You get to locate 1 new team in each of the 5 major leagues. What cities do you pick?

Cirrus · #1 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 9:35 PM**

OK here's the game: Take the 5 highest-level major spectator sport leagues in the US & Canada (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS) and add one new team for each league. Tell us where you put them and why.

To help you, I've developed a spreadsheet that lists the metro areas in the US+Canada*, along with whether or not they have a team in the 5 sports. Use this if you want, but don't feel any obligation to.

Here's my play:

NFL: Virginia Beach
With only 8 homes games per year, NFL football thrives in small to medium-sized markets where there is not a lot of competition. There's a reason football is the only major league sport that can survive in Green Bay. The tailgating culture also makes suburban locations with large parking lots more ideal. Norfolk/Virginia Beach is one of the largest media markets without any major sports team, and in fact doesn't even have a major college team. It's a transient military-heavy city, pretty suburban, perfect for football and highly suspect for any other sport.

MLB: Newark, NJ
With 82 home games per year, baseball thrives in big urban cities where there are lot of people in surrounding neighborhoods who can just drop in to watch the nation's pass-time. It requires a big market, and really only thrives in particularly large markets. A 3rd New York-area team is more compelling than any other alternative at this point, and putting them in Newark where New Jersians can adopt them as a home, gives them a reason to exist that's better than just "welp how about #3 for NYC."

NBA: Las Vegas
Basketball thrives in cities that embrace superstardom and celebrity, like Los Angeles and Miami. Las Vegas is by far the most compelling option available.

NHL: Mississauga, Ontario
Hockey thrives in places where kids grow up playing hockey, meaning Canada and the northern US. Toronto is becoming large enough for two teams, and a competing franchise might push the Maple Leafs to do more than coast. Meanwhile, Mississauga is dying to be considered a bona fide city.

MLS: Austin
Soccer thrives in cities with either a lot of hipsters or a lot of Hispanics. Austin has both, and is the largest US market without any major league sports team (not counting Riverside, really just an LA suburb).

Buckeye Native 001 · #2 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 9:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

MLS: Austin
Soccer thrives in cities with either a lot of hipsters or a lot of Hispanics. Austin has both, and is the largest US market without any major league sports team (not counting Riverside, really just an LA suburb).

Ooof, that's a bit of a sore point in Columbus, OH right now...

Possibly an addendum to your post: Which teams should be moved to new locations?

JManc · #3 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 9:44 PM**

Austin is too hipster and cool for pro-sports.

Plus they have UT.

HomeInMyShoes · #4 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 9:57 PM**

NFL: all we need to do is find the largest center in North America without a team and the highest consumption of Budweiser products. No, wait, that would be the next place to host a NASCAR event. No, that would be Coors.

MLB: Portland. Largest center without a team in the state.

NBA: Seatlle. They want the team back. Just need to find an owner. Otherwise, Kansas City has a pretty nice arena and no major sports tenant.

NHL: Quebec City. Stadium. Fans. Screw the corporations, it would be an electric atmosphere for hockey.

MLS: St. Louis, although they might be getting a team. Large craft-beer established hipster crowd and a hate on for the NFL. Sounds like a perfect match.

Obadno · #5 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 10:12 PM**

NFL: Im thinking OKC or maybe another Florida team Like Orlando. You only need about 2 million (roughly the sized of Phoenix when the Cardinals moved)

So by that metric you could even do salt lake (CSA is 2.5 million) Portland, Sacramento, Even Vegas but the NFL doesn't not seem to want vegas.

MLB: Salt Lake The BEEES! I just want the Bees to be a team a major league team

NHL: Take our coyotes we are sick of their complaining , move them to Quebec

MLS: Who cares.

Steely Dan · #6 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 10:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obadno

the NFL doesn't seem to want vegas.

uh, the Raiders are moving to Vegas in 2020.

the new stadium is already U/C.

source: https://vitalvegas.com/raiders-stadi...-way-in-vegas/

Obadno · #7 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 10:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

uh, the Raiders are moving to Vegas in 2020.

the new stadium is already U/C.

I completely forgot about that lol

James Bond Agent 007 · #8 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 10:31 PM**

I'd be more interested in shuffling around existing teams than adding new ones.

Boisebro · #9 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 10:58 PM**

NFL: Vancouver... but only if they play in an outdoor venue on real turf.

NBA: Pittsburgh. we already know what the team colors will be.

MLB: Portland. need more teams in the west.

NHL: Milwaukee is long overdue.

