Some 25 months have gone by since a lackluster consolidation outside of the Business Journal could be found in the world wide web via the information super highway, spurring this blog of maybe-expansions in all the sports. Some bloggerations found here are short mentions of news buzz rumor. Some posts are ramblings of the start of an idea. No doubt it might culminate into more half-assed pictures of pretty jerseys for future teams alongside congratulations and sorry-for-your-losses to the likes of Saint Louey'. The blog probably started with the dilemma that is something like the Oakland stadium situation, or stupidity of constant big league ball in St. Petersburg, and ended up being periodic reading and reiterations while sipping cold coffee and refining ideas. And no doubt the ideas will evolve as realities are realized amidst my map wanderlust for sharing the love.
What's going on in the world a decade and a handful past the 2,000 year mark?: Leagues are expanding via media, whether it's some Euro League soccer feetballs or tackle feetball going to Beijing as some gladiator display. More such melding is occurring in the likes of London as if we have some sort of exchange program going on with different takes on football.
Big businessmen and taxpayers are still squabbling over who has the privilege to pay for theaters hosting sports accolades in our society of attitude to buy on emotion in a passive income society where our richest and poorest have the best insurance policies on the gamble. And so Oakland and Tampa may start to care more about the affordability and appeal that is Major League Soccer as St. Louis no doubt will.
MLS offers the most hope for most of the populations in the coming decade. San Jose has two. San Antonio will no doubt be sooner than later. Austin probably will be holding the pot,
even when they deserve ice hockey more than Las Vegas does.
The Rams will be back home in LA. About time! And they will try to hog more such spoils from another city. Los Angeles wants to go big AND go home.
Montreal chimes in now with fever pitch each year to make the likes of Charlotte and Portland wonder about their chances. Sacramento and San Jose want in on more action just as much as San Antonio.
Las Vegas, Quebec and Ontario will get the hockey, but how soon?
Louisville lies in wait for the NBA. And Seattle wonders what the hell and when as Las Vegas builds and grows. The questions are pulled back and forth whether to contract or expand, whether the math is tugged on inflation-of-talent or the dollar in markets. And no doubt the big 3 leagues love to teeter on contraction with the cities-in-wait as a good insurance fall back for relocation.
But yeah, as the other 2 in the Big Five, Hockey and Soccer are most active and hopeful. Toronto will likely double up on hockey before it finally gets the NFL though.
Lying in wait:
MLB: Montreal, Charlotte. Wild Card: Portland. A ballsy innovation I'd like to see: Montreal-Vancouver sharing a brand. See my North Country Lumber'Jacks idea. They could justify western division alignment and Carolina could slide into the east.
NFL: Portland, Toronto, Louisville. Wild Card: Birmingham, Las Vegas.
NBA: Seattle, Louisville. Wild Card: KC
And these leagues have so much room. And we'll see Expansion from these Guys Soon:
NHL: Austin. But first, Las Vegas, Quebec City, Toronto.......um, Seattle or Portland. Wild Cards: Indianapolis. Ballsy action I'd like to see: A rebirth of the Kansas City-Omaha sports alliance (see KC-Omaha Kings) and a Cleveland-Milwaukee Great Lakes alliance of some sort with consideration for Indianapolis and Cinci.
MLS: Austin, San Antonio, Arizona (let it be Tucson), Sacramento, St. Louis, Charlotte and all the other major league cities in the next couple decades.
My ideas of co-location on expansion could take care of some of this frustration of void and questionable markets, some mentioned above.
Consolidate: Bring in the East Coast Expos as Charlotte and Montreal. Make the West Coast Athletics with Portland, Las Vegas and/or Vancouver. Make the Rays "Southland" and do time in Nashville. Or move them to Tennessee to split time with Memphis and/or New Orleans.
Look at what could've been done with the Clippers as a West Coast brand. Or even the Warriors. Seattle would be taken care of in such a share. And again, Las Vegas. Raiders ditto. Coyotees ditto. Some kind of new West Coast Chivas ditto (See:
The Chivas should've been moved to Las Vegas Part-Time
What are some East Coast and West Coast combo'nations you could see in each of the leagues?
Here's another example I see:
East Coast Whalers of Hartford and Hampton Roads
See way more talk of expansion, co-location and relocation of franchises for the
footballs, baseball,
basketball and hockey on my blog.
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