JUCO Poll: Not Everybody In Grand Junction Has Baseball Fever

It's one of the biggest events of the year in Grand Junction, but not everyone is drinking the kool-aid.

The Alpine Bank Junior College World Series has been happening in Grand Junction for over 50 years. If ever there was a tradition in Grand Junction, this is it. More than 100,000 fans fill Suplizio Field every year. (I realize that people who attend more than one game get counted more than once.) However, the fact is, as popular as it is, JUCO is no different than any of the Grand Valley festivals we have each year. There is nothing that appeals to everyone.

I asked the question on Facebook to try and get a feel for how the average Grand Junction resident feels about watching baseball games featuring teams and players they know nothing about. As one might expect the reaction was mixed, but I was a bit surprised to see how many people haven't been to a single JUCO baseball game.

You have your JUCO diehards who go to several games every year, and you have some casual fans who might take in a game or two. And then there are those who just don't go, They aren't interested - and that is perfectly okay.

Here are some of the responses:

"I haven't been to one game, but I would love to go. I love baseball."
"Have never been to a JUCO game."
"Many! My kids are grown and don't live here, but I still go"
"Not one time have I been to a game."
"Nope, not interested."
"Nope, never been to one."
"Lived here my entire life and not been to one JUCO game."
"Fireworks night, once."
"Lived here since '94 and never been to one."
"I have been every year for 40 years."
"Yeah, but it's been a while."
"I was to one. More to come."
"Shame on me, been here my life, never went."
"Yes, I have a couple."
" Nope.Never!!"
"Nope!"
"Nope."
"Nope."
"No."
"Never."

JUCO is a fun experience for anyone who enjoys watching baseball. You may not know the players or the teams, but it's a great atmosphere with passionate fans, ballpark food, and an awesome facility. However, I get that not everyone is a baseball fan and it's not going to appeal to everyone any more than a fashion show, bridal show, or RV show would.

I don't go as much as I used to, and there are some particular reasons for that, which I won't go into right now. But, I can tell you, if you like baseball at all, you need to go see what all the fuss is about. I'm pretty sure you're going to have a great time.