MLB and the NFL reside in the Ohio corners (SW and NW).
NBA in one
NHL and MLS in one.
As wikipedia points out, Ohio is the only state with all of the leagues with teams in more than one metro area. And it's three!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._cities_with_teams_from_four_major_league_sports
What's the next franchise to land in Ohio?
Some would argue that Cleveland could do with the NHL. Some Cincinnati.
I would have to guess many would say Cinci could use an NBA team.
Some, for a really big stretch, would say that baseball should be biggertime in Columbus.
Monetarily, having an MLS team is the most feasible shot. At least $15 billion required in a market.
If I were calling the shots, I would insist Columbus share hockey and or soccer with the other C-cities. The C-Bus. A team splitting time between cities.
If there were another Ohio sports team, what should it be and where should it be? What about Toledo or Dayton? Let's say there's a hockey or basketball team called the Ohio Battle. Out of those two minor league cities, I'd have to go with Dayton. It's the fourth largest metro area for Ohio parked against the largest in Cincinnati. Columbus isn't 70 miles away from Dayton.
But, going back to the feasibility, if one had to pick one of the Big 5 right now, Toledo would be a good shot for Major League Soccer. Over 30 billion bucks in their market. There's no MLS in Detroit. Or Indy. Tri-State Battle? Great Lakes Fleet? Use a wider geographic name and more might feel the vibe. So, if I were really dictating for some new expansion in Ohio, I'd probably go with a soccer team named the "Great Lakes Battle", and it would dock the fleet from time to time between Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo. Beautiful stadiums added near Dayton and Toledo could receive a lot of shared time with the communities' footballers, with the Dawg Pound and Jungle getting in on some face time. Thinking about the existing American football stadiums and how they can host world football, Cinci and Cleveland would make a great home to the Ohio Boatsman. With a Great Lakes name, Detroit, Milwaukee and Indy could somehow cut in on a scenario. Could Toledo put 19,000 butts in the seats?
Many ways one can slice it on a travel team model.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/_____Toledo is #1 market
See more expansion, co-location and relocation talk for football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer on my blog (starting in Feb 2014, see table of contents/archive): Major League/Pro Expansion <CLICK> http://prosportsexpansion.blogspot.com/
And please feel free to contribute your two cents with mine.
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