Sports in Austin

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Dcbrickley

GO Spurs GO

The San Antonio Spurs!

Yes sir!!

[drummer]

I know folks talk a lot about San Antonio being the smallest market for pro sports, etc. (or at least that's been part of the discussion on sports sites when considering NFL, etc.), but if marketing is done well, Austin and San Antonio can't help but to be joined together for a single market. As we've all said, it makes sense.

By the way, GO SPURS GO!

[lzppjb]

Glad to see so many Spurs fans here.

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by drummer

I know folks talk a lot about San Antonio being the smallest market for pro sports, etc. (or at least that's been part of the discussion on sports sites when considering NFL, etc.), but if marketing is done well, Austin and San Antonio can't help but to be joined together for a single market. As we've all said, it makes sense.

By the way, GO SPURS GO!

I believe San Antonio is not the smallest market for pro sports.
Sacramento, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville are probably smaller, and these cities have pro sports.

Probably smaller markets than Austin, even.
Anyway!

GO SPURS GO!!!!

19 consecutive times Spurs have made the NBA playoffs!!

GO SPURS GO!!!!

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by AwesomeSAView

I believe San Antonio is not the smallest market for pro sports.
Sacramento, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville are probably smaller, and these cities have pro sports.

Probably smaller markets than Austin, even.

Austin is in fact the _largest_ metro with no pro sports teams, if you include Riverside in the LA CSA (other than Las Vegas, which is a special case).


Also smaller than Austin:

Nashville
Milwaukee
Memphis
OKC
New Orleans
Buffalo

(TB is actually pretty significantly larger).

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Novacek

Austin is in fact the _largest_ metro with no pro sports teams, if you include Riverside in the LA CSA (other than Las Vegas, which is a special case).


Also smaller than Austin:

Nashville
Milwaukee
Memphis
OKC
New Orleans
Buffalo

(TB is actually pretty significantly larger).

I'm pretty sure he doesn't really care.

Go Spurs Go!

[drummer]

Green Bay is dramatically smaller than any NFL city, that's for sure. In any case, I'm excited for either San Antonio or Austin to get more pro sports.

Evidently, pro sports brings happiness to metros, according to some. President Xi Jinping here in China wants to have millions invested into the development of the professional soccer teams (and, thus, development from youth to pro leagues, etc.) across China. Depression is a very serious issue in China (I've witnessed it with some of my friends) and suicide rates are high. The grind of school and work, especially in the larger cities, is taking its toll. The pro sports aspect is supposed to help with quality of life, etc. I can't say I 100% disagree...either way, as a soccer fan, I'm glad for it.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/26/football/china-football-ambition-transfer-window/

Maybe we should invest $300 million into Austin sports?

[nixcity]

Interesting article that names Austin as a possible expansion team for 2020, it seems like they would have already been in talks with city officials then.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/04/14...ral&utm_content=News&utm_campaign=Unpaid
Sure would be great for a team in South Shore Central!!!

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by nixcity

Interesting article that names Austin as a possible expansion team for 2020, it seems like they would have already been in talks with city officials then.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/04/14...ral&utm_content=News&utm_campaign=Unpaid
Sure would be great for a team in South Shore Central!!!

Austin was named as a possible expansion site a year or so back by the Commissioner. This is not quite "new" news.

Furthermore, the quote in the article states that "a lot of public activity going on in San Antonio and Austin." That does not mean, that city officials have been in talks and/or negotiations with the MLS. In fact, the "city" would have nothing to do with bringing a team to either city. A potential owner would. And he/she may JV with a city in building a stadium (i.e., fund part of the construction through the use of tax dollars and/or abatements).

As a life-long player of the Beautiful Game, I would love to see top level soccer being played here in Austin.

One thing to note...unless Austin gains some huge traction on a stadium, San Antonio is ahead of Austin as to where they are in the process of gaining an expansion team (SA already has a soccer-specific stadium built which is expandable to MLS standards). The MLS is not going to place a team in both cities.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

One thing to note...unless Austin gains some huge traction on a stadium, San Antonio is ahead of Austin as to where they are in the process of gaining an expansion team (SA already has a soccer-specific stadium built which is expandable to MLS standards). The MLS is not going to place a team in both cities.

This is why I sadly think that SA is going to get it before Austin - and likely in place of Austin. However, I do think that, at the rate of soccer's growth in popularity with younger generations especially, there may be a pretty distant future where both cities could have and support a team. At the moment, I absolutely agree with you that it'd be one or the other...and I think it'll be SA over Austin because of the Scorpions' stadium - which is also expandable.

[Tech House]

How do sports franchises view Austin vs. San Antonio? I can see where each city has advantages, depending on how you're analyzing it. Austin has that whole "city of the future" thing going for it, but San Antonio might have an advantage in terms of an established base of loyal sports enthusiasts. Austin's population is more transient, and our population boom is spurred on by tech companies that employ people who probably don't fit the demographic that fills a stadium. Even though Austin's name has a lot more pizazz, I think San Antonio is a better fit for major league sports. And I'm posting this with the understanding that I'll get some flak from somebody, which is precisely what I'm after. i know less about this topic than I know about the interior of Uranus, and that's a situation I'd like to correct ASAP.

