red sox nation is just a ploy to make money, and improve fenway. In the 80s/90s, fenway was by no means a pleasant place. The people sucked, the stadium was barely standing, and for the most part, the team sucked. I remember going to sox games when i was little, and it wasn't at all what it is today. Hell, they didn't even have a mascot.
damn near everything about the modern red sox comes from the new ownership that took over in 02 or 03 i think. Prior to that, everything was done as if they were a minor league team. That's what got sox fans such a bad rep. There used to be fights and everything, and it wasn't a great experience. Oh, and my source for this info is a man who's worked for, and been to every single red sox game since the start of the 1967 season.
As for the people of sox nation...from what i've seen, its mostly older people, or people with young kids. And you're saying this as if no other team has fans who wear the various merchandise they sell. I'm in a different goddamn country yet i think in the last 3 weeks ive seen more variations of a yankees hat than i saw red sox hats at fenway all summer.