Map of the Week Update: Turner Responds
| January 16, 2012 | Posted by ReubenFB under Map of the Week |
A week or so back, I took a rather cheap shot at Turner, Montana: the town in the contiguous US furthest from a professional baseball team. As an extremely dorky baseball fan, the 647-mile trip to the nearest team would be tough for me, but obviously it doesn’t make Turner the “Saddest Town in America.” Well if you happened to read the comments section, you’ll know that the people of Turner heard about the article, and they were understandably not happy. Like not at all.
I followed up with these commenters to offer an apology, and a few of them got back to me. Ladies and gentlemen, the fine people of Turner (and Hogeland), in their own words:
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Cindy C. of Turner chimed in with a deeply touching story about the strength of Turner’s community:
Our “town” is small, but the surrounding community is not. We are very close to the surrounding 100 mile radius of communities, and I personally have experienced what happens when a person is in need. My husband is a recent bone marrow transplant recipient, where we spent 4 months living in the heart of Seattle, and yes, too close to the well known SafeCo Field. Our community hosted a benefit for our family, with well over 100 people attending, all contributing thousands of dollars to our cause. Not only did people donate, but since December of 2009, our community has been there to help and support us as we fight the battle of cancer. There is nothing like it.
Cindy was also kind enough to chip in on the sports scene in her town, which I asked about specifically:
Sports is a big factor in todays world, but our numbers do not allow us to offer football, volleyball, tennis or some of the other fun sports. Instead, we have basketball and track… we may not have huge stadiums to host the “big” games, but we feel our kids are subjected to much more. Our baseball teams consist of all ages, 2-80. Our baseball field is native prairie grass, yet groomed and fenced to allow family fun nights.
Mark R., of nearby Hogeland, seemed to take the whole thing in stride and gave an excellent explanation of how the Big Flat Community Grain Bin got its name:
[Turner and Hogeland] are part of what is known locally as “The Big Flat”. This area was so named by the homesteaders, about 90 years ago, because it’s, well, big and flat. Whomever came up with the name would probably be addressed as “Captain Obvious” today. Almost everyone who lives in this area is either a farmer or rancher. A grain bin is a structure where farmers store their grain. Grain in the bin is the same as money in the bank. So, a community grain bin is an apt description for a fund to be used for economic development.
On the other side of things, Heather D. of the Chinook Area Chamber of Commerce was not going to let me off the hook so easily:
I am sorry, I am not going to accept your apology. I am in the field of media as well and I am absolutely disturbed by people like you who do not take constructive journalism seriously. It is EXACTLY what is wrong with this entire country.
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While I am flattered to be officially included in the field of media, I am truly sorry that my article was insensitive enough to illicit responses like Heather’s above, and I’d like to take this final opportunity to offer my sincerest apologies to our readers from the Big Flat region.
On a related note, I’d like to see if I can try to salvage just a tiny piece of constructive research out of this whole ugly mess. The map below – which I assume from the title came from reddit.com/r/nba – charts the (general) territories of NBA fandom in the US. Unfortunately, the lazy cartographers left out a big chunk of Montana:
Citizens of Turner, Hogeland, and the entire Big Flat region: if you’re reading this and you don’t hate me too much already, please help me further the field of sports cartography by actually finishing this map. If you know anyone around you who follows the NBA, who do they root for? The Trailblazers? The Timberwolves? The Nuggets? Someone else?
Let me know either in the comments or by email at sportsnationdivided@gmail.com, and once again my apologies for any and all disrespect. Maybe we can make some headway on turning this guy’s idea into a reality.
Thank you so much for your apology. I can hear in your words that you understand that this is our home where we grew up and love it here. Cindy’s family is a fine example of how a small community will get together to help a family battling cancer. I went to school in Turner and now live in a close (90 miles-that’s close for us in Montana) town called Malta, Montana. We have a population of @2000 people. Just this last Friday our small town had a radio-a-thon fund raiser for a couple in there early 60 who just in the last few months both had major medical problems and no insurance. The fundraiser was on our local radio station for 4 hours, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.. In that 4 hour span we raised over $13,000.00 for that couple. Our radio station KMMR has done this many times for people in need like this in our community and I couldn’t begain to tell you how much money has been raised over many many years. I just wanted say thank you and give you just a little more taste of what were are about here in Montana. And we are big enough to say we are sorry too for tearing into you, but also thank you again for your apology. It means a lot to us. Sincerely, Kathleen Grabofsky, Malta, Montana.
P.S. As big a state as Montana is I don’t know if you would find a professional team that most would agree on for that spot on the map. We take a lot of pride in our college and highschool teams.
