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That's part of the reason why. Virginia Beach may get one soon, as an actual arena's going to start construction in a couple months. The lack of a suitable arena/stadium has been the biggest reason why Hampton Roads hasn't had a professional sports team.
What kind of pro team will VA Beach be getting? I haven't heard anything serious that may be there soon.
I have a theory behind why cities like the Hampton Roads Area and Grand Rapids are not considered as large as they are, or are under the radar. They do not have professional sports teams which provide the public with a constant reminder of their existence. I am unsure if people agree with this....what do you think?
Virginia is by far the most populated state without an NFL team (if you don't count the Redskins). In order for a city to support an NFL team it needs a metro population of more than 1 million people, but that isn't a problem because Norfolk-VA Beach is certainly large enough. Richmond and NoVA could support a national league team as well, but its mainly about an owner willing to put up a franchise and having a good sized stadium.
Richmond is actually the perfect spot for a team. It's the start of the east coast megalopolis and has a prime central location that is in the middle of everything. With a drawing crowd from DC, and also attracting millions of sports fans from Hampton Roads, as well as parts of northeastern NC. NoVA has plenty of infrastructure but it's too close to DC & Baltimore. They'd most likely open up a franchise in either Norfolk or Richmond before they would in NoVA.
I have a theory behind why cities like the Hampton Roads Area and Grand Rapids are not considered as large as they are, or are under the radar. They do not have professional sports teams which provide the public with a constant reminder of their existence. I am unsure if people agree with this....what do you think?
Grand Rapids actually had a team in the Arena Football League not that long ago. I'm not sure what happened though.
Grand Rapids actually had a team in the Arena Football League not that long ago. I'm not sure what happened though.
Grand Rapids has a few minor league teams. When the AFL went through financial troubles a few years ago the team in Grand Rapids shut down I believe. I think he's referring to major league teams which I don't think Grand Rapids would be considered for.
Virginia is by far the most populated state without an NFL team (if you don't count the Redskins). In order for a city to support an NFL team it needs a metro population of more than 1 million people, but that isn't a problem because Norfolk-VA Beach is certainly large enough. Richmond and NoVA could support a national league team as well, but its mainly about an owner willing to put up a franchise and having a good sized stadium.
Richmond is actually the perfect spot for a team. It's the start of the east coast megalopolis and has a prime central location that is in the middle of everything. With a drawing crowd from DC, and also attracting millions of sports fans from Hampton Roads, as well as parts of northeastern NC. NoVA has plenty of infrastructure but it's too close to DC & Baltimore. They'd most likely open up a franchise in either Norfolk or Richmond before they would in NoVA.
I have been under the impression that an NFL city needs more like 2 million residents, and that Jacksonville was a big mistake and is evident when you look at attendance figures. MLB cities need much more than a million...there are 80 home games each season, and the smaller markets have historically loyal fan bases (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, etc.). That's the real problem with Virginia - there isn't really a large enough market for either, but an NBA or NHL team isn't out of the question.
I have been under the impression that an NFL city needs more like 2 million residents, and that Jacksonville was a big mistake and is evident when you look at attendance figures. MLB cities need much more than a million...there are 80 home games each season, and the smaller markets have historically loyal fan bases (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, etc.). That's the real problem with Virginia - there isn't really a large enough market for either, but an NBA or NHL team isn't out of the question.
You don't mention New Orleans and Buffalo which also have NFL teams and are smaller markets than Jacksonville
that are doing ok.
But there isn't much talk about either expanding anytime soon.
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