New major league sports teams

[Takumi]

I was looking at the map that I posted a few minutes ago and was looking at Utah. It's Yankees and Red Sox. That goes up into Idaho and Montana too. It's strange looking at these states that don't have teams it's like they are mostly Yankees fans by default.

Yankees first, Red Sox second is across the entire country as a background, overlaid by fanbases. The 2014 map I showed also has this phenomenon in non-DC-area Virginia. I don't know if Washington has expanded its fanbase in the nine years between then and now.

The New York Times map shows percentages for each of the top three places, and it can be seen even within fanbases for second and third choice. Yankees also edge out Cardinals in Memphis and Braves in Nashville (in the cities only), although with only 18-22%.

Perhaps winning a World Series in 2019 helped them but then they kind of fell backwards after that with 3 straight last place finishes and they are in last place so far this year too. Oddly enough the Nationals scored the most runs in franchise history that year including Montreal and Bryce Harper was already in Philly by then go figure. But outside of Rendon, Turner, Soto and Kendrick I don't see what that lineup had perhaps just some timely hitting and the pitching wasn't bad I guess. But as far as a fan base I think it probably expanded a little more in the last 9 years.

Speaking as someone who lives in non-DC-area Virginia, no, not really. I see more Yankee, Red Sox, Oriole, Brave, and even Met fans than Nats fans, and many of the Nats fans I do meet moved down here from the DC suburbs. They are the embodiment of Northern Virginia, which causes resentment among some people in the rest of the state.

There were quite a few Mets fans in Tidewater when I lived there as the Norfolk Tides were the Mets AAA team. They changed to an Orioles affiliate my last year there so I don't know if those fans changed favorite teams. It's also about when the Nats moved from Montreal so I have no idea if they have a SE VA fan base.

At one point they were at least trying to make the Orioles connection stronger. Somewhere I’ve got a Tides cap that has the particular black & orange hues of the Orioles uniform. A few years ago the Tides radically changed their logo and uniforms.


However, the orange is still prominently featured in the trim, and the team has frequently sells shirseys (shirts based on replica jerseys) of prominent Oriole stars that were formerly Tides, such as Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez, but they still have a throwback to the Mets era with the old logo and number of former Mets great David Wright, who’s from Chesapeake.

[triplemultiplex]

ESPN writer lobbying for a Mexico City MLB team

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36312333/why-mexican-capital-faces-uphill-climb-landing-major-league-baseball-franchise

The way things are going with the talent pool, Santo Domingo and Caracas should be in the mix.

[mgk920]

ESPN writer lobbying for a Mexico City MLB team

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36312333/why-mexican-capital-faces-uphill-climb-landing-major-league-baseball-franchise

Could they by then also be interested in Guadalajara and Monterrey?

Mike

[TheHighwayMan3561]

ESPN writer lobbying for a Mexico City MLB team

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36312333/why-mexican-capital-faces-uphill-climb-landing-major-league-baseball-franchise

The way things are going with the talent pool, Santo Domingo and Caracas should be in the mix.

Joking aside, Caracas obviously is a non-starter in the current political environment. San Juan would be another that would make sense for a team with the Rays and Expos flirting with it as temporary solutions to their stadium issues in the last 20 years.

[KCRoadFan]

I would like to see a new NBA team here in KC - after all, we do already have a suitable arena downtown.

Just think - if the arena had been built a couple decades before it actually was, perhaps the Kings (who left in 1985) might still be here today.

[Henry]

I would like to see a new NBA team here in KC - after all, we do already have a suitable arena downtown.

Just think - if the arena had been built a couple decades before it actually was, perhaps the Kings (who left in 1985) might still be here today.

Kansas City would be a great town to add back to the league, but as it stands right now, Seattle and Las Vegas are the frontrunners for expansion. In any scenario, someone from the West will have to move to the East (Grizzlies or Pelicans?).

Seattle's rebuilt arena looks much better than it ever did; a Sonics comeback is long overdue, as we've come up on 15 years since the previous team's idiot owner carpetbagged them to Oklahoma City.

