to operate as a franchise. This asset was retained by Johnson and eventually conferred to new owners. Had McGraw not instigated a coup, it’s likely that the transition would have preceded more smoothly and with legal blessing. That it did not shouldn’t erase the clear ties that bind the Baltimore Orioles of 1901 to 1902 to the Yankees of the present day.” [Excerpts written by William Juliano / twitter.com/williamnyy23.]

Via the Wayback Machine, here is a fascinating thread from Baseball-Reference.com…1901-02 Orioles Removed from Yankees History [76 Responses to “1901-02 Orioles Removed from Yankees History”.] In this thread, you can see that John Thorn never addresses the issue, raised by irate commenters, that there is media evidence of a franchise transfer. Here are two, plus a screen-shot of the newspaper article quoted in the second comment. Comment #54…[via the Cleveland Leader from Aug. 27 1902]: “The players, it is said, were given to understand that the franchise of the Baltimore club would be transferred to New York and all hands signed by the Baltimore management switched over there.” Comment #63…[via the Philadelphia Inquirer from March 10, 1903]: “Baltimore franchise will be formally transferred to Gotham and all details announced”. Comment #74: {screenshot of Philadelphia Inquirer from March 10 1903}.

Here’s one more link, from the Reddit.com/Orioles page, posted by u[deleted] on the 22nd of July 2014, On the nonsense that is BBRef trying to strip the 1901/1902 Orioles from the Yankees history.


April 4, 2023

1970 MLB Location-map with Jersey-logos & Attendances, featuring the 1970 World Series champions the Baltimore Orioles & AL and NL Stats Leaders.

Filed under: Baseball,Baseball-1970 MLB season,Retro maps — admin @ 5:29 pm

mlb_1970_map-of-mlb-1970_24-teams_ws-champions-baltimore-orioles_1970-mlb-attendances_1970-mlb-stats-leaders_post_b_.gif
1970 MLB Location-map with Jersey-logos & Attendances, featuring the ’70 World Series champions the Baltimore Orioles & AL and NL Stats Leaders




By Bill Turianski on the 4th of April 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-1970 MLB season (en.wikipedia.org).
-1970 MLB (baseball-reference.com).
-Year in Review: 1970 American League (baseball-almanac.com).
-Year in Review: 1970 National League (baseball-almanac.com).
-1970 MLB logos (sportslogos.net).

1970 MLB Location-map with jersey-logos with 1970 attendances, featuring the 1970 World Series champions: the Baltimore Orioles.
This is my fourth in a series.
Here are links to the first three posts in this series:
1967 MLB Location-map with Jersey-logos & Attendances, featuring the ’67 World Series champions: the St. Louis Cardinals;
1968 MLB Location-map with Jersey-logos & Attendances, featuring the ’68 World Series champions: the Detroit Tigers.
1969 MLB Location-map with Jersey-logos and Attendances, featuring the ’69 World Series champions: the New York Mets.

The map shows the locations of the 24 Major League Baseball teams of 1970.
On the map, next to each MLB team’s location-dot there are 3 things: their cap-logo, one of their 1970 jersey-logos (either home or away jersey), and a rectangular box (listing: ballpark, win total in 1970, and home average attendance in ’70). All but one of the jersey-logos are from photos of the old jerseys (see 23 photo credits at the foot of this post); one jersey-logo – the Detroit Tigers’ 1970 away jersey-logo – I drew myself.

The jersey-logo for each team is sized to reflect that team’s 1970 average attendance: the larger the jersey-logo, the higher their attendance was that year. Any other team logos on the team’s uniforms in 1970 are also shown (specifically, shoulder-patch-logos, of which there were 6 of such in 1970: for the Astros, the Braves, the Cubs, the Royals, the Mets, and the Twins).

