AHC: American Sports in a Confederate Secession World

Hm, let me go down the line then..




Southern (Confederate States) Major League's
  • Major League Cricket (MLC)/Nickname: 'Dixie Cricket'
  • Major League Rugby (MLR) a/o Southern Rugby Conference (SRC)/Nickname: 'Dixieball'
  • Major League Soccer (MLS)/Nickname: Southern Groundball/Football
  • Confederate League Baseball (CLB) a/o Southern Baseball Conference (SBC)/Nickname: 'Southern Battersman' or 'Dixie Bat and Mitt'
  • Southern Association for Automobile Racing (SAAR) [Broke away from NASCAR in the early 1950's]
Northern (United States) Major League's
  • Major League Baseball (MLB)
  • Major League Football (MLF)
  • Major League Soccer (MLC) a/o N-American League Soccer (N-ALS)
  • Major League Hockey (MLH)
Shared/Similar
  • National Athletic Sport Conference (NASC)
Just some ideas conjured up. I still want to hear more before wrapping things up.
Thanks for the thoughts and ideas guys!

-Az

First thought: How do you see relations between the North and South ITTL? If they are relatively cordial you may get baseball and gridiron in the South; otherwise, probably not - take the contempt that the IOTL US populace has for soccer and increase it by an order of magnitude.

Second thought: maybe trying a bit too hard with the "Dixie" branding; I can see "Confederate" and/or "Southern" being used as well. e.g. "Confederate Rugby Union" or "Southern Cricket Board".

Third thought - NASCAR is at least somewhat contingent upon Prohibition, which may be butterflied away.

Fourth thought: Which cities do you see having professional (or major league, if cricket & rugby are played at a high level and maintain their amateur status)? You may want to solicit locations and team names. (I may respond w/ suggestions tomorrow).

TB-ES
 
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d32123

Banned
Despite obvious increased British influence in the Confederacy, I suspect that the most influential country in the Confederacy would be the United States.

American Football (though with different rules) would probably be the most popular sport in both countries. I could see each country having its own set of rules, but I could see them, depending on the type of relationship the two countries have with one another, forming into some common league. Maybe instead of the AFC and NFC we'd have the UFC and CFC.

Baseball would probably be quite popular in both countries, and like football I could see them forming some common league.

Basketball would probably get butterflied away. I could see something like handball filling the void.

British sports would probably be popular among the upper class of both countries.
 

Dialga

Banned
I'd have baseball in the CSA have its own idiosyncracies, e. g. games can end in ties like they do in Japan. Don't know why, just a thought. :confused:
 

d32123

Banned
I'd have baseball in the CSA have its own idiosyncracies, e. g. games can end in ties like they do in Japan. Don't know why, just a thought. :confused:

Games can end in a tie in Japan so that people can catch the trains in time (or something like that). Undoubtedly there would be other small differences in the rules, though I could see an attempt at standardization being pushed.
 
Despite obvious increased British influence in the Confederacy, I suspect that the most influential country in the Confederacy would be the United States.

American Football (though with different rules) would probably be the most popular sport in both countries. I could see each country having its own set of rules, but I could see them, depending on the type of relationship the two countries have with one another, forming into some common league. Maybe instead of the AFC and NFC we'd have the UFC and CFC.

Baseball would probably be quite popular in both countries, and like football I could see them forming some common league.

Basketball would probably get butterflied away. I could see something like handball filling the void.

British sports would probably be popular among the upper class of both countries.

As I said above, it all depends on what the OP intends as to USA-CSA relations. If there is a thawing of relations, you could very well be right.

If there is a "Cold War" between the two, choosing to play or watch "Yankee sports" could be considered a sign of disloyalty.

TB-EI
 
Well, in a similar thread I made earlier in the year, Baseball came to be called Townsball, and it became popular in the south either way. We also discussed Gridiron catching on in the South just with slightly different rules, there being a CSA League, a Union League, and a Canadian League.

Anyways, I even went and made a list of teams in a CSA Townsball league:

The NTL, National Townsball League.

NTL:

  • Charleston Rebels
  • Richmond Confederates
  • Georgia Nobles(Milledgeville)*
  • Louisville Sluggers
  • Sequoyah Braves
  • Houston Cowboys
  • Dallas Rangers
  • Florida Rustlers(Jacksonville)**
  • Tampa Bay Rays
  • Nashville Sounds
  • Montgomery Aces
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Jackson Generals
  • Stonewall Daimondbacks***

*: Located in Milledgeville who continued to grow instead of decline without its sacking in the Civil War, and without Atlanta becoming the capital.
**:Located in Jacksonville
***: An ATL city in the state of Arizona(which encompasses OTL southern New Mexico and Arizona)

That's 14 Baseball teams, with every state but Arkansas having one.
 
Thanks for replies and comments. I have testing this Saturday and will be gone for the upcoming weekdays. I will read and go over anything I miss, so don't hesitate from continuing this thread unless you want me to give replies to each individual comments, which will be done eventualy. The List will be edited for simpler use, with each sport having its own main topic and give information on the Major and Minor Leagues falling into each catagory. Ciao till then.

Note: I agree to most of whats posted here because I lack creativity (Hence, my overuse of certain terms like 'Dixie). Attempts to improve will be made eventualy, but only long-term wise.

