Are the Thunder doing what well? As a former Seattleite, I’d like to see them fail spectacularly.
I’m pretty sure Seattle still owns all the Sonics IP.
As far as I know, the only time this has ever happened in sports has been with the Browns (officially the team was on hiatus from 1996-1999 when it resumed football operations) because Cleveland fought fiercely for it and if they didn’t at least give us that (before they deliberately fucked us with an intentionally crippled expansion franchise) we’d have burned the entire NFL to the ground. Cleveland fought harder than any other sports team/city in history for their legacy.
Vegas should have some sort of team. It’s a pretty big city.
As well they should have.
I think I read that Houston had the same option with the Oilers, but were embarassed by the legacy and opted for a brand new name instead, sending the Oiler history up to Nashville.
The Rochester area passed the Buffalo area in total population earlier this year. It’s more or less why the MLB will never put a team in either city even though both have supported AAA teams for decades. They’re so close that a Western New York team is the only real way to market them (like the Bills do), but they’re far enough away that it would be hard for fans from both cities to reliably support a team for 81 games a year.
That’s because the NHL has a regional product they insist on trying to sell to a national market. Hockey can’t compete with football or basketball in the warmer states, because kids never have the opportunity to play the game…and thus grow up with no “sandlot memories” to spur adult interest.
I can’t talk about other markets but here in NC the Canes have led to a big boom in youth hockey, both ice and roller. We went from 2 local ice rinks to 6. The rinks are so booked up they have to play games from 6 AM to 11 PM.
(and yes I know Toronto and Montreal probably have 600 or more ice rinks)
I’ve heard the Sacramento Kings as a likely relocation candidate. They’ve been unable to get a new arena deal. Possibilities would be Las Vegas and Kansas City (where they’re originally from). I wouldn’t totally rule out KC, given the success of the OKC Thunder, but Vegas sounds more likely.
And I’ve always been on board with Bill Simmons’ NHL plan. Contract to 24 teams, divided evenly between the US and Canada (moving teams if necessary), and create American and Canadian conferences.
I thought it was pretty much a given that the New Jersey Nets were moving to Brooklyn.
Ahem… the Sacramento Kings are originally from Rochester (where they were known as the Rochester Royals).
Nets are moving to Brooklyn in 2012 but that’s still the same basic market . Right now they are playing in Newark for 2 years.
They played at Rutgers for 4 years in the 70s while the Izod center was being built. They will end up playing in 5 different spots in NY/NJ area.
But technically, the Kings are originally from KC.
Yup, I’m going with that. 
I’d like them to stay (there are good sports fans there), but they need to redo their entire organization structure as it relates to ticket pricing and packages, which contributes heavily to their abysmal attendance. Currently as I understand it, they have 3 or 4 different pricing structures. And not just for Level 1/2/3/4 in the stadium, but for the types of games they play. A game against the Royals, and the ticket for seat 13/1/5 is $9. A game against the Red Sox, and that same seat is $25. Do that with ticket prices AND parking prices, and you have a fan base that has no idea what it’s going to cost to take the kids to the game, or want to just stop by for an afterwork evening tilt. Terrible.
Every year I hope to see an announcement that the Jags are moving to Toronto. It’s the 5th largest city in North America and the 4th largest English-speaking. It makes far more sense if the NFL is interested in going global to start in Canada then trying to fit scheduling into some other continent. It not even that far north, Green Bay, Minneapolis, and Seattle are all farther north.
Problems would be that it’d have to compete with the Vikings, Packers, Bears, and Bills for a market, but I think that as an AFC team it could avoid the NFC conflict and do well. And I don’t think that given a home team to cheer for that many people would continue to support the Bills.
Of course the largest problem (and the real reason I want to see this happen) is that it would mean a Canadian team in the AFC South.
NFL is looking at a team for London now, that might be the next expansion. NBA and NHL talk about teams in Europe but I don’t see that happening.
The Buffalo Bills are almost certain to move. Owner Ralph Wilson is 92 (he’s the team’s original owner from 1960). When he dies and his daughters inherit the team, they will have to pay an inheritance tax on the team’s value. The only way they will be able to afford that payment will be to sell the team. Attempts to find a potential buyer in the area have been unsuccessful. So when Wilson dies the team will almost certainly be sold to somebody in another city who will relocate the team.
I’m sure it is a long shot, but I can see two NFL teams in the Los Angeles area. Perhaps sharing the same stadium like the Giants/Jets. The Chargers could certainly consider heading up to LA if they don’t get a new stadium deal.
[nitpick] should have, or should’ve [/nitpick]
Actually, they were the Kansa City-Omaha Kings for 3 years, from '72 to '75.
Cleveland had leverage with its stadium lease though that the other teams threatening to move might not have. The Browns’ lease stipulated that all home games had to be played at Cleveland Stadium through, I think it was, 1997. The NFL and team owner Art Modell-Satan being loath to pay damages or submit to an injunction, they still managed to negotiate a settlement on terms favorable to themselves. Since leaving the name and team history in Cleveland didn’t cost them anything, the defendants readily agreed to those terms.
I don’t think any AHL team is selling out, are they? People just aren’t interested in the lower-level teams.
Hamilton is a huge hockey market (an NHL team is definitely viable there) but the Bulldogs are averaging about 3600 fans a game while Copp’s can seat 17000. Then again, they drew 13 200+ last night at the Bell Centre, though I don’t think they’d get that if they were based in the Montreal area.
I’m ok with the Canes staying where they are, though I think Hartford could become an NHL city again.
If the league keeps 30 teams (I like the idea of a 24 team league, but not an American/Canadian division), then move the Coyotes back to Winnipeg and the Lightning to Quebec City (this province wants Lecavalier in a Nordiques uniform!).
I want to see an NHL team in the Hammer, so give them the Thrashers (move the 'Dogs to Laval) and Hartford or another northern US city can have the Panthers.