Franchise relocation is always a populat topic among sports fans. In these tight economic times, it has become a real possiblility for some teams. As far as the big 4 sports are concerned which, if any teams, do you think should (or will) relocate and where do you think they end up?

of the so-called big four major league sports, i heard somewhere the nhl was once thinking of expanding by two to four teams & i think kc & vegas were to get teams. given the economy im not sure if any of that is still on the table.

In basketball, I would guess that the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies are candidates for relocation.  We'll see if Toronto hangs on after the Bosh era is over (and it's over).  And I am not sold on Memphis being a pro sports team town.  The Clippers should go back to San Diego so they can be relevant again.  Seattle deserves to get a team back as well and, if Memphis did move, Cincy would have to be considered given the lack of proximity to any NBA team.  But I have heard a lot about a possible franchise in Vegas and I don't think Stern would pass up that chance if gambling could be made a non-issue.  One last thing on the NBA - they should mandate that Utah return the "Jazz" name to NOLA.  They could rename themselves the "caucasions"  :-D

 

For Football, its Jacksonville.  Unless Tebow comes in and saves that franchise, it will be gone in just a few years.  Either disbanded or relocated.  If relocated, Texas probably could and would support another team in SA.  Portland and Vegas would also be considerations I would look into.  But LA will eventually get another team and I would think they might be first choice.

 

In baseball, who the F cares.  The league should be dwindled down the the Yankees, Red Sox and whatever other singular team is relevant at the moment anyway.

 

For Hockey... bring a team back to Cleveland and I might have the requisite knowledge to even address the question.

Cincinnati is not going to and will never get an NBA team without adding a lot of population/companies.  The market for luxury boxes does not exist for 3 pro teams and until it does there will be no impetus to build a new arena. There are also three decent college teams in the city (UC football/basketball and Xavier basketball).   

 

If you live in Cincinnati it's as if Indianapolis does not exist.  Few people ever go to a Colts game and I've never heard of anyone traveling to a Pacers game.  Nevertheless, there is an NBA team within a 2 hour drive.     

 

Cincinnati is not going to and will never get an NBA team without adding a lot of population/companies. The market for luxury boxes does not exist for 3 pro teams and until it does there will be no impetus to build a new arena. There are also three decent college teams in the city (UC football/basketball and Xavier basketball).

 

If you live in Cincinnati it's as if Indianapolis does not exist. Few people ever go to a Colts game and I've never heard of anyone traveling to a Pacers game. Nevertheless, there is an NBA team within a 2 hour drive.  

 

 

I've heard of more people going to Blue Jackets games than Pacers and Colts combined.

Well why would anyone go to a Colts game? We have a pro (at least in name) team. I've gone up to 2 Pacer games in my lifetime.  Both times my family made a weekend trip out of it and stayed in Indy for a day or 2.

I have met a few, but not many, folks from the Cincy area at Cavs games.  But out of town attendees from Erie, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Western NY, and WVa are much more common.  The Cavs have a market that is geographically broader than the other Cleveland sports teams with no NBA franchise in Cincy, Pittsburgh or Buffalo.  Alot of the "border" wars or battles over C-Bus we see with the Browns and Indians simply doesn't exist for the Cavs. 

 

And as a Cavs fan, I welcome all Cincinnatians who want to jump on board the bandwagon and support an Ohio team.  There's still plenty of room :-D

>Well why would anyone go to a Colts game?

 

Why would anyone voluntarily go to Indianapolis for any reason?

>Well why would anyone go to a Colts game?

 

Why would anyone voluntarily go to Indianapolis for any reason?

 

I saw Margo and the Nuclear So and So's somewhere in Broad Ripple.  That was fun.

I have met a few, but not many, folks from the Cincy area at Cavs games. But out of town attendees from Erie, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Western NY, and WVa are much more common. The Cavs have a market that is geographically broader than the other Cleveland sports teams with no NBA franchise in Cincy, Pittsburgh or Buffalo. Alot of the "border" wars or battles over C-Bus we see with the Browns and Indians simply doesn't exist for the Cavs.

