Jill and I were talking this morning, it was one of those really random conversations people can have when they’re uninhibited enough with each other to free-associate.
We got on the topic of which states have a disproportionate share of major-league sports teams. I think we got there because some local team is involved in a contest of import, this weekend. Anyway, it seems really unfair that Texas has eleven, and California has, oh, a couple hundred by the looks of it, but Oregon — a very fine state! — has only two. And so on.
New York, is something of a special problem child here. Among New York’s namesake teams are the Giants and the Jets (both NFL), who play their home games in New Jersey. Is this fair? New Jersey is a nice, fun state and it has only one — ONE! — major league sports team calling itself by its native state: the Devils of the NHL.
We proposed to make a new rule that these overloaded states must give up some of the excess, and help states out who deserve a fairer share. The (NFL) Raiders’ recent move to Las Vegas is a great first step. Nevada had NO Major league teams until just four years ago, and now they are on their way to parity.
When the topic of cities overloaded came around, naturally New York City came to mind. The Mets and the Yankees (all MLB) a subway ride apart? This cannot stand. The latter, being already in the Bronx, should scout out a new home just a few miles east. Greenwich is a lovely town, or even as far as New Haven. Still an easy commute for their NYC-based fans. That’s the ticket – round-trip on Metro North!
Bonus goodness: sell the naming rights to their new stadium to these guys, and they can be… o! it’s awesome… rolls right off the tongue:
The Connecticut Yankees in King Arthur’s Court
You’re welcome.
John Douglas Porter
I hope you weren’t being serious.
The delusion — encouraged by the sports leagues — is that pro sports teams belong to their fans. But they most certainly do not. The team owners can move them at will (subject to leagues rules, of course), and that I guess will be driven by the market. Clearly the owners of those hundreds of teams in California don’t see a need to move.
Of course, not all teams are privately owned. One well known example of a publicly owned team is the Green Bay Packers. And the NFL now bans such ownership structure, the Packers having been grandfathered. Because the Packers are owned by their fans, they are, it’s safe to say, exceeding unlikely to move. The current NFL rules, which essentially enforce private or mostly-private ownership, seem almost designed to encourage the mobility of the teams. So blame the NFL?
I don’t know what the rules are like in the other major leagues; I’d guess very similar. And as for minor leagues…. *shrug*