[Flint1979]

I can't see Vegas supporting both an NHL team and an NBA team. Everyone seems to think just because they have gamlbing and shows there that they should for some reason be a four sport city. And let's keep in mind that hardly anyone there is actually native to Las Vegas meaning that these people most likely already have a favorite team and depending on fans of the visiting team isn't the best thing to do. They already have the Raiders, Golden Knights and the A's most likely moving there, it would be among the smallest markets for a four sport city and outside of Vegas which already has things to do Nevada is nothing.

[Scott5114]

I can't see Vegas supporting both an NHL team and an NBA team. Everyone seems to think just because they have gamlbing and shows there that they should for some reason be a four sport city.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area is the same size as that of other cities that can support multiple sports teams, such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Vegas adding pro sports is a somewhat different model than other markets. While the metro is large enough to support local fan bases, another intention is to expand their offerings for visitors to appeal to broader audiences - in other words, the Raiders, Knights, and A's are intended to be more options for visitors in the same vein of (formerly) Siegfried and Roy, or Penn & Teller, or the various residential musical/theatrical options. Especially for something like the NFL it works well for visiting fans to spend a weekend in Vegas to see their favorite team when they go there to play the Raiders.

[Flint1979]

I can't see Vegas supporting both an NHL team and an NBA team. Everyone seems to think just because they have gamlbing and shows there that they should for some reason be a four sport city.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area is the same size as that of other cities that can support multiple sports teams, such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.

I'm talking about cities with an NBA and NHL team. The NFL isn't a difficult sell since there aren't as many home games compared to the other three sports. You're only playing once a week compared to every night just about with an MLB team and 3-5 nights a week with an NBA and NHL team. And the NHL and NBA seasons almost completely overlap too so you have to have a pretty solid fan base in both sports.

[skluth]

I can't see Vegas supporting both an NHL team and an NBA team. Everyone seems to think just because they have gamlbing and shows there that they should for some reason be a four sport city.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area is the same size as that of other cities that can support multiple sports teams, such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.

I'm talking about cities with an NBA and NHL team. The NFL isn't a difficult sell since there aren't as many home games compared to the other three sports. You're only playing once a week compared to every night just about with an MLB team and 3-5 nights a week with an NBA and NHL team. And the NHL and NBA seasons almost completely overlap too so you have to have a pretty solid fan base in both sports.

The NBA is probably good with their summer hoops league in Vegas. Regarding the NFL, NHL, and MLB all being in Vegas, I'm most worried about MLB. It gets scorching hot in summer but I guess if there's a team in Phoenix then Vegas can be done. People forget that there's a huge number of flights from all over the Southwest to Vegas so the Bay Area, So Cal, and Arizona teams' fans can all get to games in Vegas pretty easily even if it's just one night. I agree supporting both an NBA and NHL team is problematic but Vegas is so different from anywhere else that it could work.

[Ted$8roadFan]

A poll says the public is split on public funding for a new Las Vegas A's stadium:

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/poll-plurality-of-nevadans-support-public-funding-for-as-stadium

[Henry]

If for some crazy reason the Las Vegas deal falls flat on its face, what would the A's have for Plan B? AFAIK, they've been putting their eggs in the basket that is Sin City, and there is no guarantee that the move will actually occur. Oakland needs to revive the Howard Terminal project just in case it does not. At least the Rays have a more solid plan for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.

[Henry]

At least the Rays have a more solid plan for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.

Or maybe not, because Orlando is now trying to lure them away, thanks to a new proposal by the same guy who brought the NBA's Magic there. And he plans to rebrand them as the Dreamers, as a kicker.

[triplemultiplex]

And he plans to rebrand them as the Dreamers, as a kicker.

That's a youth soccer team name, not an MLB team name.

[Big John]

And he plans to rebrand them as the Dreamers, as a kicker.

That's a youth soccer team name, not an MLB team name.

or a WNBA team, Atlanta Dream