Does your map have to consist of teams within the United States? See if anybody likes Canadian teams. Or even try making a North America map.
I don’t know about Montana, but you can tell whoever put that NBA map together that people in Virginia do not follow the Charlotte Bobcats. Nope, this is Wizards territory. 1-12! Represent!
Who cares?
I think we can safely call Turner, Montana the Most Humorless Town in America.
I don’t live in Turner, but “close enough”. Folks here are very proud of their communities. We have keen senses of humor! If someone wrote an article about where YOU lived, using just little geographical and census research and then made judement comments regarding both, without understanding the value of the people who lived around you, you would be upset too!
We are Small, but we are MIGHTY! is a very good statement to reflect the fierce pride we Montanans have!
Wow, you think an ignorant insult makes us Humorless…..the cycle continues!
Thanks to the author for trying to clarify this.
The beauty of Montana is that we can root for everyone and anyone and no one can give us too much grief.
I do GUARANTEE that if you put a professional sports team in this state, it would sell out or be at max EVERY TIME. Watch some info about Cat and Griz sports…..and then watch our love for our kids sports.
Marianne! We are small but Mighty! well said!!!
That’s how you step up and own your mistake. Well done on this post.
http://deadspin.com/5877156/turner-montana-pop-192-angrily-lashes-out-against-baseball-blogger-and-geography
In case anyone else has been following this closely. I guess Heather from the Chamber of Commerce deleted her comment, but only after being immortalized on the world wide web.
I actually hope that she will forgive him eventually! Carrying around hatred and unforgiveness is like swallowing poison, hoping the other person sickens and dies! it’s not worth it. it would be better to invite him out to our neck of the woods and SHOW him why we don’t care about baseball all that much! (Personally, local college basketball & high school football are better anyway!!)
Just so you know Heather D. is a wonderful person and is a big part of our community. She donates more time to our community in a year than most do in a lifetime. Her talent with graphic design and advertising in better than you will find anywhere, so she has more than enough reason to continue to upset with this joker that wrote this story.
As for your question about which NBA teams Montana fans follow, that’s hard to say. Most sports here focus their attention on the Grizzlies and Bobcats (that’s the University of Montana and Montana State, not the teams in the NBA), and they are rabid fans, to say the least. Some fans might follow the Chicago Bulls, because their beloved UM Grizzly mascot, Montie, is now the mascot for the Bulls. (It is probably a stretch to say that, but maybe not)
I think some Montanans were fans of the Sonics, but that option isn’t there any more. I used to participate in an NBA fantasy league — I don’t now — and frankly I just don’t hear many people talk about the NBA. Lot’s of people talk about the NFL; some about baseball (Montana has a number of minor league teams that are popular)
The Bulls or the Lakers would be my guess in regard to the NBA team that the most Montanans follow. I know more Bulls fans personally though. Kobe isn’t well received in Montana,and I don’t know one person who doesn’t love Michael Jordan here.
That’s what happens when you are far away from the professional sports teams. WGN and TBS are responsible for many Cubs, Bulls and Braves fans in Montana. That was the closest to pro sports we got here for quite some time. After that, you get the teams that receive the most national coverage. Lakers, Steelers, Cowboys, Packers – you get the idea.
So going sport by sport, I’d break it down like this (my feel for most popular first):
Baseball: Braves & Cubs followed by Mariners & Rockies. With regional sports channels, Seattle and Colorado are gaining more popularity. Of course you’ve got a fair share of Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins fans as well.
Basketball: Bulls. Followed by Lakers. I don’t really get a sense of Blazers, T-Wolves, Nuggets, or Jazz fans here. Maybe some Celtics fans. Sonics used to be popular in the western part of the state.
Football: Broncos, Vikings, and Seahawks. Those are the teams we get with our TV market here, so I’d give the slight edge to them. There’s definitely a presence of 49ers, Steelers, Cowboys, and Packers fans too.
Hockey: We’re a little too far west. The Dakotas are big on hockey, so maybe a little of the eastern part of Montana is as well. I don’t get a sense of hockey fans here. It isn’t played in high school nor college here. Maybe some Avalanche fans?
But as some have already pointed out, Montana State and the University of Montana are the big name sports teams here. It’s Bobcats and Grizzlies first and foremost. It is safe to say that most Montanans are much more passionate about this level of college sports than professional sports or major conference college athletics.
Speaking for myself, a resident of western Montana, I no longer follow the NBA after the Sonics moved. The only people I know now who follow the NBA locally are transplants that moved here from somewhere else.
