Red Sox Nation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Red Sox Nation refers to the fans of the Boston Red Sox. The phrase "Red Sox Nation" was first coined by Boston Globe feature writer Nathan Cobb in an October 20, 1986, article about split allegiances among fans in Connecticut during the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and the New York Mets,[citation needed] and it was popularized by the 1996 book At Fenway: Dispatches From Red Sox Nation (ISBN 0-517-70104-9) by Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy.
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[edit] Red Sox fandom
Red Sox fans were once described by Dennis Eckersley as the "ultimate manic-depressive fanbase."[1] For all the excitement over the quality of play by the Red Sox, there is often a twinge of pessimism about the team, as the team's failures are typically blown out of proportion. Boston Globe columnist Charlie Pierce, among others, has attributed the self-perpetuating fatalism of the Nation to the intellectual legacy of the Puritans who settled Boston and instilled in the region's inhabitants a deep-seated Calvinist determinism.[2]
[edit] "Official" Red Sox Nation
In 2004 the Boston Red Sox began offering official citizenship in Red Sox Nation. For a small fee, fans received a membership card with the words "Official Red Sox Nation Citizen" and access to additional Red Sox merchandise offers and newsletters.[3]Red Sox Nation is now offering membership for a new nation, which consists of four levels of membership: "Fan Pack" for $14.95; "Hat Pack for $29.95" "Ultimate Fan Pack" for $114.95; and "Monster Pack" for $299.00. Included in the Monster Pack is a season subscription to MLB.tv and the guaranteed opportunity to buy two Green Monster seat tickets.[4] The monster pack has sold out for 2009.
[edit] President
In the summer of 2007, the Red Sox fan site on MLB.com offered "official" citizens of RSN the chance to register as candidates to become the first president of Red Sox Nation, for the 2008 season. A broad field of self-proclaimed candidates was whittled down (internally, by operators of the website) to 25, then an open-to-all online "primary" was held in August that resulted in 10 final candidates. For most of September, the ten were provided with weblogs on the website to mount their campaigns. On September 27, Tim Russert of NBC moderated a debate among six of the candidates in a hall at Boston University (three were no-shows, and Doris Kearns Goodwin withdrew from the race). The final election, also open to the public at the same website, was held from September 28 through October 2, 2007. The winner was Jerry Remy, a former Red Sox player and current broadcast color commentator.[5] The following day, Remy threw out the first pitch in the opening game of the Red Sox' playoff series.
[edit] Governors
Following Jerry Remy's election as president of Red Sox Nation, he and his vice president "Regular Rob" Crawford developed a "Red Sox Nation Five-Point Plan" to guide their first year in office. The first point of the plan called for the creation of governors to represent members of Red Sox Nation in their home states.[6] Beginning with the six New England states, nominations were accepted through redsox.com, and from these nominations the president and vice president appointed representatives for each state. The inaugural class, which was announced on July 8, 2008, is as follows:[7]
- Massachusetts: Jared Carrabis of Saugus
- Connecticut: Karen Kupiec of Hamden
- Maine: Rachel O. Yacouby of Brunswick
- New Hampshire: Janice Page of Henniker
- Rhode Island: Charles T. Schmidt, Jr. of Saunderstown
- Vermont: Glen Jardine of Lyndonville
- Utah: James C. Peterson of St. George and his secretary Michael G. Anderson who helps make laws of the nation.
Governors are responsible for organizing viewing parties for Red Sox Nation members in their states, as well as collecting feedback from their constituency. For their efforts, the governors enjoy the following benefits:
- Unlimited Fenway Park tour pass for two
- Two tickets to a select 2008 Red Sox regular season game
- A certificate of governorship signed by the president/CEO of the Red Sox
- Periodic "governors only" conference calls with the vice president of Red Sox Nation and a select Red Sox executive
- A Red Sox Nation shirt
- A 2009 Red Sox Nation fan pack citizenship
- A subscription to MLB.tv
- Personalized "Red Sox Nation governor" business cards
- A photograph of the Fenway Park centerfield videoboard with their name on it.
[edit] Famous Red Sox Fans
Several celebrities are members of Red Sox Nation, including:
- Ben Affleck, actor;[8]
- Will Arnett, actor;[9]
- Steve Carell, actor;[10]
- John Cena, professional wrestler;[11]
- Kenny Chesney, country singer;[12]
- Michael Chiklis, actor;[13]
- Kelly Clarkson, pop singer;[14]
- Dane Cook, comedian;[15]
- Matt Damon, actor;[16][17]
- James Denton, actor;[18]
- Dropkick Murphys, American Irish punk band;[19]
- Eliza Dushku, actress;[20]
- The Farrelly Brothers, filmmakers;[21]
- Bill Guerin, NHL hockey player;[22]
- Jake Gyllenhaal, actor;[23]
- Stephen King, author;[24]
- John Krasinski, actor;[25]
- Lil Wayne, rapper;[26]
- Seth Meyers, actor;[27]
- Conan O'Brien, talk-show host;[28]
- Amy Poehler, actress;[29]
- Eli Roth, actor and director;[30]
- Rene Russo, actress;[31]
- Bill Simmons, sports columnist;[32]
- John Slattery, actor;[33]
- James Taylor, musician;[34]
- Steven Tyler, musician;[35]
- Steven Wright, comedian;[36]
[edit] References
- ^ Sox Appeal - Baseball Dating Show - TV - New York Times
- ^ Boston Red Sox - The tragedy of '04 - The Boston Globe
- ^ The Official Site of The Boston Red Sox: Fan Forum: Red Sox Nation Details
- ^ MLB.com, "Fan Forum: Red Sox Nation [1]
- ^ MLB.com, "Red Sox Nation President"[2]
- ^ Red Sox Nation president and vice president announce five-point plan
- ^ Red Sox announce the selection of the first six Governors of Red Sox Nation
- ^ Affleck Jokes As He Helps Boston Red Sox - Ben Affleck : People.com
- ^ [3]
- ^ CENTER FIELD :: Pigs Fly: Manny Speaks! On A Talk Show!
- ^ Baines, Tim. "Cena's a star with rap attack". SLAM! Sports. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/06/01/101111.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20212810,00.html
- ^ Boston Red Sox - Fans of Rockies roll on - The Boston Globe
- ^ [4]
- ^ The actor-comic on his passion for the Red Sox
- ^ Matt Damon (Red Sox Fan) Taunts David Letterman (Yankee Fan) - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog
- ^ Loyalty not an act for this Red Sox fan
- ^ http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1173769
- ^ Scorsese, Red Sox put Dropkick Murphys on center stage - USATODAY.com
- ^ [5]
- ^ The Official Site of The Boston Red Sox: News: Farrelly brothers chat with fans
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season ISBN 0743267524
- ^ The 61 New Best Things About Boston
- ^ [8]
- ^ [Woolley, Scott (September 29, 2003), "ZAP!". Forbes. 172 (6):76-82]
- ^ [9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ [11]
- ^ [12]
- ^ [13]
- ^ [14]
- ^ [15]
- ^ [16]
- ^ [17]
[edit] External links
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