 

And as a Cavs fan, I welcome all Cincinnatians who want to jump on board the bandwagon and support an Ohio team. There's still plenty of room :-D

 

I don't care too much for the NBA, but when I watch I always root for the Cavs.  The other closest team is the Pacers, and I have absolutely no attachment to them.

MLB: The Oakland A's seem to be the most likely possibility for re-location.  They want a new stadium and seem to have difficulty getting one in Oakland. 

 

NBA:  New Jersey, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Sacramento seem like the most likely.  I know Indiana is a basketball hotbed, but I did read somewhere that the Pacers are carrying a ton of debt.  I don't know if it would be enough to move them, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

 

NFL: Jacksonville is the only one I can think of.  I've heard Buffalo mentioned, but they draw 70,000 a game. I don't see it happening.

 

NHL: Islanders, Coyotes, southern teams?  I don't follow the NHL closely enough to comment in detail. :-(

^Didn't the NHL just buy the Coyotes from its original owner, in order to prevent him from selling it to a Canadian who wanted to move it north of the border?

Thats my understanding. A canadian billionaire wanted to relocate the franchise to hamilton.Theres also been talk recently about toronto getting a second team.

 

NFL : Jacksonville is the team that has been mentioned the most. LA's city of industry stadium is apparently good to go as soon as someone relocates so I wouldn't be suprised to see that happen sooner then later. I think as soon as ralph wilson dies buffalo will probably be headed to toronto. I know that the bills draw well but I think that the nfl is pushing to expand the market out of the us not to mention buffalos metro is 1.2 million compared to torontos 5.5 million.

NBA:If any city in our area would get memphis I think it would probably be louisville. They are getting a new downtown arena with the nba in mind and they seem to be pushing pretty hard for it.I think the clippers would be a good candidate for vegas if the gambling restrictions loosen up.The nets to brooklyn are pretty much a done to deal to my understanding as well.

MLB:A's maybe?? Royals?? Name a small market team thats losing money and I'm sure theres been a rumor at some point in time. I know portland still has all the plans submitted to the mlb for expansion. I also just read that northern new jersey was the number 1 area primed for mlb expansion/relocation. Huge population base but right down the street from the yankees and mets. I wonder how many yankees fans would stop rooting for  the pinstripes and start rooting for the swamp dragons or whatever they'd be called.

Believe it or not, there's still talk about the NFL's Minnesota Vikings possibly relocating to either San Antonio or Los Angeles!

Louisville's attempts at an NBA team look to be about as good as Kansas City's.

Believe it or not, there's still talk about the NFL's Minnesota Vikings possibly relocating to either San Antonio or Los Angeles!

 

I haven't seen attendance numbers lately, but that does not make much sense to me.  LA has already lost 2 teams due to lackluster support in such a mega market.  SA is a smaller media market than the twin cities and the MSA is about 1/2 the size.  Not to mention that probably 1/2 of SA's pop. are die-hard Cowboys fans.  I could see Jax going to either of those cities, but not Minny.  Plus, it would be such a shame to break up the rivalries in the NFC North with Chicago, Minny, and GB all playing each other twice a year.

The Vikings ain't goin' anywhere, especially now.  Jacksonville better watch its back!

Hockey is a major sport? :wink:

This may be a dumb question, but hasn't there been talks about the Columbus Bluejackets relocating?

The Vikings ain't goin' anywhere, especially now. Jacksonville better watch its back!

 

This seems especially poignant after Favre threw that across-his-body interception.

Any talk of blue jacket relocation has been hypothetically speaking concerning the lease agreement the jackets have with nationwide arena.Talk is, if the jackets can't renegotiate their lease it would be a possibility for them to leave columbus. I wouldn't say its impossible but I feel a deal will get done. There's too much tax money at stake for columbus for it not to.

