How Come Louisville Doesn't Have An NBA Team? (Lexington, Richmond: purchases, luxury)

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by indy18

Not trolling - just stating the facts. No NBA team wants to play in an ugly 50 year old barn. I think it's funny they have the audacity to suggest something so insulting to the NBA. I grew up near Louisville and still spend a significant amount of time in the area. I think Louisville is a beautiful city and has a lot going for it. I'd like to see it get an NBA team because that would mean that Louisville is taking that next step. Unfortunately that's unlikely to happen given Louisville's constant bowing to a University and college basketball coach.

Indy is "big time" compared to Louisville any way you slice it. Indy has Final Fours, will host a Super Bowl, and has several prime-time NFL games every season which showcase the city nationally. It doesn't really matter if you like pro sports or not, because the fact is millions of people across the US do. When the Colts are hosting a prime time game, that means millions of people from the largest markets in the US are focused on an event taking place in Indy, while others are visiting the city when their team is playing the Colts.

Look at what Indy's had in the year 2010 alone: The AFC Championship game last January, the Final Four in April, the 500 in May, and the Manning Bowl this past September. Indy is always in the spotlight.

Yes Louisville has the Debry, but it's national significance ends there. Louisville isn't routinely thrust into the national spotlight like Indy is.

I do agree Freedom Hall is a 50 year old barn not suitable for the NBA in any reincarnation, no matter how nice renovations. That said, Indy is NOT big time. Start a national thread asking that question and see where it goes.

[Off Topic]

No NBA team will play in Freedom Hall. No NBA team will take second place on schedule making at Yum to a college team.

The average NBA ticket is $48/game. There are about 40 home games a season, so figure about four grand for two tickets. Plus parking, concessions, etc. I just don't see 15,000 willing to pay that, but maybe I'm wrong.

IMO, we had our shot at the NBA when the leagues merged. Now that the league has taken off and doesn't really need us, this just looks like a pipe-dream to me.

[indy18]

The thing is, I don't see what U of L/Pitino are so paranoid about. U of L has a die-hard following in this area and nothing could change that. The overwhelming majority of people who go to U of L games aren't going merely to see a basketball game - they're going to see U of L play. An NBA team isn't going to take many fans from U of L. U of L has a ton of alum in the area as well as countless people who didn't go to the school but are still big U of L fans. U of L will always sell out.

Look at Memphis. They share their arena with the Grizzlies and still have great attendance figures.

It's the NBA team that will have to worry about attendance, not U of L.

[Off Topic]

Originally Posted by indy18

The thing is, I don't see what U of L/Pitino are so paranoid about.

I really don't think they are paranoid at all. They just think it's crazy talk and say so, and people take that for being negative or paranoid. They don't seem to be running scared to me.

I agree with you that it would not significantly hurt UL's attendance. Heck, anyone who can afford NBA tickets can afford to get UL tickets as well!

[djslugga]

Louisville needs something NBA,NFL or MLB because its big enough to support it, and it will bring in money, and jobs, and way more attention than racing horses, and wildcats, and cardinals put together... thats the kind of growth Louisville needs.....People in kentucky dont want change nor growth, they want everything to stay the same, and thats just what it is when it comes to louisville... the same ol city that it was in the aba days.....

[notthatgirl]

Wait a minute... they gave this Miller guy $89,000 just to find an investor for a possible NBA team?!

Possible NBA team owners seek more information on Louisville, Miller says | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

[censusdata]

Here's a great solution: why not split a D-NBA team between Louisville and Lexington? (Or give one to each city). D league is located in many cities smaller than ours - since they are not intended for revenue making market size wouldn't matter. It also wouldn't compete w/ the college teams.

[Chicago76]

Originally Posted by stx12499

I do agree Freedom Hall is a 50 year old barn not suitable for the NBA in any reincarnation, no matter how nice renovations. That said, Indy is NOT big time. Start a national thread asking that question and see where it goes.

Big time is a relative term here. Big time like LA/NY/Dallas/any of the 10-15 largest markets in the US? No way. Big time compared to any urban area of roughly the same size like Orlando, Milwaukee, Columbus, KC, Sacramento, Cincy, San Antonio, etc? Definitely.

