How to Compete Small Markets like Oakland up Against the likes of Giants

How to Compete Small Markets like Oakland up Against the likes of Giants... Screwing Things Up and Tossing them around...

Add Las Vegas to the Oakland market 

of northern Cali and call them the West Coast Athletics.

Now that's Athletic.

And by that, I mean, do something like split play time with the City of Sin as well.

Use this as an example and think of other city combos in which this scenario could work out.  As a second tier MLB market, and any sport for that matter, Las Vegas stacks up as the greatest of examples.  Why wouldn't an NHL West Coast franchise not be in Portland and/or Seattle tag teaming with Las Vegas, a city teeming with transports, visitors and excitement?  Major League fixation with resorts is going through growing pangs competing with weather and other outdoorsy entertainment stuff to do.  See MLB and other things in Florida.  Why not the Coyotes shared as a save with Seattle as a West Coast brand?  Why not the Southland Panthers or Fishermen for Atlanta and Miami?  Landing in Las Vegas isn't THAT bold.  Tag teaming is.  And it has a built-in insurance, competed for by tickets and butts in seats.  Sure, historically, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings wasn't a huge success in the NBA playing in 3 cities (also St. Louis), but they were onto something in the 1970s, especially fast forward to this day and age of apparel and television markets.  KC has that big and newer arena city there now.  Why not some Midland brand with another city in the NHL or NBA.  Midland Grizzlies as a share?

As another example on the east coast, think East Coast Whalers being reborn in Hartford and Hampton Roads.

I look at how small markets like "Cincinnati" have to compete in Baseball Land.  If we had a bigger baseball stadium, let's say for the Columbus Clippers (OR MAYBE JUST KEEP THE STADIUM THE SAME) and utilize it as a regular season embassy shared for the Indians and Reds for time to time and call it the Redlegs Embassy or Indians Embassy, a more invested and robust franchise following can be had.  Do it in Indianapolis.  Of course the Pirates claim triple A there now, ...so real world complications (legalities) indeed.

But is that going to stop you from spit-balling?  What are your ideas?

See some of your place

 in the Index Key 

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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