# How do pro sports teams travel around? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782 "2010-06-03T15:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/21 "2010-06-03T18:24:03Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > At least some teams have private jets. Here’s a blurry picture of [the NY Giants’ jet](http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/ballhype/story_large/2009/09/03/giantsjet_jeffcoairport.jpg) (you can still make out the team logo on the tail). The NY Giants don’t own a plane. They fly charters. I covered the team for many years for one of the NYC papers. Maybe they paint their logo on a plane as a part of some promotion, I dunno. It wouldn’t make any sense to own a jumbo jet that you’re going to use 8-10 times a year. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/22 "2010-06-03T18:26:40Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > In 2001, I flew on an Air Canada charter flight to the Bahamas using the same plane used by the Toronto Raptors for road trips (at least that’s what someone told me). > > You would _not_ believe the legroom on that flight. Just about spoiled me for life. 🙂 My understanding of it is that they have a handful of planes, all the same type and configuration, so while your specific plane may generally be based in Toronto, it isn’t necessarily “the Raptor’s plane”, but rather the most likely one for them to take. And I think the website says the planes are all business class configuration, too. When Hal Gill was injured in the series against Pittsburgh, he ended up having to take commercial flights back to Montreal after having spent the night in the hospital. He had to travel via Philly since there was nothing direct, and it seems he kept getting nagged at by the flight attendants for sticking his (injured) leg out into the aisle. Injury or not, I’m thinking at 6’8", there wouldn’t be a lot of legroom for him on standard commercial planes (likely regional jets). ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/23 "2010-06-03T18:38:12Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > I was under the impression that the NY Rangers use charter buses for local games and will let their players take the subway to play games in Long Island. > > .. There is no subway out on Long Island. All trains in Nassau & Suffolk Counties are above ground. That said, there is also no reasonably close LIRR station to the Nassau Coliseum. Ergo, the Rangers do not use trains to go play the Islanders. I’m sure they use a team bus. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/24 "2010-06-03T18:44:58Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > My understanding of it is that they have a handful of planes, all the same type and configuration, so while your specific plane may generally be based in Toronto, it isn’t necessarily “the Raptor’s plane”, but rather the most likely one for them to take. And I think the website says the planes are all business class configuration, too. I took that claim with a grain of salt. 🙂 But the plane I was on was about 5’ from seat-back to seat-back, I think. I’m 6’2", and I slouched down as far as I could go in my seat and I still couldn’t touch the seat in front of me with my toe! If that’s business class, sign me up! ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/25 "2010-06-03T18:45:08Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > There is no subway out on Long Island. All trains in Nassau & Suffolk Counties are above ground. That said, there is also no reasonably close LIRR station to the Nassau Coliseum. Ergo, the Rangers do not use trains to go play the Islanders. > I’m sure they use a team bus. I agree, although I’m sure I’m not the only one who has taken the LIRR to Westbury and hopped a cab from there… it’s about two miles from the station to the rink. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/26 "2010-06-03T18:53:21Z")
When I worked at the Westin Michigan Ave in Chicago, we had all the “regular” sports teams. By that I mean teams with money like the NY Yankees stayed at the Ritz 🙂 (No seriously they did) What impressed me was how well organized the teams were. No funny stuffy, no unpaid bills, no women in the rooms. When they checked in they had a traveling secretary that got the keys and paid the bills and explained to the players, if they dared to charge anything to the room and not pay, they’d have hell to pay for it. The traveling secretary would explain, no women in the room, if they had girlfriends, they just better go to her house or rent another hotel room in a completely different hotel. I used to have to overlook all the contracts in the hotel for all groups, and one funny thing was all the sports teams had clauses that let them out of their contract for things that related to superstitions. Like one time a player from St Louis died in the room (natural causes) and the St Louis team now considered the Westin to be jinxed so they got let out of their contract. Kind of interesting huh? The sports teams were excellent business. Paid well and no issues or problems ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/27 "2010-06-03T18:56:07Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > There is no subway out on Long Island. All trains in Nassau & Suffolk Counties are above ground. That said, there is also no reasonably close LIRR station to the Nassau Coliseum. Ergo, the Rangers do not use trains to go play the Islanders. > I’m sure they use a team bus. That makes sense concerning the subways, but are you certain that they don’t take a train? I just Googled it: [http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=long+island+coliseum&fb=1&gl=us&hq=coliseum&hnear=Long+Island,+Holtsville,+NY+11742&ei=fvkHTKayDsT38Abu0qRh&sa=X&oi=local\_group&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CC4QtgMwAA](http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=long+island+coliseum&fb=1&gl=us&hq=coliseum&hnear=Long+Island,+Holtsville,+NY+11742&ei=fvkHTKayDsT38Abu0qRh&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CC4QtgMwAA) Apparently many teams do take trains regularly, though. Here’s one of many examples of NHL teams in the NE making due with the rails (from [http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=511688](http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=511688)): > [@](#): > > **Riding the rails –** The Flyers are riding the rails this week. They took a train from Philadelphia to New York City Tuesday afternoon and they hired a private train to take them from Penn Station in New York to Boston Wednesday night, right after the game with the Rangers. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/28 "2010-06-03T18:57:59Z")