MLS: Albuquerque.

llamaorama · #10 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 11:10 PM**

NFL:San Antonio?

MLB: I don't really like baseball and don't follow it. IMHO Baseball is an elaborate excuse to sit outdoors and drink beer. It works best in huge cities with stadiums in traditionally urban settings. Portland isn't a huge city, but it is a nice city to sit outdoors in and drink beer. And there's a group proposing to bring the MLB there now.

NBA: Bring it back to Seattle. Far too important of a market to not have a team.

NHL: Quebec

MLS: Probably Austin.

10023 · #11 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 11:19 PM**

Nowhere.

All of these leagues already have too many teams.

ThePhun1 · #12 Posted **Jun 7, 2018, 11:28 PM**

I always say that if I was an owner and given a billion or two, I'd locate a team in New Jersey or LA. Rather than big a big fish in a small pond, I'd be a medium sized fish in a giant pond.

NFL: San Diego (I'd just move the Chargers back)
MLB: LA or NJ
NHL: Quebec or Toronto/Hamilton. Houston is also big enough where even if most of us could care less we still could support one.
NBA: Anaheim or Newark
MLS: Who cares...same for the NHL really but I at least know hockey belongs in Canada.

SunDevil · #13 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 12:59 AM**

I know college sports is a different breed, but they also show that small to midsized metros can fill 50,000+ football stadiums and 15,000-20,000 basketball arenas. Of course, college teams don't typically need big corporate money so I would aim toward metros of about 1 million or more.

NFL: Birmingham, AL
NBA: Seattle, assuming arena issues are not a problem, otherwise, Baltimore.
MLB: Charlotte, NC
NHL: I'm stuck between Milwaukee and Hamilton
MLS: No Idea... Phoenix? but it's so hot in the summer.

Omaharocks · #14 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 2:28 AM**

NFL: Oklahoma City, but I also like Cirrus' idea for Virginia Beach
NHL: Milwaukee
MLB: Portland
NBA: Seattle
MLS: Austin or Phoenix

MolsonExport · #15 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 4:14 AM**

NHL: Slidell
NBA: Fort McMurray
MLB: Plattsburgh
NFL: Medicine Hat
MLS: Bismarck

ThePhun1 · #16 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 5:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunDevil

I know college sports is a different breed, but they also show that small to midsized metros can fill 50,000+ football stadiums and 15,000-20,000 basketball arenas. Of course, college teams don't typically need big corporate money so I would aim toward metros of about 1 million or more.

NFL: Birmingham, AL
NBA: Seattle, assuming arena issues are not a problem, otherwise, Baltimore.
MLB: Charlotte, NC
NHL: I'm stuck between Milwaukee and Hamilton
MLS: No Idea... Phoenix? but it's so hot in the summer.

I'm sure Phoenix would build a retractable roof stadium or one with canopies on both sides as you see in modern stadiums. Or they could just use the lower deck at UoP.

skyscraperpage17 · #17 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 5:17 AM**

MLS - Detroit
NBA - Seattle
NFL - St. Louis
NHL - Atlanta
MLB - Nashville

pdxtex · #18 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 6:07 AM**

hmmm, id say the following sports in the following locations would be successful.

nfl = mexico city
mlb = portland, oregon
nhl = seattle
nba = las vegas
mls = detroit

RC14 · #19 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 10:54 AM**

NBA: Seattle not only needs the NBA back, they need the Supersonics back.
Runners up would be: Las Vegas, Mexico City and Jackson, MS (Mississippi or
Alabama needs an NBA team.)

NHL: Also Seattle

NFL: Oklahoma City seems the most hungry for it. Salt Lake City would also be a good choice but will probably never happen.

MLB: I don't follow baseball that much. Maybe make the Albuquerque Isotopes an MLB team.

MLS: El Paso?

ThePhun1 · #20 Posted **Jun 8, 2018, 12:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC14

NBA: Seattle not only needs the NBA back, they need the Supersonics back.
Runners up would be: Las Vegas, Mexico City and Jackson, MS (Mississippi or
Alabama needs an NBA team.)

NHL: Also Seattle

NFL: Oklahoma City seems the most hungry for it. Salt Lake City would also be a good choice but will probably never happen.

MLB: I don't follow baseball that much. Maybe make the Albuquerque Isotopes an MLB team.

MLS: El Paso?

If the Albuquerque Isotopes tried to become a Big League team, there'd be copyright issues. They're likely allowed to use the name because they're a minor league franchise, not well known to the masses.