Image via Complex Original
Election Day in America is already well under way, and the world's most powerful nation still has no idea who will be piloting this ship come January. But we have all night to worry about who will be President. This is about what's really important—sports bragging rights.
With the United States of America more fractured than anytime in recent memory, it seems as if the Red vs. Blue battle lines have already clearly been drawn. But which side is the best when it comes to sports? Do red states dominate football? Do blue states dominate basketball? Would anyone care if we pretended like the NHL didn't exist? Check out below as we break down the regular season records of red state teams and blue state teams (using fivethirtyeight.com's most up to date polling map) to find out which side of the aisle owns American athletics.
National Basketball Association
Red state teams: 11
Red state record: 39-36
Red state win percentage: .520
Best red state team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Blue state teams: 18
Blue state record: 60-61
Blue state win percentage: .495
Best blue state team: Los Angeles Clippers
In the early stages of the 2016-17 season, red state teams are very slightly out-pacing their blue counterparts. Led by the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers, red state teams thus far are flourishing. The Oklahoma City Thunder are surprisingly leading the Western Conference, the Spurs are playing typical excellent Spurs basketball, and even with the 0-7 red state Pelicans wasting Anthony Davis' talent like Trump wastes fast-food fried chicken, the conservative basketball clubs are holding their own this season. If Hillary pulls out a victory, don't let it distract you from the fact that a certain blue state basketball team blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
National Football League
Red state teams: 11
Red state record: 45-45-2
Red state win percentage: .500
Best red state team: Dallas Cowboys
Blue state teams: 21
Blue state record: 86-86-2
Blue state win percentage: .500
Best blue state team: New England Patriots
IT'S A DRAW! Somehow, someway, when it comes to NFL football, red states and blue states couldn't be more even. They're so even at this point of the season that both sides split the number of ties. The Dallas Cowboys—a team that still maintains it's "America's Team" moniker even though there's literally another team named the PATRIOTS who have won four Super Bowls since the Cowboys won their last—are leading the red state charge much to owner Jerry Jones' delight. On the other side, the perennially-contending Masshole Pats lead the blue states (and the AFC) with a 7-1 record, partly due to the MVP-level play of Tom Brady, a (reluctant?) Trump supporter. Too bad football is a team sport, Tommy boy. In this context, you're the blue state savior.
Major League Baseball
Red state teams: 8
Red state record: 645-649
Red state win percentage: .498
Best red state team: Cleveland Indians
Blue state teams: 21
Blue state record: 1693-1705
Blue state win percentage: .498
Best blue state team: Chicago Cubs
Who knew the country was so evenly divided from a sports perspective? Even with more than double the number of teams, the blue state clubs have nearly the exact win percentage as those in the red states. Sure, the blue state (and, well, just blue) Cubs had the best regular season record and went on to win their first World Series in 108 years, but it wasn't enough to lean baseball's power balance to the liberal left. Clubs like the Indians, Rangers, and Cardinals kept the red states in it during the regular season, and even though the lowly Reds and Braves didn't have their best seasons, the blue state Rays and Twins were worse.