Originally Posted by drummer

This is why I sadly think that SA is going to get it before Austin - and likely in place of Austin. However, I do think that, at the rate of soccer's growth in popularity with younger generations especially, there may be a pretty distant future where both cities could have and support a team. At the moment, I absolutely agree with you that it'd be one or the other...and I think it'll be SA over Austin because of the Scorpions' stadium - which is also expandable.

Your comment was posted after I started writing mine, so... yeah, I think you're right on both counts. First it's SA, then Austin-SA will be able to host dueling football ---errr, soccer--- errr, football teams. Other than San Diego and LA, there's no better pair of American metros that could better support an enthusiastic soccer rivalry. I mean... not to go all demographic or anything, but the demographics are perfect. Plus, if we don't get any other major league sports in town, soccer would completely dominate here. And didn't I see something somewhere in this thread about how the Austin viewing audience gave the highest ratings for the World Cup of any metro in the US? This is one of those possibly incorrect factoids one stores in memory and pulls out at a moment like this. I swear I read that somewhere. We're the right city for soccer, and soccer's the right sport for Austin. And I have absolutely no interest in the sport myself, so I'm not even sure why I'm getting involved other than that I love all topics pertaining to what's changing about Austin.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by Tech House

Austin has that whole "city of the future" thing going for it, but San Antonio might have an advantage in terms of an established base of loyal sports enthusiasts. Austin's population is more transient, and our population boom is spurred on by tech companies that employ people who probably don't fit the demographic that fills a stadium. Even though Austin's name has a lot more pizazz, I think San Antonio is a better fit for major league sports. And I'm posting this with the understanding that I'll get some flak from somebody, which is precisely what I'm after. i know less about this topic than I know about the interior of Uranus, and that's a situation I'd like to correct ASAP.

I think your conclusion is correct, but I have another possible reason.

I've been going to events at COTA since it opened, and besides concerts they have really had a hard time drawing local people in. The racing folks like to say it's because of lack of promotion.. which may be true a lot of the time. But they have over the years promoted events locally... TV, radio, billboards, contests, festivals, etc. And they still don't fill it up. The only big crowds they get for the races are out-of-towners.

My recent conclusion is that no level of local promotion will fill the stands. The reason? Austin already has too much to do; and Austinites already do too many things. Any weekend during the year where the weather is remotely good, there is something big going on. Getting locals to to any pro sports is going to mean competing for leisure time and $$$ against these other activities. I don't think anything except the NFL, NBA or NASCAR would even have a chance at getting big crowds here. And there is no sign that any of those would be coming anytime soon.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by hookem

I think your conclusion is correct, but I have another possible reason.

My recent conclusion is that no level of local promotion will fill the stands. The reason? Austin already has too much to do; and Austinites already do too many things. Any weekend during the year where the weather is remotely good, there is something big going on. Getting locals to to any pro sports is going to mean competing for leisure time and $$$ against these other activities. I don't think anything except the NFL, NBA or NASCAR would even have a chance at getting big crowds here. And there is no sign that any of those would be coming anytime soon.

The World Champions of golf at the Austin Country Club was a sellout and huge success. Golf matters to Austinites, ut football matters, drinking and music matters, AAA baseball matters, and I think NASCAR would matter. If it matters to Austinites, they will show up in large numbers. I totally agree with your recent conclusion because I always felt since moving here, that one event follows another, almost immediately. Miss one, no problem, catch the next one. Unless ut football goes pro, or the Texans or Cowboys move to Austin, I doubt a new franchise, even with 'Austin' in the name would earn sellout crowds, in any level, ie; Austin Icebats, Austin Wranglers to name two. Not that it matters to me if we get pro anything here. I kind of like the distinction of being the largest city in the US without a pro team, because frankly, we don't need one. IMO of course...

[drummer]

Originally Posted by the Genral

The World Champions of golf at the Austin Country Club was a sellout and huge success. Golf matters to Austinites, ut football matters, drinking and music matters, AAA baseball matters, and I think NASCAR would matter. If it matters to Austinites, they will show up in large numbers. I totally agree with your recent conclusion because I always felt since moving here, that one event follows another, almost immediately. Miss one, no problem, catch the next one. Unless ut football goes pro, or the Texans or Cowboys move to Austin, I doubt a new franchise, even with 'Austin' in the name would earn sellout crowds, in any level, ie; Austin Icebats, Austin Wranglers to name two. Not that it matters to me if we get pro anything here. I kind of like the distinction of being the largest city in the US without a pro team, because frankly, we don't need one. IMO of course...

I do think MLS would do well in Austin, but I just don't see Austin getting it before SA. MLS has a fairly strong fan base here - as does international soccer (football/futbol). San Antonio is just several steps ahead of us with regard to the stadium...meaning they have one.