The first team that comes to mind is the Florida Marlins.  Have you see how empty that stadium is, all season long?  I really don't know how they end up paying everyone.

This may be a dumb question, but hasn't there been talks about the Columbus Bluejackets relocating?

 

They should move to Cleveland and change their name to Steamers.

 

I love Columbus and there is not doubt that it is a major city. That said, I always thought that Cleveland would've made more sense for hockey.

 

If Columbus trades them for the Cavs, you got a deal!

The first team that comes to mind is the Florida Marlins.  Have you see how empty that stadium is, all season long?  I really don't know how they end up paying everyone.

 

I would say that this is primarily due to their stadium.  Land Shark Stadium (or whatever it's called now) is massive and built basically with football only in mind.  It's a great venue for football, but probably the worst professional baseball venue around by far.  The sight lines are terrible, the vast majority of the cavernous stadium can not be used, and the fan experience is atrocious.  Furthermore, the stadium sits way out on the periphery from the Marlins primary fan base...and it's especially bad in an era where baseball stadiums are getting back to cities/neighborhoods.

 

This is all being remedied with their new ballpark being built on the former Orange Bowl site just west of downtown Miami.  The new ballpark will be an enormous improvement for fans, and will be much better located.  Had this ballpark deal not happened, then the Marlins would be at the top of the list for most likely teams to relocate, but the reality is different.

This may be a dumb question, but hasn't there been talks about the Columbus Bluejackets relocating?

 

No substantial rumors or plans yet, but the team did lose $12 Million last year and has a terrible lease agreement with Nationwide Arena. Even with their "march to the playoffs" and "carry the flag" campaign, the attendance of the Jackets is mediocre at best. I think the NHL thought going to Columbus would be better than Cincinnati or Cleveland simply because there's no other major league teams to compete with, in that thinking though I believe they underestimated the fandom surrounding Ohio State.

 

The team tried to lobby the city to purchase the arena so that the city could give them a better lease agreement. The NHL is horribly over expanded, as another poster mentioned; Phoenix is in trouble and other teams like Nashville and the Florida Panthers are having financial and attendance problems. The New York Islanders get decent attendance, but play in a US Bank style arena that's dated and have been trying to get a new facility for some time. There's talk of a team eventually finding a home in Vegas.

 

In an ideal world, I think it would've been great if both Cincy and Cleveland had retained their WHA teams all the way until the league merged with the NHL in 79, talk about an awesome hockey rivalry. There was talk I believe in the early 90's of putting a modern, new arena in suburban Butler County and pursuing an NHL expansion team. I think that would've been a better fit than Columbus. You could draw from Cincy, Dayton and Columbus all within somewhat reasonable driving distances and you could market the team as an "Ohio" team.

 

Sorry to go off on a hockey tangent there.

I would suggest that you demolish the IRS complex in Covington and put the arena there with a streetcar that runs across the CWB bridge to connect with the Cincinnati Streetcar around 5th street and name the team the Kentucky Colonels. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) KY just built NKU a new basketball/indoor facility otherwise I would say Covington should consider a basketball/hockey facility for the land between dt and 75 or perhaps tie into an eventual expansion of their convention center. Or I guess Bill Butler could try one at Ovation if there isn't enough interest in the rest of the space there.

The NBA does not seem like a good investment at this time - does anyone really think that Oklahoma City and New Orleans (not to mention the more obvious ones) can support the expenses into the future?  Seattle not batting an eye when the Sonics left speaks volumes.  I heard today as a league they are looking to cut collective salaries by a third.  Tough times circa pre-Johnson and Bird are ahead.

 

And if Cincy ever has an inclination to build a new arena I would point out there are opportunities downtown, west of 75 - the Linn St. area.