1970 Average Attendances are shown at the right-hand side of the map-page. Best-drawing MLB team in 1970 were the reigning champions, the New York Mets, who drew 32.8-K per game at the then-7-year-old Shea Stadium in Queens, NYC. For this time period, that was a rather impressive figure, as it was slightly more than ten thousand per game better than any other big league club that year. Second- best draw were the NL pennant-winners, the Cincinnati Reds, who drew 22.2-K per game in the 1970 season, half of which they played at their old Crosley Field, and half at their then-new venue Riverfront Stadium. Three other teams drew above 20,000 per game in 1970: the LA Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

At the top of the map-page is a section for the 1970 MLB champions, the Baltimore Orioles. I featured photos of the 13 players on the ’70 Orioles with the highest WAR [Wins Above Replacement], plus the their manager, Earl Weaver. Photo credits are at the foot of this post. The players are: Jim Palmer (RHP & HoF), Paul Blair (CF), Boog Powell (1B & 1970 AL MVP), Frank Robinson (RF/1B & HoF), Merv Rettenmund (OF/PH), Don Buford (LF/Infield), Dave MacNally (LHP), Brooks Robinson (3B & HoF), Davey Johnson (2B), Pete Richert (LHP/Reliever), Mike Cuellar (LHP), Mark Belanger (SS), Elrod Hendricks (C/PH).

At the foot of the map-page are 1970 MLB Statistical Leaders (in both the American League and the National League), in the following categories: ERA, Wins, WAR for Pitchers; Batting Average, Home Runs, RBIs, WAR for Position Players. A photo of each player is shown, with stats; photo credits are at the foot of this post.

In 1970, there was an MLB franchise-move… after only one season, the just-formed Seattle Pilots of 1969 (AL) moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. This strange affair resulted in two things. First it gave the city of Milwaukee a big-league ball club once again, after the city had lost their Milwaukee Braves to Atlanta, Georgia (following the 1965 season). Second, the abrupt departure of the Seattle Pilots resulted in the city of Seattle suing Major League Baseball for breach of contract. {See this, Seattle Pilots: Lawsuit (en.wikipedia.org).} The lawsuit was finally settled out of court 6 years later, when MLB awarded Seattle another expansion franchise: the Seattle Mariners of 1977. On the map-page here, I have shown the 1970-franchise-move of Seattle-Pilots-to-Milwaukee-Brewers, using a long pale-gray line-segment with arrows, and with the Pilots’ old gear shown in gray-tone.



    1970 World Series – Baltimore Orioles beat Cincinnati Reds in 5 games

The Baltimore Orioles were the dominant team in the American League in 1970, winning the AL East by 15 games. The 1970 Orioles featured no less than three 20-game-winners in their pitching rotation (Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally). Baltimore’s offense was powered by a couple of sluggers in Frank Robinson (OF) and the 1970 AL MVP Boog Powell (1B), plus Gold Glove winner Brooks Robinson (3B). In the playoffs, the O’s swept the Minnesota Twins 3-0 (again), and so Baltimore was headed back to the World Series, hoping to make amends for losing to the underdog NY Mets in the previous year’s Fall Classic.

The Cincinnati Reds were likewise the dominant team in the National League in 1970, winning the NL West by 14.5 games, and then sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the playoffs. Compared to the Orioles, the Reds boasted more offensive firepower (with Johnny Bench, Lee May, Tony Pérez, and Pete Rose), but the Reds had a less commanding, and somewhat disabled, pitching staff.

Game 1. The Reds took a 3-0 lead with 1 run in the 1st inning, and 2 in the 3rd. But Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer settled down, and did not allow any more runs in his 8.2 innings. The Orioles evened up the 3-0 deficit, starting with a 2-run HR by Boog Powell in the 4th inning, and a solo shot by catcher Elrod Hendricks in the 4th. Then there was a huge fielding play by Brooks Robinson in the 6th inning: a back-handed grab of a hard grounder down the line by the Reds’ Lee May, with Robinson spinning to throw him out. It was one of several spectacular plays Brooks Robinson would make in the series. Also in the 6th inning there was a missed call by the home-plate umpire {see photo and caption below}, which prevented the Reds from reclaiming the lead. (Replays showed that in the collision at the plate, Orioles’ catcher Hendricks tagged Reds’ baserunner Bernie Carbo with an empty mitt.) The Orioles claimed the lead for good in the 7th, on a Frank Robinson HR. Orioles won 4-3; Win: Jim Palmer; Save: Pete Richert.

