Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

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Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by Buscemi »

With the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg (possibly keeping the name since the Phoenix Coyotes own the Winnipeg Jets name), I figured that I would do a list who I think will be some of the next teams to leave their current cities.

NHL:

Doomed
1. Florida Panthers
The team finishes near the bottom in attendance each year and Miami is not a hockey market. Also, the team never wins.

2. New York Islanders
Their stadium is old, their attendance is low and they haven't had it since the 1980's.

Safe But For How Long?
3. Phoenix Coyotes
This team has been hinted to be moving to some time now but always seems to be saved at the last minute. Eventually, the time will run out.

4. Nashville Predators
Another team that has been hinted to move but gets saved. Eventually they will move if they don't add to the base that continues to save the team.

Needed To Round Out The List
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
A bit of a wild card due to their success but Tampa is a bit like Miami and the team doesn't sell out very much. Also, the ownership is broke.

Cities that may be considered for teams: Hamilton, Houston, Kansas City, Portland, Quebec City, Seattle

NBA

Point Of No Return
1. Sacramento Kings
An attempted move to Anaheim (which would make three NBA teams in the Los Angeles area) has been in the works but is may been blocked. With the Maloofs broke and attendance declining, the era of an NBA team in Sacramento is nearing a downer ending.

Doomed
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
The ownership and management is among the worst in the league, the attendance is declining and they have had to drastically lower ticket prices just to get a decent crowd. The team was saved from moving to New Orleans in 1994 but I don't think they can be saved twice.

3. Milwaukee Bucks
A deal to build a new stadium has been rejected and players hate playing in Milwaukee. The only obstacle preventing a move is the owner not selling (despite the fact that his political career is a clear distraction). Eventually, a decision will need to be made if to continue politics or owning the team.

4. Indiana Pacers
Attendance has steadily declined since the Malice at the Palace in 2004 and the team has also gotten worse since then. Also, the arena's sponsor is bankrupt and they don't get anything for naming rights. Despite Indiana being basketball crazy, they are not crazy about the Pacers.

5. Memphis Grizzlies
A surprise playoff run may not be enough to keep the team in Memphis. Ownership is among the worst and the on-court quality has usually been weak. Barring any momentum continuing, the upset of the Spurs could be a lost cause.

Also: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets

Cities that may be considered for NBA teams: Columbus, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Louisville, Montreal, Seattle, St. Louis

MLB

Doomed
1. Toronto Blue Jays
The Rogers Centre is a wasteland now and the team hasn't been competitive in years. The only thing that Toronto sports fans show interest now during this time frame is Argos football and the occasional Buffalo Bills game.

2. Oakland Athletics
With an inability to get a new stadium built and waning fan interest (the Giants' World Series win was possibly the low-point in the Bay Area's interest of the A's), they may have to seek other options.

Cities that may be considered for MLB teams: Charlotte, Las Vegas, Vancouver

NFL

Doomed
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
The ownership is among one of the weaker ones, the team never sells out and Jacksonville is more of a college football town. If any team moves to Los Angeles, this is the one.

2. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo is a dying city and the management seems to be more interested in impressing the Canadian fanbase nowadays.

Safe For Now, But How Long?
3. Minnesota Vikings
The fanbase is there but the stadium has been needing to be replaced for a long while now. With disinterest from the owners, they may decide a move makes more sense.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The team is improving and had made a run at a wild card spot last season but attendance has been in the decline. The current ownership has been facing financial issues and selling the team may be an option if current owner Malcolm Glazer (who is nearing 80) dies. Money issues could force the team to leave.

5. San Diego Chargers
Despite being a decent team with a good fanbase, an attempt to build a new stadium has continued to fail due to money issues with the city. With Los Angeles open, they could consider a return back to their birthplace.

Cities that may be considered for NFL teams: Birmingham, Los Angeles, Orlando, Portland, Toronto
Everything on this post is strictly the opinion and only the opinion of Buscemi.

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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by W »

There's no chance of any of these moving in the next five years save Sacramento (save the NHL as I won't pretend to know anything about that) and possibly Buffalo to Toronto, but their fan base should remain mostly intact with that move. As much as the NFL wants you to think they're broke, TV costs alone pay for all (or almost all) their expenses. I could see baseball teams folding more than moving. I just don't see them moving anywhere that'll be more profitable than where they are now.