You would think, if they added more teams they would make more money. The networks who air the games wouldn't be happy with less teams. The more games they air the more they can make from advertisers. Their(NBA) business model is failing.

You would think, if they added more teams they would make more money. The networks who air the games wouldn't be happy with less teams. The more games they air the more they can make from advertisers. Their(NBA) business model is failing.

Less teams doesn't mean less nationally televised games. It could actually be better for the networks because there will be more slots open for teams that draw more viewers.

You would think, if they added more teams they would make more money. The networks who air the games wouldn't be happy with less teams. The more games they air the more they can make from advertisers. Their(NBA) business model is failing.

 

Not necessarily, as the contracts would be reviewed.  I've been in on a few of these meetings and the NBA is bleeding money and our businesses are suffering because of the NBA and player personalities/issues.

The Kings are looking to relocate (again) for the 2011-2012 season. The only city mentioned at this time has been Anaheim due to the fact they have a newer arena that could accommodate and NBA franchise.

 

Because the LA area needs a third NBA franchise.

 

That's not a shot at you, Johio.  Just pointing out how ridiculous it would be for the Kings to move there.  Love to see them come back here as the Royals or to Seattle, though.

i heard an interesting factoid on espn - that is the third hockey team atlanta has lost to canada.

Who would have thought that the idea of taking a bunch of hockey teams out of Canada and putting them in the South wouldn't work?

Bring back the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques as well!

i heard an interesting factoid on espn - that is the third hockey team atlanta has lost to canada.

 

Should be the second, right? Atlanta Flames-->Calgary Flames.

Bring back the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques as well!

 

Phoenix is next to lose their NHL franchise and one of those cities may have a good shot.

i heard an interesting factoid on espn - that is the third hockey team atlanta has lost to canada.

 

Should be the second, right? Atlanta Flames-->Calgary Flames.

 

IHL Atlanta Knights (1992-1996) ---> Quebec Rafales (1996-1998)

 

http://www.kendrick.org/knights/

As much as I would love to see hartford get another team I really don't think it would happen. The provence of quebec has tenatively backed quebec city with money for a new arena if the chance arises. Hamilton was also a city that was originally in the mix for the coyotes before the league shut it down. Kansas City has a new arena and is pushing hard to acquire a relocated team and in Las Vegas there is a proposal for a sports complex with a new basketball/hockey arena and a stadium for unlv.

The NBA does not seem like a good investment at this time - does anyone really think that Oklahoma City and New Orleans (not to mention the more obvious ones) can support the expenses into the future?  Seattle not batting an eye when the Sonics left speaks volumes.  I heard today as a league they are looking to cut collective salaries by a third.  Tough times circa pre-Johnson and Bird are ahead.

 

And if Cincy ever has an inclination to build a new arena I would point out there are opportunities downtown, west of 75 - the Linn St. area.

 

What does the Seattle to OKC move speak volumes about? The NFL is making money hand-over-fist and hasn't had a LA franchise for two decades. LA has somehow survived too. :)

The Kings are looking to relocate (again) for the 2011-2012 season. The only city mentioned at this time has been Anaheim due to the fact they have a newer arena that could accommodate and NBA franchise.

 

Because the LA area needs a third NBA franchise.

 

That's not a shot at you, Johio.  Just pointing out how ridiculous it would be for the Kings to move there.  Love to see them come back here as the Royals or to Seattle, though.

 

If the Kings move to Anaheim, I think it will not be long before the Clippers organization start grumbling about leaving LA. I can't see how sharing Staples with the Lakers is a good thing for them with a third team in the area.

toronto trying to get an nfl team?

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/691510-tony-romo-nfl-lockout-michael-vick-and-thursdays-nfl-news/entry/78573-nfl-relocation-rumors-toronto-eying-2-teams-saints-deny-involvement

 

columbus got a vote here:

http://www.faniq.com/blog/Cities-That-The-NFL-Could-Expand-To-In-Coming-Years-Blog-23090

 

toronto trying to get an nfl team?