I'll admit that I'm surprised by the lack of F1 support. It seems like a lot of my friends enjoy it (I might go if I were still in Austin), but they always comment on the low numbers.

I think Austin is relatively satisfied with where it is in the sports world, but I certainly can't speak for every Austinite. There are three major metros with pro sports - and San Antonio, of course, only has NBA. While Texas *could* support another pro team, the ties to the other three metros are fairly strong. MLS doesn't have the same ties as NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. It's still a growing league in the eyes of most Americans (my opinion), but the sport is definitely growing in popularity nonetheless.

All that to say, I'm okay with San Antonio getting it first, even if it means that Austin doesn't get one.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

In fact, the "city" would have nothing to do with bringing a team to either city.

This isn't true. Talks with cities and/or counties are part and parcel of major league sports team negotiations because local governments are almost always (successfully) asked for tax benefits and stadium cost subsidizing.

[N90]

There isn't a lack of F1 support. The last time it was hosted was in a bad, rainy weather weekend. So people didn't go. All there is to it.

[futures]

Originally Posted by Tech House

How do sports franchises view Austin vs. San Antonio? I can see where each city has advantages, depending on how you're analyzing it. Austin has that whole "city of the future" thing going for it, but San Antonio might have an advantage in terms of an established base of loyal sports enthusiasts. Austin's population is more transient, and our population boom is spurred on by tech companies that employ people who probably don't fit the demographic that fills a stadium. Even though Austin's name has a lot more pizazz, I think San Antonio is a better fit for major league sports. And I'm posting this with the understanding that I'll get some flak from somebody, which is precisely what I'm after. i know less about this topic than I know about the interior of Uranus, and that's a situation I'd like to correct ASAP.



Your comment was posted after I started writing mine, so... yeah, I think you're right on both counts. First it's SA, then Austin-SA will be able to host dueling football ---errr, soccer--- errr, football teams. Other than San Diego and LA, there's no better pair of American metros that could better support an enthusiastic soccer rivalry. I mean... not to go all demographic or anything, but the demographics are perfect. Plus, if we don't get any other major league sports in town, soccer would completely dominate here. And didn't I see something somewhere in this thread about how the Austin viewing audience gave the highest ratings for the World Cup of any metro in the US? This is one of those possibly incorrect factoids one stores in memory and pulls out at a moment like this. I swear I read that somewhere. We're the right city for soccer, and soccer's the right sport for Austin. And I have absolutely no interest in the sport myself, so I'm not even sure why I'm getting involved other than that I love all topics pertaining to what's changing about Austin.

I can't, for any reason other than a stadium already being in place, think of a single reason to choose SA over Austin. It simply comes down to money. Average income and average education are much higher in Austin. Austin is also the biggest metro in the US without a pro team. That means a new team wouldn't have to compete with corporate seats and discretionary income already devoted to the Spurs.

Austin is also growing faster, attracts bigger events (ACL, FFF, F1, SXSW, etc.) and is more known on a national level. It would be big mistake to choose SA over Austin.

People also incorrectly generalize the whole city as uninterested in traditional sports. That's ridiculous. People don't have the option to view traditional pro sports, so they are doing other things. UT football has amazing attendance.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

This isn't true. Talks with cities and/or counties are part and parcel of major league sports team negotiations because local governments are almost always (successfully) asked for tax benefits and stadium cost subsidizing.

As I said, an individual city would not directly negotiate with a specific league regarding expansion or relocation. An owner of a potential franchise (or one intending to move from another city to said city) would negotiate with both a league and a city.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Tech House

Austin has that whole "city of the future" thing going for it, but San Antonio might have an advantage in terms of an established base of loyal sports enthusiasts.

Can you elaborate, please? I find that this opinion could be flawed and I am interested in why you feel this way.

Originally Posted by Tech House

Austin's population is more transient, and our population boom is spurred on by tech companies that employ people who probably don't fit the demographic that fills a stadium.

Transient? What do you mean?

Tech employees do not fit a professional sports franchise demographic? I disagree as, for one thing, they have plenty of disposable income (one of the prime factors when reviewing a region). Simply look at Silicon Valley and the entire San Francisco Bay Area (home of the U.S. technology industry). The 49ers just built a stadium in Santa Clara (dead center of Silicon Valley). There are the SF Giants, Golden State Warriors, Oakland A's, Oakland Raiders (for now), San Jose Sharks, San Jose Earthquakes...all are doing pretty well, I believe, with a huge amount of techies as season ticket holders.

All of those teams are major league franchises...and all located within a CSA slightly larger then DFW's. DFW, for comparison, has 5 major league franchises.


Another thing to consider is that a large portion of Austin's growth are people from regions where there were major sports franchises...so, there is a better than average chance that they would support a major franchise in Austin (depending on what it is...).

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

As I said, an individual city would not directly negotiate with a specific league regarding expansion or relocation. An owner of a potential franchise (or one intending to move from another city to said city) would negotiate with both a league and a city.

This is ridiculous simplification of reality. Anyone who knows the story of the Alamodome knows that governmental bodies are instrumental and participate directly in the negotiations.