D-backs vanity plate popularity has fallen, but fans think numbers will increase again
The Diamondbacks' home game was a sell out for game 3 of the NLDS with nearly 50,000 strong cheering on the team.
But, how can you show you're fully committed as a fan? A license plate, maybe?
Driving around Chase Field we saw several plates, but rarely a D-backs one. We thought this would be a pretty good spot to find a few.
The search was turning into a needle in a haystack. Then, we found one.
"That's my team," Ed Osby said. "That's my home team."
The plates for his team are down in Arizona – as far as drivers choosing them as vanity plates when registering their cars.
For sports, the Cardinals reign supreme with 58,415 plates. ASU is second with over 31,000, the University of Arizona is at 20,000, the Suns have 11,000, and the Coyotes bring up the rear with 3,000 plates.
The D-backs popularity has dropped a lot since their 110-loss season two years ago – from nearly 12,000 – there are now 9,141 plates.
"I think it's possibly because of their records over the last few years," Osby said. "But they're a great team."
Does he think this year's playoff run is going to increase that number?
"I think it's going to help, yes," he said.
Nano Islam spotted Osby's plate and is now on board.
"I'm always repping the D-backs," he said. "It looks pretty sick. That's the one I'll get if not the Suns one. I actually like the D-backs one better because it's got the Sonoran red in it," Islam said.
It costs $25, and the vast majority goes to the Diamondbacks Foundation which helps with education initiatives statewide.
"That's one of the reasons I like doing it," Osby said. "I've had it for quite a while."
So, what's the no. 1 plate in the state?
That's the veterans plate, and the first responders plate is second. The Arizona highways plate is third and the Cardinals fall in line as fourth.