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/691510-tony-romo-nfl-lockout-michael-vick-and-thursdays-nfl-news/entry/78573-nfl-relocation-rumors-toronto-eying-2-teams-saints-deny-involvement

 

columbus got a vote here:

http://www.faniq.com/blog/Cities-That-The-NFL-Could-Expand-To-In-Coming-Years-Blog-23090

 

 

I think that Columbus would be a really bad location for an NFL team, both from the NFL's point of view in how it would increase fans/markets, and also how it would adversely affect the Browns and Bengals.

 

If Toronto got a team, it would really hurt Buffalo, as many folks in Toronto currently see Buffalo as their team and cross the border for games at Ralph Wilson.  I'd hate to see that, though I understand why the NFL would like a presence in Toronto/Canada.

Naw, the NFL wouldn't work here. Columbus is not a football town as people think. It's an OSU town. There's not nearly the high school football madness that you see in Cincy or up north. If Columbus was as football-mad as people think, the streets would flow red with the blood of Bengals and Browns fans slitting each others' throats. Instead, there's all of a sudden a bunch of Steelers fans around (didn't see that when I was a kid), with fans of a smattering of other teams such as the Colts, Packers, Redskins, Raiders, Eagles and Jets. There's 5 other teams within a 200 mile radius. Mainly though, Columbus is a hobby and interest town. Tons of people race/mess with cars, hunt, play paintball, golf, have boats, do hobby store stuff like R/C cars/planes, model trains and slot cars. There's also lots of motorcyclists, gamers of all types, horse people etc. Other cities all have that stuff, but the degree to which they happen in and around Columbus is astounding. In almost all the things that I mentioned, Columbus has the largest support system for them in the state or in some cases the entire region.

 

In Cincy, it seemed like all that stuff took a back seat to the Reds (not just watching them, but thinking about them and their history) and, to a lesser degree, the Bengals. It's probably about the same in Cleveland.  Buckeye games are mostly on Saturdays when the weather is crappy.

Naw, the NFL wouldn't work here. Columbus is not a football town as people think. It's an OSU town. There's not nearly the high school football madness that you see in Cincy or up north. If Columbus was as football-mad as people think, the streets would flow red with the blood of Bengals and Browns fans slitting each others' throats. Instead, there's all of a sudden a bunch of Steelers fans around (didn't see that when I was a kid), with fans of a smattering of other teams such as the Colts, Packers, Redskins, Raiders, Eagles and Jets. There's 5 other teams within a 200 mile radius. Mainly though, Columbus is a hobby and interest town. Tons of people race/mess with cars, hunt, play paintball, golf, have boats, do hobby store stuff like R/C cars/planes, model trains and slot cars. There's also lots of motorcyclists, gamers of all types, horse people etc. Other cities all have that stuff, but the degree to which they happen in and around Columbus is astounding. In almost all the things that I mentioned, Columbus has the largest support system for them in the state or in some cases the entire region.

 

In Cincy, it seemed like all that stuff took a back seat to the Reds (not just watching them, but thinking about them and their history) and, to a lesser degree, the Bengals. It's probably about the same in Cleveland.  Buckeye games are mostly on Saturdays when the weather is crappy.

 

That's an interesting way of describing Columbus.  I always thought of/referred to Columbus as being a "niche sports" town in that it was very strong in the non-Big 3 professional sports.  They've got the NHL, MLS, soon to be MLL, an important golf tournament, lots of important college and amateur sporting events beyond even Ohio State, etc., etc. 

Toronto should be considered part of Buffalo's market, and they have their own football league up there anyway.  I'd rather see a team in Monterrey or Juarez before Toronto.  I don't think it's likely, but that would be expansion without taking anything away from an existing NFL city.

I've also heard London mentioned, which would be interesting to say the least. 