Game 2. Again the Reds took a lead, and again the Orioles rallied back. The Reds chased O’s starter Mike Cuellar after 2.1 innings. Trailing 4-0, the Orioles got one back in the 4th, on a Boog Powell HR. Then in the 5th inning, Baltimore scored 5 runs…the O’s hit 5 consecutive singles, followed by a 2-run double by Elrod Hendricks. The Reds got one back in the 6th, but Baltimore’s bullpen kept the lead. Orioles won 6-5; Win: Tom Phoebus [in relief]; Save: Dick Hall.

Game 3. Dave McNally and Brooks Robinson were the heroes of the day for the Orioles. Brooks Robinson made three spectacular fielding plays. In the 1st inning, he made a leaping grab of a Tony Pérez hopper, stepped on third and fired to first for the double play. In the 2nd, Robinson snagged a slow grounder by Tommy Helms, and threw him out. And in the 6th, he made a diving catch off a liner by Johnny Bench. With Baltimore leading 4-1, Brooks Robinson then led off the bottom of the 6th, and received a standing ovation from the home crowd; he then doubled. Three batters later, with the bases full, pitcher Dave McNally stepped up, and hit the ball out of the park. McNally became the first (and only) pitcher to hit a World Series grand slam. McNally pitched a complete game, and the O’s coasted to a 3-0 lead in the Series. Orioles won 9-3; Win: Dave McNally.

Game 4. The Reds avoided a Series sweep. Cincinnati came back from a 4-2 deficit, thanks to fine relief pitching by both rookie Don Gullett (2.2 innings), and veteran Clay Carroll (3.2 innings). The Reds won it on a game-winning 3-run HR, by Lee May, in the 8th inning. Reds won 6-5; Win: Clay Carroll.

Game 5. Mike Cuellar gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning, but settled down and shut the door, going the whole 9 innings. The Orioles scored 2 runs in each of the first three innings. Frank Robinson and Merv Rettenmund each hit homers, and both had 2 RBI, as did Davey Johnson. The Orioles won 9-3, and claimed their second World Series title in 4 years. Orioles won 9-3; Win: Mike Cuellar. Orioles won the World Series in 5 games.

Brooks Robinson won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, thanks his clutch fielding, but also thanks to his offensive contributions: he hit .429, and he broke the record for total bases in a five-game series, with 17.

So in 1970, the Baltimore Orioles (established 1954) won their second World Series title in 4 years (they had swept the LA Dodgers in 1966). The Orioles would go on to their third straight World Series appearance in the following year of 1971 (losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 7 games). The Baltimore Orioles [as of 2022] have won 3 World Series titles (their third WS title was won in 1983, when they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games).

baltimore-orioles_1970-world-series-champs_memorial-stadium_brooks-robinson_boog-powell_elrod-hendricks_dave-mcnally_frank-robinson_e_.gif
1970 WS photo and image credits -
-Memorial Stadium (Baltimore), aerial photo unattributed at eutawstreetreport.com. -Orioles’ 1st Baseman Boog Powell holds the Reds’ Pete Rose at 1st, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@sigg20]. -Orioles’ Catcher Elrod Hendricks tags out Reds’ Bernie Carbo at home (Game 1), photo unattributed (Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) at pinterest.com. -Brooks Robinson fielding a grounder, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. -Dave McNally, pitching in game 3 of 1970 WS, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.co.jp. -Frank Robinson, photo by SPX/Diamond Images/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. -Mike Cuellar hugs Brooks Robinson as Davey Johnson rushes to the mound in celebration, photo from Baltimore Orioles via pressboxonline.com.