Uh … I am a transplant from Cleveland living in Western MT, and I am not the only one from Ohio up here. Believe me, I enjoy the slower life. I have also spent time in Southeastern Colorado, which is the only other area like this. I haven’t been to Turner, but it’s just like any other small town – they are proud of their town and love their local sports.
On the NBA subject – know a few former Sonics fans, most of which follow the Thunder, but most ignore the NBA anymore. Bottom line is the NBA isn’t as popular up here as college or high school hoops.
Small towns like Turner are like an extended family. We can tease each other but if someone from outside tries to join in, they better get a head start. When kids get into trouble, thier parents hear about it before they get home from school. When one hurts they all hurt. When good things happen, everyone shares in the celebration. When help is needed everyone pitches in because we will all need help someday, too. Just like anywhere else, there are both positive and negative aspects present but over all, Turner, Montnaa is a pretty good place to grow up.
From someone who was born and raised here in the great state of Montana, here is my two cents. Basketball is “King’ on the Hi-line of Montana…High School basketball that is. Every town has a huge following of dedicated fans whether they are winning or losing. As for college teams, here in “T” town, there is a very healthy debate on the top college team (outside of Montana)and it is between the UT Longhorns, KU Jayhawks and Duke. Just speaking for this house, we follow and love the Miami Heat and the Thunder but I know several who are fans of the Celtics and one lone Laker fan
Growing up, I remember my dad didn’t miss very many Denver Nuggets games on the radio.
As for football, don’t get between a Bobcat and a Grizzly! We are equally split on that one. NFL…we do have dyed in the wool Packers fans here and more Denver Broncos fans then I care to count. We can’t forget the lone teacher who supports her Vikings no matter what.
My dad and father-in-law always rooted for the underdogs and that explains why they watched alot of Chicago Cubs baseball I guess.
Overall, we aren’t alot different than anywhere else. We love a good game and support what we believe in.
I am not a Montana native and was never a big sports fan until I raised my family on the Hi-Line of Montana. My daughter plays basketball for the Chinook(west of Turner) Sugarbeeters and High School basketball is “King” in Montana. We love our high school athletes and our gyms are packed in the winter even when the temperature is minus 40! The population of the little towns on the Hi-Line decreases every census and that tends to make us bond together more. Thanks for the apology and attempting to understand our rural lifestyle.
I live 140 miles from Turner, but we play them in class C sports. Their junior high basketball team does not have enough players for a girls team so the boys and girls play together to make a team. When they travel to out of town games they have a tour bus, and players, coach and FAMILIES all get on the big bus and travel together. I think they are awesome.Turner holds a special place in my heart. If you ever visit you will be a stranger for about ten seconds and then you will have new friends. I think the idea for a game between any MLB teams in Turner sounds awesome. I don’t even like baseball and I would go. Most of north central Montana would show up and we could all celebrate Turner’s 100th birthday in style!
Some of us Montanans are doing just fine without having a professional team close-by. Along the Hi-Line (which is what this northern tier of Montana is called), high school basketball games regularly fill gymnasiums – yes, even those teams who only have 14 students in their entire high school. True, we’re small, but we support one another. Don’t believe me? Go to your local library and request the movie “Class C” which was done by Montana PBS (or go to http://classcmovie.com/)
I don’t live in Turner, but have been their Postmaster for 6 years. I am from the little town of Loring, (32 miles east of here, and even smaller then Turner) The people of Turner are great and care a lot about their town. Even though I don’t live there, feel like I am part of them.
In response to your question what NBA teams we follow? Everybody in this area has their own favorites, Celtics, Nuggets, Bulls, etc. NFL, Seahawks, broncos, Vikings. MLB, Twins, Seattle, Cubs. But don’t forget the NHL, and Canada, we are only 375 miles from Calgary and the FLAMES! HOCKEY!!!
I live close to Turner and all I have to say is let them say the bad stuff about us. We don’t want any of their wierdos moving here anyway! Make em think it’s bad here and we call all continue to live in our wonderful neck of the woods. We’ll just keep it our little secret!
Major league sports? We don’t need no stinkin’ major league sports! We have the GRIZ! ‘Nuff said.
I am from Turner (grew up about 3 miles from Turner on a farm and ranch). I now live 17 miles from Turner (near Hogeland) and have 4 kids. I am happy as ever!! I love it here and the people too! (Just for the record.) Our four kids are Celtics fans, especially the older 2 (15 and 13). A lot of our friends kids also like the Celtics. Maybe it’s because their colors are green and white. (Those are our school colors!) I can’t say if there is any NBA team that is more loved than others in Montana, I think it is probably pretty mixed.