Naw, the NFL wouldn't work here. Columbus is not a football town as people think. It's an OSU town. There's not nearly the high school football madness that you see in Cincy or up north. If Columbus was as football-mad as people think, the streets would flow red with the blood of Bengals and Browns fans slitting each others' throats. Instead, there's all of a sudden a bunch of Steelers fans around (didn't see that when I was a kid), with fans of a smattering of other teams such as the Colts, Packers, Redskins, Raiders, Eagles and Jets. There's 5 other teams within a 200 mile radius. Mainly though, Columbus is a hobby and interest town. Tons of people race/mess with cars, hunt, play paintball, golf, have boats, do hobby store stuff like R/C cars/planes, model trains and slot cars. There's also lots of motorcyclists, gamers of all types, horse people etc. Other cities all have that stuff, but the degree to which they happen in and around Columbus is astounding. In almost all the things that I mentioned, Columbus has the largest support system for them in the state or in some cases the entire region.

 

In Cincy, it seemed like all that stuff took a back seat to the Reds (not just watching them, but thinking about them and their history) and, to a lesser degree, the Bengals. It's probably about the same in Cleveland.  Buckeye games are mostly on Saturdays when the weather is crappy.

I do feel Columbus and central Ohio could support a NFL team but really that's a moot point because in my opinion the only way Columbus could get a team is if the Bengals relocated.I can't really see any scenario in which the NFL would give Columbus a franchise when Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis are all around 3hrs or less away. Columbus is a mixed bag of nfl fans ,although I think Browns fans would be a majority, and there are alot of people who have other interests that may be more popular than in other cities but if jacksonville , Indy, New Orleans and Buffalo can sell out a stadium so can columbus. It would be a tough go with 2 other ohio teams which leads back to my point of cincy relocation. I just can't see the Nfl having 3 teams in ohio which is more of a reflection of the NFL not trying to saturate a market more so then columbus not being able to theoretically support a team.

You are completely right about steelers fans overrunning columbus although that may have something to do with the amount of people who have moved to columbus from eastern ohio/western pa and of course bandwagon fans. I mean 8 of 15 people in my immediate office are orignially from the pittsburgh area.

That's an interesting way of describing Columbus.  I always thought of/referred to Columbus as being a "niche sports" town in that it was very strong in the non-Big 3 professional sports.  They've got the NHL, MLS, soon to be MLL, an important golf tournament, lots of important college and amateur sporting events beyond even Ohio State, etc., etc. 

 

Yes, that too. Lots of adults playing those sports as well. And competitive runners all over the place.

Naw, the NFL wouldn't work here. Columbus is not a football town as people think. It's an OSU town. There's not nearly the high school football madness that you see in Cincy or up north. If Columbus was as football-mad as people think, the streets would flow red with the blood of Bengals and Browns fans slitting each others' throats. Instead, there's all of a sudden a bunch of Steelers fans around (didn't see that when I was a kid), with fans of a smattering of other teams such as the Colts, Packers, Redskins, Raiders, Eagles and Jets. There's 5 other teams within a 200 mile radius. Mainly though, Columbus is a hobby and interest town. Tons of people race/mess with cars, hunt, play paintball, golf, have boats, do hobby store stuff like R/C cars/planes, model trains and slot cars. There's also lots of motorcyclists, gamers of all types, horse people etc. Other cities all have that stuff, but the degree to which they happen in and around Columbus is astounding. In almost all the things that I mentioned, Columbus has the largest support system for them in the state or in some cases the entire region.

 

In Cincy, it seemed like all that stuff took a back seat to the Reds (not just watching them, but thinking about them and their history) and, to a lesser degree, the Bengals. It's probably about the same in Cleveland.  Buckeye games are mostly on Saturdays when the weather is crappy.

I do feel Columbus and central Ohio could support a NFL team but really that's a moot point because in my opinion the only way Columbus could get a team is if the Bengals relocated.

 

Interesting on what grounds/research?