___
Jersey-logo photo credits -
-Atlanta Braves 1970 home jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Baltimore Orioles 1970 jersey, photo from mitchellandness.com.
-Boston Red Sox 1970 road jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-California Angels 1970 road jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Chicago Cubs 1970 road jersey, from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Chicago White Sox 1970 road jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Cincinnati Reds 1970 home jersey photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Cleveland Indians 1970 home jersey, photo from customthrowbackjerseys.com.
-Houston Astros 1970 home jersey, photo from lelands.com.
-Kansas City Royals 1970 jersey, photo from worthpoint.com.
-Los Angeles Dodgers 1970 jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Milwaukee Brewers 1970 road jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Minnesota Twins home jersey circa 1968-71, photo from lelands.com.
-Montreal Expos 1970 road jersey, photo from goldinauctions.com.
-New York Mets 1970 jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-New York Yankees road jersey circa 1967-71, photo from customthrowbackjerseys.com.
-Oakland A’s 1970 home (gold) jersey, photo from worthpoint.com.
-Philadelphia Phillies 1970 road jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-Pittsburgh Pirates 1970 home alternate jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com
-San Diego Padres 1970 road jersey, from lelands.com.
-San Francisco Giants 1970 home jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.
-St. Louis Cardinals road jersey circa 1967-71, from scpauctions.com.
-Washington Senators 1970 home jersey, photo from Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.

Baltimore Orioles players: photo and image credits – 1970 Baltimore Orioles road jersey, from goldinauctions.com.1970 Baltimore Orioles home jersey, from mitchellandness.com. -Jim Palmer, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via camdenchat.com. -Paul Blair, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. -Boog Powell, photo by Getty Images via camdenchat.com. -Frank Robinson, photo unattributed at pinterest.com. -Merv Rettenmund, photo unattributed at pinterest.ie. -Don Buford, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via camdenchat.com. -Dave McNally, photo unattributed at twitter.com/[@Orioles]. -Brooks Robinson, photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.ca. -Davey Johnson, photo unattributed at ebay.com. -Pete Richert, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.co.uk. -Mike Cuellar, photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.in. -Mark Belanger, photo unattributed at pinterest.com. -Elrod Hendricks, Topps 1970 card, from psacard.com. -Earl Weaver (manager), photo unattributed at mlb.com.
-1970 Baltimore Orioles uniforms, illustration by Marc Okkonen at exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines.

Photos of 1970 MLB leaders on map page…
-Diego Seguí, photo unattributed at pinterest.com.
-Tom Seaver, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via nytimes.com.
-Mike Cuellar, photo unattributed at alchetron.com.
-Dave McNally, photo unattributed at whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com.
-Jim Perry, photo unattributed at classicminnesotatwins.blogspot.com.
-Bob Gibson, photo by Diamond Images/Getty Images via nytimes.com.
-Gaylord Perry, photo unattributed at lastwordonsports.com.
-Sam McDowell, photo by the Stanley Weston Archive/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
-Bob Gibson, photo by Walter Iooss, Jr at si.com.
-Alex Johnson, photo unattributed at ebay.com.
-Rico Carty, photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.co.uk.
-Frank Howard, photo unattributed at pinterest.com.
-Johnny Bench, photo by Diamond Images/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
-Frank Howard, Topps 1971 card, from pinterest.com.
-Johnny Bench, Sports Illustrated cover [July 13, 1970] at sicovers.com.
-Carl Yastrzemski, photo unattributed at ebay.com.
-Johnny Bench, photo by SPX/Diamond Images via Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
___
Thanks to all at the following links…
-Base map, by US federal government employee at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StatesU.svg.
-Baseball-Reference.com.
-1970 Major League Baseball season (en.wikipedia.org).

March 12, 2023

2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2021-22 average attendances by school (68 teams).

Filed under: NCAA Men's Basketball — admin @ 8:01 pm

2023_map_ncaa_basketball_tournament_aka-march-madness_68-teams_post_c_.gif
2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map, with 2021-22 average attendances by school (68 teams)




By Bill Turianski on the 12th of March 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-Teams, etc…2023 NCAA Men’s Division I men’s Basketball Tournament (en.wikipedia.org).
-Scores…Div I college bk scores (espn.go.com).

