Competing US Major sports Leagues

[Desert Man]

In North America (the US and Canada), there are 5 professional or major sports leagues: the MLB (baseball), NBA (basketball), NFL (American football), NHL (ice hockey) and MLS (soccer/football). And yes, lots of minor leagues (examples: Pacific Coast and California leagues in baseball in my state CA) and collegiate sports leagues across the country.

On occasion, a competing smaller league comes...and goes, many have folded due to lack of profit and fanfare. And in rare cases like the American Football League or AFL merged with the competitor league, and 4 teams each from the American Basketball Association (ABA) and World Hockey Association (WHA) joined the competitor league.

If you have only one major league per sport, this is a form of monopoly and antitrust cases were settled in courts between competitor leagues per sport. I wonder if a second baseball, basketball, American football or ice hockey league will be established in North America, in cities where the current operating leagues aren't likely to grant a team.

The NHL has granted the 31st team to Las Vegas NV, but the 32nd team remains undecided, possibly Quebec city will be chosen. They had the Nordiques (from 1972-95, in NHL since 1978).

Example given (my fantasy league I call it): the International Hockey League (IHL)
20 possible team sites (about 4 in Canada, where it will work out the most).
Alaska (Anchorage), Birmingham Ala (they had a team the Bulls in the 1970s), Chicago (second pro hockey team, may be in Aurora IL or Gary IN), Cleveland, Halifax or Nova scotia, Hartford (once had the Whalers 1972-97, in NHL since 1978), Houston (the late Gordie Howe in the Aeros), Kansas City (KS side has the Sprint center or Topeka), Oakland (the Seals NHL team 1967-76), Orlando (in FL), Saskatchewan (most likely Saskatoon), Salt Lake City or Provo UT, San Diego (in CA), Seattle (or Tacoma), Toronto (or Hamilton ON), Virginia (Virginia Beach-Norfolk area) and some smaller places Fort Wayne IN, Grand Rapids MI, OK City or Tulsa and Victoria BC Canada.

I substitute Alaska (too far out) for Atlanta, a city with 2 NHL teams in the past: Flames 1972-79 and Thrashers 1999-2011.

My league conferences and divisions.
EASTERN
DIVISION A: Halifax, Hartford, Hamilton, Orlando, Virginia.
DIVISION B: Atlanta, Birmingham, Cleveland, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids.

WESTERN
DIVISION A: Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan.
DIVISION B: Oakland, San Diego, Seattle, Utah, Victoria.

Last edit: If there was my league's finals (let's call it the I-cup), the Cleveland Monsters (based on the minor league team's recent victory in the AHL championship) defeated the retro Houston Aeros (the largest US major city without a NHL team).

[mgk920]

I'm thinking that such would not be a worry in any sport that would operate on an overseas model of promotion and relegation, this due to easy entry and exit from the entire 'federation'.

Mike

[DandyDan]

The problem with your league is there is no team in New York.  Any league worth its money wants to be in the media capital of the world.  And it would probably go the way of the XFL were it to actually come to fruition.  Unless the current sports leagues adopt a promotion and relegation model (extremely unlikely), I doubt there would be real interest in another sports league.

As an Omaha area resident (for another month), I am disappointed you didn't decide on Omaha as a city for a hockey team.  Omaha has the arena (CenturyLink Center) and a market for hockey, but a pro team would probably kill either the USHL's Lancers or college hockey's Omaha (UNO) Mavericks.

[Desert Man]

The problem with your league is there is no team in New York.  Any league worth its money wants to be in the media capital of the world.  And it would probably go the way of the XFL were it to actually come to fruition.  Unless the current sports leagues adopt a promotion and relegation model (extremely unlikely), I doubt there would be real interest in another sports league.

As an Omaha area resident (for another month), I am disappointed you didn't decide on Omaha as a city for a hockey team.  Omaha has the arena (CenturyLink Center) and a market for hockey, but a pro team would probably kill either the USHL's Lancers or college hockey's Omaha (UNO) Mavericks.

Omaha Neb. would make a candidate for a pro basketball team though, their history sharing the Kansas City Kings in the 1970s and early 1980s. The USFL fielded the Omaha Nighthawks and I believe a pro soccer team (or was it in Lincoln Neb.) in the 1970s-80s as well. Omaha is the site of the annual College Baseball World Series. If they can support a pro hockey team, I'm all for it.

The alternative International Pro Basketball League (similarly with 20 teams):
Albany or Syracuse NY, Anaheim or Long Beach CA, Boise ID, Buffalo or Rochester NY, Cincinnati, Des Moines or Davenport IA, Hartford CT, Kansas City or Omaha NE, Las Vegas, Louisville KY, Newark NJ (formerly had the NBA Nets), Pittsburgh, San Francisco (their new arena might not have the Golden State Warriors play there), St. Louis (formerly had the NBA Hawks), San Diego (formerly had the NBA Rockets and Clippers), San Jose CA, Seattle (formerly had the NBA SuperSonics), Tampa or St Petersburg FL, Vancouver BC Canada (formerly had the NBA Grizzlies) and Virginia Beach.

If the NBA decides to grant future teams to Seattle and Las Vegas, then the fantasy league has teams in Little Rock, AR and Albuquerque, NM.

Conference/Divisional alignments:
EASTERN
DIVISION A: Albany, Buffalo, Connecticut (Hartford), New Jersey, Pittsburgh.
DIVISION B: Cincinnati, Kentucky (Louisville), St. Louis, Tampa, Virginia.

WESTERN
DIVISION A: Albuquerque, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas City/Omaha.
DIVISION B: Anaheim, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Vancouver.

Now if the GS Warriors played in SF's new arena, I replace SF with Puerto Rico (San Juan). Thus Puerto Rico is in Eastern-A, Pittsburgh in Eastern-B, St. Louis in Western-A and Albuquerque in Western-B.

And who would be the champions? KC/Omaha Bobcats (briefly the name of the new NBA Charlotte Hornets) over Virginia Squires (ABA team name 1967-76).

[Desert Man]

And the last one: a new American pro football league, filled in voids of departed and soon-to-relocate teams. The Millennium American Football League! And the first champions of the Millennium Bowl in Canton OH: the Wisconsin Wolfpack defeated the San Diego SunDogs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
DIVISION A: Chicago, Connecticut (Hartford or New Haven), Ohio (Canton or Akron), Toronto, Wisconsin (Madison or Milwaukee).
DIVISION B: Birmingham, Charleston, Memphis, Orlando, Shreveport.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
DIVISION A: El Paso, Nebraska (Omaha), Oklahoma (Tulsa), St. Louis, San Antonio.
DIVISION B: Hawaii, Mexico City, Oakland, San Diego, Utah (Provo or Salt Lake).

[Stephane Dumas]

Not directly a cometing US major sports league, there some independents leagues like the Can-Am baseball league and some others who fill some void left by a major league team or minor team affiliates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_baseball_league

[Desert Man]

Not directly a cometing US major sports league, there some independents leagues like the Can-Am baseball league and some others who fill some void left by a major league team or minor team affiliates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_baseball_league

Thanks for sharing, SD. The Arizona Winter League (soon to be renamed the American West Winter League) is an example, they have 6-8 teams (2 in Yuma AZ, one in Phoenix, one in Tucson, one in El Paso TX, one in Laredo TX and one in Brownsville TX, plus a road team representing Puebla, Mexico). And there's the American West Summer League, which I can't find on wikipedia has 6 summer teams in AZ (Bisbee-Douglas, Nogales US side - "Team Mexico", Sierra Vista, Tucson, & 2 in Yuma- the Wranglers and "Team Canada").