1-Not too many urban areas the size of Indianapolis have 2 pro sports franchises.
2-They've made major strides as an amateur sports destination, starting with the Final 4 and national sports festival in the early 80s.
3-They supplemented that with an interntional sports presence, hosting the first profitable Pan Am games, being the haedquarters for USA gymnastics, hosting the world basketball championships, hosting the USA track and field championships. etc.
4-They built on that as a regular rotation site for both the men's and women's final 4, and have positioned themselves for the same as the host of the men and women's B10 basketball championship and now the football championship.
5-They managed to get the NCAA to relocate to downtown Indy from KC.
6-They've always had a motorsports tradition, but they've expanded on it with the second biggest NASCAR race, MotoGP, and for a time F1 before F1 politics ruined that one.

There are a lot of shortcomings up there compared to Louisville (lack of good historic housing stock and the interesting urban neighborhoods that come with this, lack of a riverfront with potential, etc), but sports is something that is done better there than most cities twice its size.

IMHO, sports shouldn't be the primary focus for any urban area looking to revitalize its central city, but it can certainly help, and the NBA is the obvious choice for Louisville. MLB= too many home dates to fill, little small market protection. NFL=huge stadium investment for only 10 home dates a year (counting pre-season). The stadium will sit empty roughly 345 days a year. NHL= not a good fit.

The NBA will happen in Louisville eventually. If everything shook out fairly 35 years ago, the Colonels and Pacers would be one of the best rivalries in the league today. Apart from just being in the right place at the right time to get a relocated franchise and getting some scheduling concessions from UofL, the biggest obstacle will be Pacers ownership trying to protect its marketing base.

See below:

http://www.commoncensus.org/maps/nba_1280.gif

The Pacers would lose the southern Indiana from US 50 south. It's not a huge part of their fan base, but given their recent franchise issues on the court and financially, they're going to want a financial consideration. The NBA board of governors has the final say, but they wouldn't want to compromise an existing member, especially one with succession issues as current ownership will be looking to sell given Simon's age.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Chicago76

Big time is a relative term here. Big time like LA/NY/Dallas/any of the 10-15 largest markets in the US? No way. Big time compared to any urban area of roughly the same size like Orlando, Milwaukee, Columbus, KC, Sacramento, Cincy, San Antonio, etc? Definitely.

1-Not too many urban areas the size of Indianapolis have 2 pro sports franchises.
2-They've made major strides as an amateur sports destination, starting with the Final 4 and national sports festival in the early 80s.
3-They supplemented that with an interntional sports presence, hosting the first profitable Pan Am games, being the haedquarters for USA gymnastics, hosting the world basketball championships, hosting the USA track and field championships. etc.
4-They built on that as a regular rotation site for both the men's and women's final 4, and have positioned themselves for the same as the host of the men and women's B10 basketball championship and now the football championship.
5-They managed to get the NCAA to relocate to downtown Indy from KC.
6-They've always had a motorsports tradition, but they've expanded on it with the second biggest NASCAR race, MotoGP, and for a time F1 before F1 politics ruined that one.

There are a lot of shortcomings up there compared to Louisville (lack of good historic housing stock and the interesting urban neighborhoods that come with this, lack of a riverfront with potential, etc), but sports is something that is done better there than most cities twice its size.

IMHO, sports shouldn't be the primary focus for any urban area looking to revitalize its central city, but it can certainly help, and the NBA is the obvious choice for Louisville. MLB= too many home dates to fill, little small market protection. NFL=huge stadium investment for only 10 home dates a year (counting pre-season). The stadium will sit empty roughly 345 days a year. NHL= not a good fit.

The NBA will happen in Louisville eventually. If everything shook out fairly 35 years ago, the Colonels and Pacers would be one of the best rivalries in the league today. Apart from just being in the right place at the right time to get a relocated franchise and getting some scheduling concessions from UofL, the biggest obstacle will be Pacers ownership trying to protect its marketing base.

See below:

http://www.commoncensus.org/maps/nba_1280.gif

The Pacers would lose the southern Indiana from US 50 south. It's not a huge part of their fan base, but given their recent franchise issues on the court and financially, they're going to want a financial consideration. The NBA board of governors has the final say, but they wouldn't want to compromise an existing member, especially one with succession issues as current ownership will be looking to sell given Simon's age.

Great fist post. Very well written. You should post more here. We will "agree" to disagree on Indy being big time, but you are right about their sports scene....very impressive for a midsized city.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by stx12499

You ARE a Kentuckian. Your hyperbole has gone over the top. To the Indy poster, thanks for trolling. If you think Indy is "big time" compared to Louisville, you really need to travel more.

The poster you are referring to only suggested Indy was a big league city in the context of sports, which it is; at least compared to Louisville. As to the rest, I know your bias, and that is fine. There is no reason to discuss any of that.