The 68 Teams which qualified for the 2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament [aka March Madness]
Listed by: Name. Conference. Location of arena(s)…
-Alabama Crimson Tide. SEC. Tuscaloosa, AL.
-Arizona Wildcats. Pac-12. Tucson, AZ.
-Arizona State Sun Devils. Pac-12. Tempe, AZ.
-Arkansas Razorbacks. SEC. Fayetteville, AR.
-Auburn Tigers. SEC. Auburn, AL.
-Baylor Bears. Big 12. Waco, TX.
-Boise State Broncos. Mountain West. Boise, ID.
-Colgate Raiders. Patriot. Hamilton, NY.
-College of Charleston Cougars. Colonial (CAA). Charleston, SC.
-Creighton Bluejays. Big East. Omaha, NE.
-Drake Bulldogs. Missouri Valley. Des Moines, IA.
-Duke Blue Devils. ACC. Durham, NC.
-Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. Northeast. Hackensack, NJ.
-Florida Atlantic Owls. Conference USA. Boca Raton, FL.
-Furman Paladins. Southern (SoCon). Greeneville, SC.
-Gonzaga Bulldogs. West Coast Conference. Spokane, WA.
-Grand Canyon Antelopes. WCC. Phoenix, AZ.
-Houston Cougars. American (AAC). Houston, TX.
-Howard Bison. MEAC. Washington, DC.
-Illinois Fighting Illini. Big Ten. Champaign, IL.
-Indiana Hoosiers. Big Ten. Bloomington, IN.
-Iona Gaels. MAAC. New Rochelle, NY.
-Iowa Hawkeyes. Big Ten. Iowa City, IA.
-Iowa State Cyclones. Big 12. Ames, IA.
-Kansas Jayhawks. Big 12. Lawrence, KS.
-Kansas State Wildcats. Big 12. Manhattan, KS.
-Kennesaw State Owls. A-Sun. Kennesaw [Greater Atlanta], GA.
-Kent State Golden Flashes. Mid-American (MAC). Kent, OH.
-Kentucky Wildcats. SEC. Lexington, KY.
-Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Sun Belt. Lafayette, LA.
-Marquette Golden Eagles. Big East. Milwaukee, WI.
-Maryland Terrapins. ACC. College Park, MD.
-Memphis Tigers. American (AAC). Memphis, TN.
-Miami Hurricanes. ACC. Coral Gables, FL.
-Michigan State Spartans. Big Ten. East Lansing, MI.
-Mississippi State Bulldogs. SEC. Starkville, MS.
-Missouri Tigers. SEC. Columbia, MO.
-Montana State Bobcats. Big Sky. Bozeman, MT.
-Nevada Wolfpack. Mountain West. Reno, NV.
-North Carolina State Wolfpack. ACC.
-Northern Kentucky Norse. Horizon. Highland Heights, KY.
-Northwestern Wildcats. Big Ten. Evanston, IL.
-Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Summit. Tulsa, OK.
-Penn State Nittany Lions. Big Ten. University Park, PA.
-Princeton Tigers. Ivy League. Princeton, NJ.
-Providence Friars. Big East. Providence, RI.
-Purdue Boilermakers. Big Ten. West Lafayette, IN.
-Saint Mary’s Gaels. West Coast (WCC). Moraga, CA.
-San Diego State Aztecs. Mountain West. San Diego, CA.
-Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. Ohio Valley. Cape Girardeau, MO.
-TCU [Texas Christian Univ.] Horned Frogs. Big 12. Fort Worth, TX.
-Tennessee Volunteers. SEC. Knoxville, TN.
-Texas Longhorns. Big 12. Austin, TX.
-Texas A&M Aggies. SEC. College Station, TX.
-Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders. Southland. Corpus Christi, TX.
-Texas Southern Tigers. SWAC. Houston, TX.
-UCLA [Univ. California Los Angeles] Bruins. Pac-12. Los Angeles, CA.
-UConn [Univ. Connecticut] Huskies. Big East. Storrs, CT / Hartford, CT.
-UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Big West. Santa Barbara, CA.
-UNC-Asheville Bulldogs. Big South. Asheville, NC.
-USC [Univ. Southern California] Trojans. Pac-12. Los Angeles, CA.
-Utah State Aggies. Mountain West. Logan, UT.
-VCU [Virginia Commonwealth Univ.] Rams. Atlantic. Richmond, VA.
-Vermont Catamounts. America East. Burlington, VT.
-Virginia Cavaliers. ACC. Charlottesville, VA.
-Virginia Tech Hokies. ACC. Blacksburg, VA.
-West Virginia Mountaineers. Big 12. Morgantown, WV.
-Xavier Musketeers. Big East. Cincinnati, OH.



