What Canadian Cites would you think could support a nba franchise?

[rightsideup]

your thoughts please

[golden]

Been there, done that.

[The Great One]

Vancouver

[inthepaint]

Right now probably none. The NBA is actually trying to branch out of the states more but at this point you'd probably see a team in Mexico City, Vegas or somewhere else in the states before another Canadian city. A few things would need to happen before we get another team:

1. The TV ratings thing would need to be restructured. The fact that the US networks don't get ratings on games here is a real handicap. Changing that is probably not even possible, but with the way media consumption has been changing with streaming services, networks selling their content directly to consumers online, apps etc.., maybe there's a chance. The Canadian market is a bitch for that though, we can't even get things like pandora, youtube TV, hulu etc. so I'm not holding my breath. When you make it harder for people to consume the product, it's tough.

2. The Canadian media would need to let go of the hockey obsession and balance the coverage a bit. Raptors are the current NBA champions but aside from the finals and the parade last year , the national coverage/attention here is usually pretty meagre compared to hockey .

3. People would need to go and fill the arenas like the Raptors do. I think that's probably the easiest of the 3. because large urban centres have lots of young people, many of whom with parents that grew up outside Canada with no attachment to hockey. Raptors championship run captured a lot of those people as new fans.

[G__Deane]

Since the question is which Canadian city could support an NBA team, not whether it's likely to receive one, the answer was and still is only Vancouver. Montreal is a great hockey town, not a great sports town. There's not enough long term corporate support and not enough fan support for the first multiple losing years.

[Puffer]

Utah is the smallest city (by population) with an NBA team. It has about 3.2 million. Montreal has 1.6 million and Calgary has 1 million. All the other large cities have less. Obviously, the metropolitan areas around some of these cities would increase those numbers. For instance, Vancouver has 2.5 million and Calgary has over 1.4 million. But I think simply in terms of potential ticket sales, the problem is obvious. Add in the difficulty in TV revenue finding it's way into the coffers of the media giants that essentially finance the league, and I have to agree it isn't likely to happen soon.

Vancouver seems the most likely candidate though. A team there would provide an alternative to a Toronto base for western fans to cheer for.

[golden]

Vancouver

No. Vancouver showed their true colors. If you're a Canadian team in a fringe market, you have to pack the arena (like Utah, OKC< etc..), no matter how shitty your team is. No excuses. Attendance was around 13K by the end of the Grizz, which is way too low. Also, no free agent will ever go there because the endorsement potential is about as bad as it gets, because of market size, location, etc...

[S.R.]

No. Vancouver showed their true colors. If you're a Canadian team in a fringe market, you have to pack the arena (like Utah, OKC< etc..), no matter how shitty your team is. No excuses. Attendance was around 13K by the end of the Grizz, which is way too low. Also, no free agent will ever go there because the endorsement potential is about as bad as it gets, because of market size, location, etc...

Yeah, sorry but I have very little faith in Vancouver as a pro sports town. Hockey is fine because Canada, but otherwise Vancouver seriously underachieves given its size and the fact that the rest of BC, a sizable population, should also be behind a Vancouver based team.

BC is just totally different. So many people who live there don't live there to sit in the house and watch hours and hours of TV sports.

No Canadian city is getting an NBA team. A good question is if the NBA is going to be able to expand or set up actual feeder or secondary leagues on other continents. They've been putting in work in China, Africa, and even UK/Europe for years now.

[planetmars]

I could see another team in Ontario before a team in Vancouver if I had to be honest. Vegas or Seattle probably get teams first. Seattle is getting an NHL team and our old friend Tim Lieweke has built the arena over there. And you know how much of a fan he is of the NBA.

Memphis or NO are probably the two most unstable teams out West that might get relocated. NO however has Zion which might keep them there.. although KD sure as hell didn't keep the Sonics in Seattle.

[golden]

I could see another team in Ontario before a team in Vancouver if I had to be honest. Vegas or Seattle probably get teams first. Seattle is getting an NHL team and our old friend Tim Lieweke has built the arena over there. And you know how much of a fan he is of the NBA.

Memphis or NO are probably the two most unstable teams out West that might get relocated. NO however has Zion which might keep them there.. although KD sure as hell didn't keep the Sonics in Seattle.

[bertarapsfan]

I dont see Vancouver getting a team anytime soon. Tho i think they could support it now a days. If the NBA is going back to the pacific Northwest they are going to go with Seattle.

[golden]

Yeah, sorry but I have very little faith in Vancouver as a pro sports town. Hockey is fine because Canada, but otherwise Vancouver seriously underachieves given its size and the fact that the rest of BC, a sizable population, should also be behind a Vancouver based team.

BC is just totally different. So many people who live there don't live there to sit in the house and watch hours and hours of TV sports.

No Canadian city is getting an NBA team. A good question is if the NBA is going to be able to expand or set up actual feeder or secondary leagues on other continents. They've been putting in work in China, Africa, and even UK/Europe for years now.

Not to stereotype, but Vancouver has a huge Asian population, which traditionally prioritizes things like career, business and education over frivolous money & time wasting activities like sports. I'm speaking from experience... I'm married to one of these serious, responsible Asians. lol.

[G__Deane]

Utah is the smallest city (by population) with an NBA team. It has about 3.2 million. Montreal has 1.6 million and Calgary has 1 million. All the other large cities have less. Obviously, the metropolitan areas around some of these cities would increase those numbers. For instance, Vancouver has 2.5 million and Calgary has over 1.4 million. But I think simply in terms of potential ticket sales, the problem is obvious. Add in the difficulty in TV revenue finding it's way into the coffers of the media giants that essentially finance the league, and I have to agree it isn't likely to happen soon.

Vancouver seems the most likely candidate though. A team there would provide an alternative to a Toronto base for western fans to cheer for.

As well as the population advantage and ready made rivalries in neighbouring States, Utah has no other pro sports teams to compete.
No NHL, no NFL and no MLB. They don't need to be that good to attract fans

[Maury]

Not to stereotype, but Vancouver has a huge Asian population, which traditionally prioritizes things like career, business and education over frivolous money & time wasting activities like sports. I'm speaking from experience... I'm married to one of these serious, responsible Asians. lol.

A huge portion of Asian youths here in Vancouver love Basketball and would support it with their dollar. I think Vancouver would absolutely be able to support a team. Whether any players would want to come here is another question entirely, however.

[chris]

Utah is the smallest city (by population) with an NBA team. It has about 3.2 million. Montreal has 1.6 million and Calgary has 1 million. All the other large cities have less. Obviously, the metropolitan areas around some of these cities would increase those numbers. For instance, Vancouver has 2.5 million and Calgary has over 1.4 million. But I think simply in terms of potential ticket sales, the problem is obvious. Add in the difficulty in TV revenue finding it's way into the coffers of the media giants that essentially finance the league, and I have to agree it isn't likely to happen soon.

Vancouver seems the most likely candidate though. A team there would provide an alternative to a Toronto base for western fans to cheer for.

3.2 million is the population of the entire state of utah. they play in salt lake city which has a population of 200,000 people, though a metro area 1.2 million people. there are several nba teams with metro area populations of comparable size on the order of 1.2 to 1.6 million (new orleans, OKC, memphis, milwaukee, etc).

from a market size standpoint vancouver and montreal are large enough. i just don't think enough people would give a shit, especially if the team sucked. vancouver loves a winner but is a total band-wagon town.