Basic Black and Team Spirit

The rivalry between New England and New York sports fans is well documented. If only because of where I was born (Rhode Island) and currently reside (Massachusetts), I’m part of Red Sox Nation. I have to admit, however, that this year my schedule hasn’t given me the time to see five minutes of a game. (From what I hear, that’s probably a good thing). And as for the Patriots, well, if I cared enough I could ask the hubby how they’re faring so far.

But one aspect of the rivalry I am interested in checking up on is how the two regions teams face off in the battle of the Web. Which teams are kicking field goals online, and which are missing place kicks like good ol’ Charlie Brown?

My first stop, of course, was http://www.redsox.com. I was very amused to be greeted by a pop-up ad for VacationsToGo.com. Perhaps they’re hoping to entice Sox fans hoping to escape the season?

Indeed, the home page is a dazzling array of marketing offers, from $3.95 per month mobile phone alerts on the team to tickets, logo emblazoned school supplies and the $9.95 fan club.

Video and audio highlights are also featured, as are a link to the “Comeback Player of the Year” award, sponsored by Viagra. The joke for that deal I’ll leave to your own imagination. There’s also roosters, an “About Fenway Park” section, and a Kid’s Dugout area, where the younger set can join the Kids Nation (memberships sold out for this year) or learn how to book Wally the Green Monster for their next party.

For $4.95 a month or $49.95 a year, fans with a lot to say can pay for the privilege of blogging on the ML Blogs site. Why this is better than blogging for free at a spot like MySpace or Blogger, I’m not really sure.

I pop into the Red Sox store out of curiosity, to see what is the featured item. It’s a black baseball hat, with a black Sox logo, perfect if you’re ultra cool — or in mourning until next spring.

I surf on over to http://www.newyorkyankees.com, and wonder how different the “Evil Empire’s” site will be. Turns out, it looks almost identical, except with pinstripes. Guess Major League Baseball likes to dress all it’s children the same.

I am shocked however, to see that the video clip featured on the home page is sponsored by New England-based Gillette. Also shocking was that while we’re Red Sox Nation, apparently New York considers itself the Yankees Universe. Hmmph.

The rest of the site looks the same as the Sox outpost, right down to the baseball player Pez dispenser for sale on the kid’s page. I pop into the store and sure enough, there’s a NY Yankees version of the black hat. Guess it is hip and not morbid after all. (Or is it? I honestly have no clue how the Yankees fared this season.)

From there, I visit the New England Patriots’ site (http://www.patriots.com), which has a much less busy feel than the baseball pages. I’m amused to see an ad inviting fans to bid on low number Pats license plates, a very, very New England thing to covet.

Overall, the selling seems a little less in one’s face than on the Sox or Yankees pages. What was a little more in one’s face was the cheerleaders’ area, which featured very “healthy” young ladies who seemed one deep breath away from a Janet Jackson episode.

And what were the featured items in the Pats store? A helmet candle and face stickers. I don’t get the appeal, but then again, I don’t get the appeal of football in general, aside from the excuse to eat lots of chips.

My final destination is the site of the Patriots AFC rival, the New York Jets (http://www.newyorkjets.com). I was curious if it would resemble the Patriots site, the way the teams’ baseball counterparts’ sites paralleled each other.

In contrast to the dark manly man colors of the Pats site, the white and green home page of the Jets had a country club feel to it, genteel and calm. The home page featured a video news clip featuring a reporter named Karen Crouse, someone who I guess is an authority on the team.

The Jets’ online store featured a bright green Jets baseball cap. It was a nice change from basic black, and I’m sure it looks lovely with the Jets’ face stickers. Go team.