___
-Thanks to AMK1211 for blank map of USA, ‘File:Blank US Map with borders.svg”>File:Blank US Map with borders.svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament’.
-Thanks to NCAA for attendance figures, from 2022 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE (For All NCAA Men’s Varsity Teams) [pdf].
-Thanks to the Bracket Matrix site for bracket forecasting, bracketmatrix.com; twitter.com/@bracketproject.

February 25, 2023

Billsportsmaps’ 15th anniversary throwback: Negro League Baseball, 1920-1950 (hand-drawn map) [first posted 26 November 2007].

By Bill Turianski on the 25th of February 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Billsportsmaps.com had its 15th year anniversary, on the 17th of August 2022. So I am posting a series of maps from the early days of this blog. This hand-drawn map was originally posted in November 2007. I have re-posted now, for Black History Month [February].

negro-leagues_segment_c.gif
Negro Leagues map



Denied entrance into Major League Baseball by the color barrier, black ballplayers organized leagues of their own. These were the Negro Leagues, which existed between 1920 and 1957. The primary leagues were the Negro National League (1920-31; and 1933-48); the Negro Southern League, a minor-league (1920-40);  the Eastern Colored League (1923-28); and the Negro American League (1937-57). [For purposes of this map, records will only go to 1950, after which the Negro American League, the last negro league, essentially played exhibition games.] 

There were many standouts in the Negro Leagues, and 37 Negro League players (as of 2022) have been elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. The first five elected were Satchel Paige (the legendary right-handed pitcher);  Josh Gibson (catcher, and home run king); James ”Cool Papa” Bell (center fielder, and base-stealer extroardinaire);  Buck Leonard (first baseman, slugger); William “Judy” Johnson (third baseman, with a .349 lifetime batting average); and Oscar Charleston (outfielder, and slugger, with a blend of power and speed; and a .376 lifetime batting average). More information about the Negro Leagues can be found at www.blackbaseball.com, and at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at nlbm.com, among other good sites.

Negro League baseball was characterized by fleet-footed action, and hi-jinks, ranging from tomfoolery to deadly serious one-upsmanship. There was more base-stealing than in Major League Baseball, and there was a sense of “playing to the crowd.” The teams knew the fans (particularly the significant portion of white customers) were there to see a show, and the players didn’t disappoint. An example of this was the barnstorming (traveling) club called the Indianapolis Clowns, an outfit similar to the Harlem Globetrotters. But that did not mean that Negro League baseball was an inferior product. During this era, negro baseball squads often defeated white MLB squads in exhibition games. Seasons were generally around 60 to 70 games long. There were no real standardized schedules, and teams operated on a shoe-string budget. 

