Having a professional sports team in any of the major leagues in the United States has been known to automatically help a city in many ways. From sports and cultural relevance to economic relief, having a professional sports organization in your town usually means many great profits. As time goes by and the sports industry always looking for new ways to grow and reach more fan bases the idea of expansion always looks as a very attractive alternative. Let’s look at what the three major sports leagues in the US have in plans regarding adding new teams to their rosters. Seattle sports betting fans beware, your time is coming!
Is it Time for the NBA To Expand, Why Yes It Is!
Let’s take a walk down memory lane for a second, to 1995 and 2004 in specific. The mid 90’s saw the NBA go north to Canada with the creation of two new franchises at the time, the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies. Moving forward to 2004 we find the last expansion effort done by the NBA with the creation of the Charlotte Bobcats, who went back to being the Hornets moving forward. A great decision based solely on uniforms to begin with. So, yes, if math is correct it’s been 16 years since the NBA decided it was time to have more teams in their league.
With the Coronavirus pandemic taking a few strong knock out punches at the NBA expansion now looks more and more like the best way to go to help stabilize the league’s economy. Any potential team owner who wants in on the league would likely be charged between $1 to $1.5 billion dollars, the average value of an existing franchise to enter. If the cash was to enter the league it would be split among the current 30 owners giving each franchise around $100 million which with what this year has done to the league and teams would be gladly accepted.
If there is any justice in the NBA, the first city that should get a team if an expansion happens is Seattle, Washington. The idea of having the Seattle Supersonics come back is a bullet proof plan for the NBA to do a city that was left with no basketball team true justice. Remember the Kemp and Payton days, Seattle wants them back! Another city where a basketball team would thrive would be Las Vegas. The NHL has a team there, with a venue that could perfectly be used for a basketball team too. The former Oakland Raiders, now Las Vegas Raiders are thriving in their new home, so why not have a basketball team too.
The NFL Might Look To Go International Before Local
With the globalization strategies the NFL has put into play with games being played in places like Mexico City and London the NFL might look to expand outside of the US in order to reach and conquer newer markets. While having a team in the UK sounds like a very interesting alternative, the idea of having only one team in Europe might end up doing more damage than good for the NFL in the long run.
Mexico City on the other hand would be a perfect place for the NFL to expand to. With an always growing NFL fan base and the proximity to the continental US, Mexico’s capital would be the most appealing choice if the pro football league was to think about expanding. The economic factor is also one to consider with the same pandemic damage scenario being had like the NBA. The NFL could do wonders with the money coming in from having a team in one of the 5 biggest cities in the world.
Opening Up Baseball, A Strikeout As Of Right Now
While the NBA and NFL are more comfortable with the decision to expand their leagues and reach new territories, Major League Baseball is not as interested as of now into growing. The COVID-19 pandemic has actually made the plans of expansion in professional baseball some that look to be years away from now. The league’s main focus is to find a way to start bouncing back in 2021 and make baseball a more attractive sport to compete with the other main sports leagues in the world, so sorry cities wanting a baseball team, it doesn’t look like it’ll be happening any time soon.