-Az
 
Sorta suprised none have mentioned this one yet, but what about horse racing? Very popular in the day, and still somewhat popular now (though mostly for the common public it's come down to just the Triple Crown pursuit in the United States). In such a split using OTL's US Triple Crown, you would have the Kentucky Derby (Louisville, KY) in the Confederate States, with the Preakness Stakes (Baltimore, MD) and Belmont Stakes (Elmont, NY) in the United States.

I could see a Triple Crown in the United States being spread out across the country, perhaps a race in California along with those in Maryland and New York, or even dropping one of those races in favor of one in the Midwest, Illinois or there abouts. For the Confederacy, if we decide to spread the races out across the nation as well, besides Kentucky I would think either Florida, South Carolina (I can just picture races taking place in Charleston for some odd reason), and/or Texas/Louisiana, for a race out West.
 
Well, it took a bit longer than I had planned, but here's the lineup of teams in the Confederate Rugby Union (CRU). Two divisions, with promotion / relegation.

Division 1:

Birmingham Bulls
Charleston Chiefs
Charlotte Blues
Columbia Renegades
Dallas Stars
Georgia Giants
Houston Roughnecks
Jacksonville Panthers
Knoxville Knights
Memphis Eagles
Miami Marlins
Mobile Hurricanes
New Orleans Pilots
Norfolk Privateers
Richmond Capitols
Tampa Trojans

Division 2:

Amarillo Rangers
Augusta Hawks
Austin Mavericks
Chattanooga Partisans
Davis Rattlers *
Lexington Legion
Little Rock Stags
Louisville Lions
Mississippi Generals
Montgomery Harlequins
Nashville Saracens
Raleigh Rebels
San Antonio Saints
Sequoyah Warriors
Shreveport Stallions
Sonora Condors *
Stonewall Coyotes **
Tupelo Tigers

Notes: Assumes Kentucky, but not Missouri, is part of the CSA

* Sonora & Chihuahua have been acquired from Mexico; Chihuahua (the state) has been renamed Jefferson, Chihuahua (the city) has been renamed Davis.

** As per upthread comment with the NTL (National Townsball League), this is in ITTL Arizona, which consists of southern IOTL Arizona / New Mexico.
 
Well, it took a bit longer than I had planned, but here's the lineup of teams in the Confederate Rugby Union (CRU). Two divisions, with promotion / relegation.

Division 1:

Birmingham Bulls
Charleston Chiefs
Charlotte Blues
Columbia Renegades
Dallas Stars
Georgia Giants
Houston Roughnecks
Jacksonville Panthers
Knoxville Knights
Memphis Eagles
Miami Marlins
Mobile Hurricanes
New Orleans Pilots
Norfolk Privateers
Richmond Capitols
Tampa Trojans

Division 2:

Amarillo Rangers
Augusta Hawks
Austin Mavericks
Chattanooga Partisans
Davis Rattlers *
Lexington Legion
Little Rock Stags
Louisville Lions
Mississippi Generals
Montgomery Harlequins
Nashville Saracens
Raleigh Rebels
San Antonio Saints
Sequoyah Warriors
Shreveport Stallions
Sonora Condors *
Stonewall Coyotes **
Tupelo Tigers

Notes: Assumes Kentucky, but not Missouri, is part of the CSA

* Sonora & Chihuahua have been acquired from Mexico; Chihuahua (the state) has been renamed Jefferson, Chihuahua (the city) has been renamed Davis.

** As per upthread comment with the NTL (National Townsball League), this is in ITTL Arizona, which consists of southern IOTL Arizona / New Mexico.


So you'd have the City of Davis, Jefferson lol I'll bet that would be hard to get used to at first.
 
So you'd have the City of Davis, Jefferson lol I'll bet that would be hard to get used to at first.

Partly for the amusement factor, partly because Jefferson Davis may be a divisive figure within his lifetime, so naming the state Jefferson allows the figleaf of also naming it after Thomas Jefferson. Naming the city Davis doesn't require congressional approval.

I assume in my conceptual TL, from which I've cribbed some of this, CSA politics is somewhat like Irish politics IOTL, in that the parties are not primarily divided on left / right lines, but on personalities and issues surrounding the Civil War / peace treaty with the US.

TB-ES
 

NothingNow

Banned
Miami Marlins
It's unlikely for Miami to develop really. IOTL it was pushed by a number of factors that frankly, South Florida in an independent CSA wouldn't have. Namely shit tons of Cuban immigrants and the intentional development by a Yankee railroad magnate.

Gainesville, St. Augustine and Cedar Key are more likely.
Key West would be an option if not for the US Navy likely jealously holding the island. Plus there's the whole island a few hundred miles from the nearest confederate port (Tampa,) when Tampa itself is hilariously isolated from the rest of the CSA thanks to state politics.
 

Dialga

Banned
I can see Olympic-style shooting becoming popular in a CSA-victory TL as a legacy of dueling. Just a thought.
 
I'd have baseball in the CSA have its own idiosyncracies, e. g. games can end in ties like they do in Japan. Don't know why, just a thought. :confused:

Games can end in a tie in Japan so that people can catch the trains in time (or something like that). Undoubtedly there would be other small differences in the rules, though I could see an attempt at standardization being pushed.

Rather than standardization, you may get deliberate movement apart.

Look at canadian and us football, ie gridiron. And canada and the states are much friendlier than the union and csa would be.
 
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