The Golden Age of the Negro Leagues can be seen as the period from 1933 to 1947. The Washington-Homestead Grays regularly outdrew the Major League Baseball team the Washington Senators in Griffith Park in Washington DC, as they racked up 9 straight Negro National League titles. The Chicago American Giants played in old Comiskey Park, home of the MLB team the Chicago White Sox. The Pittsburgh Crawfords played in the first entirely black-owned ball park, Greenlee Field, and traveled the country in style, in their custom-made bus. The Newark Eagles won the 1946 NNL title, under Effa Manley (the first woman owner-operator to win a championship; she became the first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 2006). And the Kansas City Monarchs toured the continent with their state-of-the-art portable lighting system. The Kansas City Monarchs would set up shop most anywhere, playing to thousands on a nightly basis. The Monarchs began using lighting for night games in 1930, five years before MLB teams first did. The KC Monarchs ranged throughout the midwest, the upper midwest and Canada. The Monarchs ended up sending more players to Major League Baseball than any other Negro League team. Their star pitcher, Satchel Paige, made more money than most major leaguers. It was an amazing phenomenon, that only ended when blacks were finally able to play in the Major Leagues. In 1947, Jackie Robinson, of the Brooklyn Dodgers, broke the color barrier, and the Negro Leagues days were numbered. Owners saw their star talent go to the white ball clubs, with no financial compensation. By the mid 1950s, the few surviving Negro League clubs were basically playing exhibition games, and the whole era faded away under the public radar. But the legacy of the Negro Leagues cannot be overstated.

I drew the main map in 2001, using Swiss-made Caran d’Ache watercolor pencils and Rapidograph pens. In 2007, after scanning it, I added the flanking segments. I have included the 17 most prominent Negro Leagues ball clubs.




___

February 6, 2023

2023 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 47-team tournament, with Club Histories (total Libertadores appearances & titles listed) + Population-chart of Cities with teams in 2023 Libertadores.

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 1:06 pm

conmebol_copa-libertadores_2023_location-map_47-teams_post_b_.gif
Copa Libertadores 2023: 47-team map



By Bill Turianski on 6 February 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary: results, fixtures, standings (flashscore.co.uk).
-espn.com/[libertadores].

This is the 64th iteration of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious football tournament in South America. The 2023 tournament is the 7th since it was expanded in 2017, from 38 to 47 teams. Since then, no team from a country other than Brazil or Argentina has won the title (Brazilian teams have won it 5 times since the tournament-expansion, and an Argentinian team has won it once since then). And Brazilian sides have won the last four titles. (Copa Libertadores winner in 2022 was Flamengo, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Copa Sudamericana winner in the 2022 tournament was Independiente del Valle, of Sangolquí, Greater Quito, Ecuador.)

This map includes the Preliminary-Stage teams: there are 19 preliminary-stage teams…and only four of those 19 teams will advance to the Group Stage. (Note: on the map-page, on the teams-by-country lists that flank the map, the 19 preliminary clubs are shown in italics, accented by a light tan-color.)

Schedule
-The first of three Preliminary stages starts on 7-to-9 February {2023 Copa Libertadores Qualifying stages}.
-The Group Stage starts on 4-to-6 April. The draw for the Group Stage is on the 22nd of March. {2023 Copa Libertadores, Group Stage (en.wikipedia.org)}.

Qualified teams by country:
•Brazil has 8 teams (7 + Copa Libertadores holder).
•Argentina has 6 teams.
•Ecuador has 5 teams (4 + Copa Sudamericana holder)
•The seven other countries all have 4 teams each, in the tournament (Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela).

Cities with teams in the 2023 Copa Libertadores
This is the second time on one of my Copa Libertadores maps that I have included a chart which shows all the cities with teams in the tournament, and their populations. The chart is at the top-centre of the map-page. It includes the ten largest metropolitan areas in South America (nine of which have teams in the 2023 Copa Libertadores). The list then shows all the other top-50-largest metro-areas in South America with Libertadores teams this year. And then the list shows the other metro-areas with Libertadores teams this year. {Populations…Cities with teams in 2022 Copa Libertadores: Metropolitan-area figures for 50 largest South American cities from, 2015 at: List of South American metropolitan areas by population (en.wikipedia.org); & Population figures for other cities with teams in tournament at: each city’s en.wikipedia page.}




___
Thanks to all at the links below
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Blank map of South America by Anbans 585 at File:CONMEBOL laea location map without rivers.svg (en.wikipedia.org/[2018 Copa Libertadores]).
-2023 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Copa Libertadores 1960-2019 Club Histories (rsssf.com).
-Libertadores titles list {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Libertadores#Performances_by_club}.

« Newer PostsOlder Posts »

Powered by WordPress