Which city most deserves a pro sports team? (athletic, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers)

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Patsfan20

They are in Raleigh, but they may move to CLT in the near future. The new Bobcats Arena was built with NHL in mind as well. I think it is inevitable.

I say the Canes stay in Raleigh if (and this is a big if) they maintain good attendance, even though they're not exactly on top of the league anymore. RDU is a good niche market for the Canes, with a lot of transplants from traditional NHL markets (even if they might root for the other team, they're still buying tickets). With some more consistent success they could become sort of like the San Antonio Spurs of the NHL - the only team in town, and a good one.

As it is, hockey is the only viable pro sport in RDU right now. An NBA team would be lost in the college basketball scene, which isn't as big in Charlotte as in the Triangle. It would be embarrassing if the NBA ever put a team in Raleigh and it couldn't outdraw NC State. Baseball's not happening - they have no ballpark and it's not a big enough market to fill one with 30,000 on average for 81 games. The NFL is out as the Panthers sort of like to claim the entire Carolinas as their turf, the league is not looking to expand and there are too many other possibilities for any relocations that will get it before Raleigh.

[Kemba]

MLB- Salt Lake City. It always struck me as a baseball town.
NFL- San Antonio. Football is king in Texas.
NBA- Buffalo. Basketball would seem to go over well there.
NHL- Hartford. I agree with an earlier post. Bring back the Whalers.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by jfre81

As it is, hockey is the only viable pro sport in RDU right now. An NBA team would be lost in the college basketball scene, which isn't as big in Charlotte as in the Triangle. It would be embarrassing if the NBA ever put a team in Raleigh and it couldn't outdraw NC State. Baseball's not happening - they have no ballpark and it's not a big enough market to fill one with 30,000 on average for 81 games. The NFL is out as the Panthers sort of like to claim the entire Carolinas as their turf, the league is not looking to expand and there are too many other possibilities for any relocations that will get it before Raleigh.

Interesting thing:
In 2007, NC State averaged 13,952 attendees per home game (2007 NATIONAL COLLEGE BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE).

Going off of numbers for that same year, they had more attendees than the NBA teams in Sacramento, Seattle, Philly, Memphis, NOLA, and Indiana. ESPN - NBA Attendance - National Basketball Association

Heck, UNC outdrew every NBA team except for Chicago and Detroit. Kentucky beat all NBA teams.

My point is that being outdrawn by a college team is neither rare nor embarrassing. Charlotte averages around the same attendance numbers as NC State, year to year, and draws fewer fans than the top 16 college teams, attendance wise.

[jfre81]

I see what you're getting at, but I meant in the same market. Kentucky has no NBA anywhere around, not even in Cincinnati or Louisville. College is king, just like in RDU. Within NC, the Bobcats are not really competing for the same fans and exposure as State, for the most part. If State was in Charlotte that would be different, but I don't think a whole lot of people drive frequently from Raleigh to see the Bobcats. Not saying nobody does it, but not really enough to make RDU much of a factor for the team's attendance.

Any theoretical NBA team in the Triangle would have not only State but UNC and Duke to compete with for attention, not just from the fans but from the local sports media which currently revolves pretty much around those three schools and (secondarily) the Canes.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Kemba

MLB- Salt Lake City. It always struck me as a baseball town.

Maybe so, but are they going to fill the stands 30,000+ strong 81 games every summer?

Filling a basketball arena and filling a ballpark are two vastly different animals. If the Jazz are on a playoff run there would be nobody at the baseball game until they're done.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I see what you're getting at, but I meant in the same market. Kentucky has no NBA anywhere around, not even in Cincinnati or Louisville. College is king, just like in RDU. Within NC, the Bobcats are not really competing for the same fans and exposure as State, for the most part. If State was in Charlotte that would be different, but I don't think a whole lot of people drive frequently from Raleigh to see the Bobcats. Not saying nobody does it, but not really enough to make RDU much of a factor for the team's attendance.

Any theoretical NBA team in the Triangle would have not only State but UNC and Duke to compete with for attention, not just from the fans but from the local sports media which currently revolves pretty much around those three schools and (secondarily) the Canes.

I see what you're getting at. I just thought I'd throw some real numbers out there. People don't travel from Raleigh to Charlotte to see basketball games so much because the two towns are 2 1/2- 3 hours apart.

IMHO, RDU could still support a pro team. I'd rather see an MLB team there, though. The Carolinas are filled with baseball fans. The Carolina League is an institution. I'd love to see a major league team in Charlotte or RDU.

[jfre81]

MLB in RDU could work. But there are three big obstacles to that:

1) There will be no expansion, not anytime in the foreseeable future. They were talking about contraction just a few years ago. So the Triangle getting baseball would hinge on a team relocating. The most likely candidates would be the Marlins and Devil Rays, who have farm clubs in the RDU area, so that is one thing that could work in favor of such a move.

2) RDU would be competing with Charlotte for a team, along with other cities like San Antonio which has already tried to woo the Marlins with a stadium deal. Which brings us to No 3....

3) There's no MLB-ready ballpark in the Triangle, and financing the construction of one might be tricky. I don't see the ownership of either the Marlins or Devil Rays paying for their own park wherever they go, if they go anywhere. They're in second-rate facilities as it is. Also, where would it go? Durham? Raleigh? Somewhere in between? Where would they put it where it would not create a traffic nightmare every game night? Imagine if they put it near the RBC Center, then if the Canes are in the playoffs in May or June during baseball season, when there are games going on at both places I can imagine that would be a circus on the Raleigh-Chapel Hill Expressway@Edwards Mill.

[Kemba]

I think SLC could fill a baseball stadium as there are over 1 million people within an hour's drive.

[desert sun]

MLB- Indianapolis,Charlotte,
NBA-Oklahoma City,Louisville,Birmingham,Kansas City,St.Louis
NFL-Omaha- I cant think of any others.They need a good team to root for
NHL-Hartford,Milwaukee-not another western state

[jfre81]

Kansas City would make a good NHL city with its new arena. KC over Milwaukee.

As would Houston. Unlike a lot of Sun Belt cities, Houston actually has some hockey tradition going back to the WHA in the 1970s. Gordie Howe played here.