Lol, just because the Lakers are so popular doesnt make the Clippers irrelevant. You think the Grizzlies or Pelicans have more fans that the Clippers? Of course not, just based on sheer size of the metro.

Another example is the Dodgers and Angels... Dodgers are like the Lakers, massive following, lead the league in attendance every year, massive road draw... Doesnt lessen the Angels however.. They are always in the top 5 or 6 in attendance, have a solid following and are usually a good team.

That would be great honestly. Would love to see more teams in Canada.

Two teams (per league) even for big cities like LA, NYC and Chicago is enough. Anything more than that and they get just lost in the shuffle. We aren't like London with their zillion football clubs and their identity is more on a local/ neighborhood level than city wide.

Dont agree at all. Theres a reason why the Chargers doubled in value in one year even though they are the least talked about team in the LA sports landscape and might be the 5th or 6th most popular NFL team in LA.

The New York and LA markets are massive. Both are bigger than at least 46 states each. Not to even mention the natural rivalries that exist in each city between teams

I agree with this. Two is the most any metro should have or else you get a situation like the Islanders and Devils who are always last in attendance and are irrelevant

You go where you make the most money, heck, you could fit a third team in LA or New York and be better than being the only team in Buffalo or even Denver.

The thing to understand is that while many people who go to pro sporting events are fans, many are just families and professionals looking to going to an event like the circus or a concert. Meanwhile, companies buy crazy amounts of tickets that come at a discount for employees looking for live entertainment. Corporations are the ones buying most of the suites, club seats and expensive seats close to the action.

Over the years, Knicks tickets have been impossible to get at times, so someone in New York who just wanted to take their family to an NBA game without paying outrageous prices if they could even find tickets could take them to a Nets game without having to go all the way to Philadelphia for a game. Same for Lakers/Clippers.

There's also a bias for being in a section of a town or area. The Angels more or less own Orange County, even as they gave them the shaft by trying to call themselves "Los Angeles." Correct me if I'm wrong New Yorkers but people in Queens and Brooklyn tend to root for the Mets more than the Yankees while the Yankees dominate everything else.

People in these big markets also get each league, as New York, Chicago, LA and the Bay Area for long had/have teams in both sides of the NFL and MLB, meaning they could see players and teams from each league every few, if not every season without leaving the metro area.

Finally, there's the media factor. There's plenty of room for crossover, as Mets fans will often watch a World Series with the Yankees. Raiders fans will watch a Super Bowl involving the 49ers. And just because you're a fan for one doesn't mean you can't be a fan for both. This, of course means that there are more sports fans in general in a place like New York, LA or Chicago. Instead of just going to a Yankees game or Mets game, you can go to both.

And the poor Clippers during the 90's. Like clock work...Jay Leno while still on the Tonight Show, would take a shot at OJ and the Clippers. Everynight. lol

Are you saying another baseball or basketball team couldn't set up shop in, say, New Jersey and not do really well?

The one that's in over its head is the Bay Area, it simply can't support two franchises in both sports like it used to. It's not decidedly richer or bigger than metros like Houston, Dallas and Washington/Baltimore. And the Bay Area tends to skew toward the San Francisco and San Jose area, so I suppose there's no room for Oakland anymore, even after decades of tradition.

The Spurs wI'll never move. Deep history in that city that goes back decades; the team is interwoven in local history. Austin is all hype as a largely college town with transits. It will end up like Arizona where lots of transplants that still root for their hometown teams. Austin will get MLS as that is a younger demographic sport.

I agree; if anything, I could see a large metro rich in football history & culture like Dallas / Ft. Worth making a case for two NFL teams before the Bay Area.

This will never happen. Ever.

Well of course. I'm a Clipper fan but a team with as rich as a history as the Lakers, who wouldn't want to see them? The Clippers have a very large fan base here in the LA area. A lot of NBA teams would benefit for having a large fan base such as the Clippers. Regardless if they win or not.

Or New Orleans Rapids? or N.O. Flood?

Before somebody says: "Oh, hell no!" there is precedent for naming teams after natural disasters like San Jose Earthquakes, Carolina Hurricanes, Miami Hurricanes and so on.

Only because Dallas is way too entrenched as a Cowboys city. Only if the Packers could somehow move there or the Saints. But the Saints would do far better in Houston as a second team if they had to quickly abandon New Orleans.

I never said it will. I said I could see Dallas / Ft. Worth making a case for supporting two NFL teams because of the area's rich football heritage before I could see the Bay Area making the same case.

This would be like the Packers moving to Milwaukee. Not going to happen.

I don't see any other football team other than the Cowboys at all in Dallas. I remember when they made a stink about the Texans.

What? The Bay Area would still have two teams long term if the Raiders weren't too prideful to move in with the Niners.

I agree, just saying from a financial standpoint, it's understandable that a third team in NYC can be more profitable than one in a mid tier city. More boring as fans, though, you're right.


Yes, and the rule of thumb is generally it goes "Mets, Jets, Nets, and Islanders". There's of course millions of exceptions, but the plurality of New York sports fans are in either that camp or the more traditional Yankees/Knicks/Giants/Rangers core. That doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely though.

Move all teams away from Milwaukee. 100 sports seasons and only 1 title almost 50 years ago. They got to draft Kareem, so they lucked out. 1 World Series appearance. 1 more Finals appearance and only two more times even getting to close to playing for it all in either sport. Tough luck in the 80's though.

And Green Bay is not Milwaukee.