The question is how many of those 50 cities are “major leage ready”-- big enough suckers to toss a billion dollars at a team, and prestigious enough that they’re a viable marketing play?
Even if they splashed the cash, I can’t really imagine the ads for “Chicago Bears vs Fresno Knuckle-Busters.” It might impact the percieved legitimacy and value of existing franchises if suddenly “lesser” cities/metro areas got on board.
Buffalo (and Green Bay) are to an extent outliers, grandfathered in from times when the economics and league structures were quite different. Would they be able to float a successful team bid today if they didn’t already have one?
You’re missing the point by getting into tangential semantics.
There are 43 cities that do currently have pro sports teams, 3 of which have the ability to double up. That is more than enough to make sure that there is a scarcity where each of the league’s 32 teams will always have the option or at least the threat to go somewhere else. “Legitimacy” and “brand recognition” of a team have already proven to be a joke, totally manageable by the budget and monopoly of the major leagues where they can move a team around and nothing really changes.
There’s a supporting point to be made about the conservative nature of American society, but if you’re doubting that a new sports team could be brought into a league, you’re denonstrating that point.
The main point is about the outcome of fixed supply and increased demand, not about “will people actually go to watch live sports” (spoiler alert: they will).
The question is how many of those 50 cities are “major leage ready”-- big enough suckers to toss a billion dollars at a team, and prestigious enough that they’re a viable marketing play?
Even if they splashed the cash, I can’t really imagine the ads for “Chicago Bears vs Fresno Knuckle-Busters.” It might impact the percieved legitimacy and value of existing franchises if suddenly “lesser” cities/metro areas got on board.
Buffalo (and Green Bay) are to an extent outliers, grandfathered in from times when the economics and league structures were quite different. Would they be able to float a successful team bid today if they didn’t already have one?
You’re missing the point by getting into tangential semantics.
There are 43 cities that do currently have pro sports teams, 3 of which have the ability to double up. That is more than enough to make sure that there is a scarcity where each of the league’s 32 teams will always have the option or at least the threat to go somewhere else. “Legitimacy” and “brand recognition” of a team have already proven to be a joke, totally manageable by the budget and monopoly of the major leagues where they can move a team around and nothing really changes.
There’s a supporting point to be made about the conservative nature of American society, but if you’re doubting that a new sports team could be brought into a league, you’re denonstrating that point.
The main point is about the outcome of fixed supply and increased demand, not about “will people actually go to watch live sports” (spoiler alert: they will).