Which of these cities most deserves a "big four" professional sports team?

[Bicoastal]

Big four= MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL

The below are the ten largest American cities NOT to have one.

[madinmaryland]

1. Hartford, CT.

[Ohio Joe]

8. Hartford blew it with The Whalers

I remember back in the early 90's, I was living just south of Hartford in Rocky Hill, The Whalers made it into the playoffs and they had people walking around the stadium holding up signs that said "Where is everybody?". It was a real shame, in the playoffs and playing at home to an almost empty stadium.

[Broken_Hero]

2. ?

Why isn't Seattle on the list, they no longer have a NBA team, and don't have an NHL team, unless they count the Canucks....

[PVnRT]

3. Mariners & Seahawks (n/t)

[Broken_Hero]

7. I was under the impression, the OP was -edit

asking what big city deserves a team from all four sports, NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL, and Seattle only has 2 of the 4.

I thought old Seattle was the 7th or 8th largest city.

eta:I'm stupid, totally disregard my stupidity above, I thought the OP was talking about major cities to not have "all four sports teams"...I need coffee, my machine is dead...:cry:

[PVnRT]

9. It appeared to me the OP was asking which one deserved one of the big four

[Broken_Hero]

10. you are right, I threw in an edit in my above post

:D :hi:

[MrSlayer]

4. Vegas, maybe.

But none of the others. Hell, there are some that have them now and shouldn't.

[Richardo]

5. Pittsburgh deserves a major league baseball team

:grr:

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. Not as much as D.C.

Congress should Do Something.

[TZ]

22. Et too Oedi?

I knew someone would make a crack but you weren't on the list..:P

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. I admit it's a bit atypical of me

But then, a major league club playing .300 ball is pretty atypical, too.

I'm not laughing at 'em, though. I feel sorry for them and their fans.

[KamaAina]

29. Yay! I get to play spelling Nazi in Latin!!

Et tu, (Brute/Oedi/Kama etc.) :P

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. It would be kinda cool to see Virginia Beach get a MLB team.

Too close to the O's and Natinals for it to actually happen, but it would make for a cool rivalry I'd think.

Las Vegas sucks as a city in general, so I wouldn't want to see it get any team of any sort. That being said, perhaps the NBA would be a fit in Vegas (as its flashy style is a match for Vegas), but nothing else.

[Oeditpus Rex]

11. What qualifies a city to 'deserve' a major-league franchise?

:shrug:



I just recalled a satirical article in Baseball Digest some 42 years ago, after the announcement that MLB would expand to 24 clubs in 1969. It described a meeting of owners and officials to discuss future expansion.

"'Grand Junction, Colorado, is good baseball town,' National League President Juan Marichal said. 'Why not deserve major league team?'"

[JVS]

20. I usually interpret "deserve" as "would be able to support the existence of a franchise"

Which is why I can't see any on the list as being deserving.

[Oeditpus Rex]

27. Louisville might be

I dunno about Bats' attendance, but when they had the Redbirds, they drew more than a million at least once. I don't know of any other Triple-A club that's come close to that.

Hell, back then they said they didn't want a major league franchise. Minor league clubs are far less expensive to operate, since the parent club is responsible for so much, so they must've been making money hand over fist. 'Course, a chunk of that goes back to the parent club, too.

[JVS]

30. I think Louisville is too close to Cincy and Indy to support a team.

[Oeditpus Rex]

34. How far apart are D.C., Baltimore and Philly?

Of course, Philadelphia's had major league ball since 1883, Baltimore since 1954 and Washington has a pretty rich baseball history. There's a big difference in comparing viability over history to the potential viability of something new. (Yeah, I love to argue my own points.) :)

I think MLB would probably cite geography in not permitting an expansion club in Louisville. OTOH, I'd bet some of the suits would love one there because it's a proven draw.

[mvd]

35. Nevada has geography on its side

But would people come as much as in Louisville?

[JVS]

36. Population density on Atlantic seaboard is much higher, making such a comparison ridiculous

Chicago and NYC can both support 2 baseball (once 3 in NYC) in one city. Getting an audience requires drawing on a population, and both Cincy and Indy need their hinterlands to stay viable. Opening a 3rd team in the area would be cannibalizing people already willing to follow an existing team. As a midwesterner, I can tell you that many people out here don't think a 2 hour drive to get to a baseball game is unreasonable.

[MineralMan]

13. Could one of them please take the Vikings?

Thank you very much.

[jobycom]

15. All you guys needed was Brett Favre.

But nooo. So you're stuck with them. Though I'm sure a lot of teams would take AD off your hands. Maybe a reverse-Herschel Walker deal.

[MineralMan]

24. Yah...he's the freaking Savior, you betcha...

Uff da!

[jobycom]

28. He would have been, but the Vikes have made like, what, one

good choice in the last 20 years?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. I believe LA might take care of it themselves.

[MineralMan]

17. Cool! The LA Vikings sounds just right.

But...they have to take Farve , too. That's part of the deal.

[PVnRT]

19. HA HA HA he's your problem now

Just wait until the off-season retirement drama begins, squelching any attempt to develop a young quarterback.

[MineralMan]

23. Yeah, at least this season.

Farve will complete ten passes before his bicep goes out again, and that will be that. Then we'll be back having Jackson throwing the ball to the other team again.

The other day, I saw a very familiar purple Vikings stepvan that has been going to all the games for years, sitting forlorn on a lot with a dusty For Sale sign on it. A sign of the times, I say.

(subliminal message)LA: You need this team. Acquire this team.

[jobycom]

14. Take a look around Austin.

We have two NFL teams less than three hours away, three NBA teams (one less than an hour away), two baseball teams, college teams in football, basketball, and baseball that are in the top ten every year, as well as swim and track. Oh yeah, and Triple A team.

I'm not thinking we need any more sports here.

[JVS]

18. None of them

[Curtland1015]

21. Las Vegas should get a team and call them the "Slots"

Commentator: The Slots are ready for action!

[abq e streeter]

26. Their Triple A team is currently called the 51's

after "area 51" obviously----the owners were sort of embarrassed by the fairly recent name change from the "Stars" which they'd been for as long as I can remember ( I live in another PCL town so have seen Las Vegas play many many times) and had wanted to change it after last season but for whatever reason, didn't. Our team, The Isotopes ( had been The Dukes for many years) is, as many people know, named after the Springfield Isotopes from The Simpsons...

[KamaAina]

31. Hey! What about us?

O'ahu is about the size of Tulsa, both city and metro. And think of the possibilities, both in terms of marketing in the Pacific Rim, and in terms of scheduling games for late-night air times on the mainland!

[Myrina]

32. Louisville can have the Pacers and the Colts, as far as I care ...

... all the buttnecks can drive down there to see them, and Indy can spend the $40M we'll save in "stadium management" on our crumbling infrastructure or rotting schools.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

33. I wouldn't mind the Colts moving out of Indy.

Sweet, sweet Karma for what was done on a snowy night back in 84.



It would be great if they could finally retire the Colts name, or at least give the Baltimore Colts' history and records to the Ravens.

Of course, with a brand new stadium, that's unlikely to happen.