No team is going to be playing in Vegas. They just won't let it happen.
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by Buscemi »

They would never fold a team in this age. It would be too costly and there would be court cases up the ass over it.

And there will be a team in Las Vegas eventually. It's too hard of a place to ignore and besides, it would be a double standard to avoid Vegas while having four teams in New Jersey (where Atlantic City, another city famous for gambling, is).
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by ARoode »

Just found this thread.

The Blue Jays have solid ownership and won't leave. Interesting to listen to Anthopoulos and Beeston talk about the finances of the Jays. Rogers offers to up the budget every year, (well, since Ricciardi was removed as a GM) but Beeston and Anthopoulos are trying to build the team by drafting and trading rather than by adding free agents. You've still got to sign guys to put you over the top, but they're on the rise.

Islanders are a badly run franchise and have been for decades but the NHL will never let them leave New York.
Hamilton is the most lucrative 'untapped' market for the NHL but a move there will be blocked by 2 teams: The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres (the latter of which would be killed off by the loss of game attendance).
Phoenix will move because there is no business case to keep them in the desert. I'll say it again, there is no business case for keeping a professional ice hockey team in the desert.

The league has been trying to get a team into Kansas for years. Phoenix would be my guess for the team that moves there. Interesting argument for contraction in the NHL and it'll be interesting to see how the CBA plays out at the end of the year. Half the league is losing money and half of those teams are hemorrhaging money.
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by ARoode »

Just found this thread.

The Blue Jays have solid ownership and won't leave. Interesting to listen to Anthopoulos and Beeston talk about the finances of the Jays. Rogers offers to up the budget every year, (well, since Ricciardi was removed as a GM) but Beeston and Anthopoulos are trying to build the team by drafting and trading rather than by adding free agents. You've still got to sign guys to put you over the top, but they're on the rise.

Islanders are a badly run franchise and have been for decades but the NHL will never let them leave New York.
Hamilton is the most lucrative 'untapped' market for the NHL but a move there will be blocked by 2 teams: The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres (the latter of which would be killed off by the loss of game attendance).
Phoenix will move because there is no business case to keep them in the desert. I'll say it again, there is no business case for keeping a professional ice hockey team in the desert.

The league has been trying to get a team into Kansas for years. Phoenix would be my guess for the team that moves there. Interesting argument for contraction in the NHL and it'll be interesting to see how the CBA plays out at the end of the year. Half the league is losing money and half of those teams are hemorrhaging money.

Interesting thread Buscemi.
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by BanksIsDaFuture »

I don't really know about the other sports, but for the NBA:

The Kings should've moved years ago, I don't think they'll still be in Sacramento in the next 3 years.

I think Milwaukee, Indiana, and Memphis are way safe - they'll be going nowhere anytime soon.

The T'Wolves will probably move, but I don't think they are too many major cities left that will support an NBA franchise. KC = yes. St. Louis = yes. Columbus = maybe too small. Seattle = no way, just ask the Sonics. Louisville = may be too close to Memphis to differentiate.

And as long as David Stern is around, there will be no Vegas team - he's too square to let that happen.
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by W »

Seattle WILL have an NBA team within 15 years and it's probable they'll be named the Sonics. The fan base was enough to support a team, but was bought by an OKCian and they probably feel like Baltimore did when the Colts left.
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by Buscemi »

I just found that back in the spring, the Dallas Stars ownership filed for bankruptcy and the NHL was running the team. They only had one bid for a new owner and the league is planning a bankruptcy auction later this month. Also, the team is only averaging 10,000 a game.

Could they move before Phoenix does?
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by Shrykespeare »

We'll see. With no other game in town (if you don't count the Cardinals or Sun Devils football), and with the Coyotes actually doing pretty good this season, who knows what might happen.
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Re: Sports Teams Most Likely To Relocate

Post by Buscemi »

The Jaguars are now on the block and expected to find a new owner shortly. ESPN has hinted the possibility of them moving to Los Angeles.
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