NHL was not 100% charter as of 10 years ago because my brother saw the Edmonton Oilers at the airport here in Raleigh and they were on a normal flight. Carolina Hurricanes are 100% charter , they used to use a local charter company but that company went bust so I don’t know who they charter with now. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/29 "2010-06-03T18:59:04Z")
Well that last Google link doesn’t appear to work. If you use Google Maps’ direction service and select public transit, you’ll see that the Rangers can get to the Coliseum significantly faster by making a single train transfer and a 7 minute bus/taxi/limo ride than if they drove the whole distance. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/30 "2010-06-03T19:00:51Z")
Travel and accommodation is one of the the often overlooked “home court advantages” for teams – it’s not just that the home crowd is cheering. Even though baseball and basketball players have a well established routine for travelling, there’s something to be said for sleeping in your own bed and showering at your own house, and then just showing up to the stadium or arena at the designated time. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/31 "2010-06-03T19:05:12Z")
One funny thing is the home team players will normally still put on a suit and tie to drive to the game even though they may only wear it for 15 minutes. (At least they do in the NHL.) I know a few years ago the NBA cracked down on clothes for their players , they had to require a certain level of dress when the players are traveling. Not sure about the NFL or MLB dress codes. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/32 "2010-06-03T19:12:25Z")
MLS teams are forbidden to charter flights. I’m not sure if they fly first class or not. Probably depends on the team. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/33 "2010-06-03T19:15:51Z")
MLS teams have low budgets so that probably led to the no charter rule. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/34 "2010-06-03T19:42:01Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > The NY Giants don’t own a plane. They fly charters … It wouldn’t make any sense to own a jumbo jet that you’re going to use 8-10 times a year. Be that as it may, many sports owners own private jets, and allow their teams to fly on them. Presumably the economics work out in the end. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/35 "2010-06-03T20:10:25Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Be that as it may, many sports owners own private jets, and allow their teams to fly on them. Presumably the economics work out in the end. The private jets owned by the team owners are more likely to be business jets than they are to be ones with configurations able to carry the entire team, associated staff and equipment to and from games on a regular basis. Most business jets are in the 3-20 passenger range, so even the largest ones wouldn’t accommodate an entire hockey team, for example. There are so-called "heavy jets’ based on the A318/A320 model, or the various Boeing aircraft, but these are more likely to have bedrooms and office suites than they are to have lots of seating, and are also more likely to be used by governments and such than they are by individual owners. I’m sure there are a few out there, but I suspect they aren’t being used for sports teams all that often. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/36 "2010-06-03T20:22:39Z")
Slightly related, I assume modern multi-million-dollar-a-year athletes get individual rooms. According to Bill Bradley’s book, even as recently as the mid-70’s athletes had roommates on the road. Anybody have any idea when the shift was made? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/37 "2010-06-03T20:24:48Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Slightly related, I assume modern multi-million-dollar-a-year athletes get individual rooms. According to Bill Bradley’s book, even as recently as the mid-70’s athletes had roommates on the road. > > Anybody have any idea when the shift was made? … I’d have thought sharing hotel rooms was still common. Though I’m sure some superstars are exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/38 "2010-06-03T20:49:49Z")
Sharing rooms? That’s nuts! While I am a fairly well paid professional, I don’t make NEAR the salary that any NFL player does and I NEVER have to share a room with my technician. My beloved Atlanta Braves fly charter jets provided by Delta Airlines. They use a charter bus service to get back and forth from the stadium to the airport when they begin a road trip (as they did after whipping the Phillies yesterday). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/39 "2010-06-03T21:04:10Z")
In October, 1988, many of the Minnesota Vikings team members got food poisoning from contaminated sandwiches served from an airline kitchen (probably Northwest). An investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health identified over 700 people from 200+ flights who got sick, this was confirmed by tests for about 250 of the people. So presumably the Vikings flew on a Northwest Airlines plane, either a regular flight or charter. P.S. The Vikings lost their game to Miami, probably because so many players were ill. Several were running off the field to vomit between plays or at half time. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782/40 "2010-06-03T21:13:49Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Sharing rooms? > That’s nuts! > While I am a fairly well paid professional, I don’t make NEAR the salary that any NFL player does and I NEVER have to share a room with my technician. Yeah, but it’s team sports. There’s a level of camaraderie involved. I’m sure stars getting individual hotel rooms is done more today than it used to be. But I have definitely heard of current NFL players having roommates on road trips. Off to Google. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-pro-sports-teams-travel-around/541782.md?page=3)