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Old 04-17-2021, 06:59 AM
 
Location: Englewood, Near Eastside Indy
8,985 posts, read 17,313,313 times
Reputation: 7383

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Quote:
Originally Posted by kygman View Post
I stand corrected. The Icemen aren't in Evansville. It's the Evansville Thunderbolts. But they didn't get to play this year. "The Southern Professional Hockey League announced Tuesday its 2020-21 season will be comprised of just five of the league's 10 teams, but Evansville is among those who will sit out a shortened 42-game regular season."
The Thunderbolts have struggled big time as far as attendance. The IceMen averaged 6000 at their peak, the Thunderbolts average closer to 2500. Not a great sign if your position is "Western Kentucky is filled with hockey fans that support area teams."
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Old 04-17-2021, 02:35 PM
 
2,245 posts, read 3,015,219 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kygman View Post
All I know is I know people from where I used to live who would drive in a caravan of about 10 cars to go to a hockey game in Evansville and even took a couple vans to Nashville for some Predator games.
All that was just my opinion.
No it's not your opinion. You stated it as factual. Ten car caravan aside, the number of hockey fans in the region beyond a 50 mile radius of either Nashville or St. Louis, is minuscule.

If there's a ten car caravan going to a stamp collectors convention somewhere, does that mean stamp collecting has mass popularity in a given area?

Professional sports require widespread popularity and the socioeconomic means of a region to support them. The multi-state region which includes far western Kentucky, does not possess those factors. Besides, this thread is about the possibility of Louisville obtaining a franchise in one of the major professional sports leagues, which has little to do with where you live, other than it is in the same state.
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Old 04-17-2021, 06:03 PM
 
Location: Land of Ill Noise
3,473 posts, read 3,392,534 times
Reputation: 2237
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock View Post
Louisville would definitely support an NBA team, I do believe. When Louisville had an ABA team, if I remember correctly, Kentucky and Indiana usually led the league in attendence nearly ever year the ABA was in existence. The Pacers and Colonels had one of the best badketball rivalries in the sport. I never really did understand how the Kentucky Colonels were left out of the merger for Denver and San Antonio, 2 cities where basketball was not near as popular as it was - and still is - in Kentucky. New York, which already had the Knicks, and then they got the Nets, was picked over the Colonels. I always thought Louisville got screwed over how that merger played out.
That is really sad how in the NBA/ABA merger, how the NBA kept the Nets over the Colonels. All I can guess, was that the NBA was about gunning for more money, profits, and the bigger NYC market by keeping the Nets over the Colonels. It would be nice if NBA gave Louisville another shot, and awarded them an expansion NBA team. That said, with other places ahead of Louisville in NBA's considerations of possibly awarding expansion teams to(i.e. Las Vegas, Kansas City, and I suspect Nashville as well), I suspect it'll be a longshot at least for now in the league considering Louisville for an expansion team.

Although as OKC has embraced the Thunder well, perhaps Louisville should just try to steal another existing NBA team somehow, just like OKC did with the Sonics. Now which team to try to steal away from their existing market, lol? The Spurs, or the Magic? Not sure which team would consider moving....
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Old 04-18-2021, 05:59 AM
 
Location: Cleveland, OH
811 posts, read 891,385 times
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Louisville will not see an NBA franchise for a long time, if ever. Way too many obstacles for a franchise to be in Louisville.

1. Louisville follows the UofL Cardinals and UK Wildcats like a religion, pro sports will compete with NCAA and lose. Until you have lived in KY, you can’t begin to understand how big that rivalry and the following of NCAA basketball is. NCAA basketball is considered a pro sport in KY.

2. Indiana Pacers are 1.5 hours North. In addition, few in Louisville even care for the Pacers so can’t make the argument that NBA has any sort of following in Louisville. New York Times did a piece a few years ago on a county level basis of fans of the major pro sports and college sports and Pacers are basically popular in Indianapolis and that’s about it.

3. UofL Athletic leadership staunchly opposes any competition from a Pro Sports franchise and they would not likely allow the Yum Center to be used for a NBA franchise. UofL never wanted the arena downtown anyways.

4. As stated earlier in thread, what investor is going to pony up the money to invest in a team, arena and sponsorships?? Louisville is too small a city and has an even smaller city mentality. Just not going to happen.
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Old 04-20-2021, 10:10 AM
 
Location: Land of the Free
6,750 posts, read 6,747,100 times
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While I wouldn't bet on a Louisville NBA franchise, it has a lot of the features the league looks for in its smaller markets:

-Large enough (approx 1 million MSA) but limited growth which will prevent competition coming in from other pro sports. This is exactly why the league is in OKC and Memphis.

-No other existing pro competition - same as San Antonio, OKC, Sacramento, and Memphis, and no other team ex-MLS like Orlando, Salt Lake, Portland, others....

-Strong basketball tradition like Indy.

The NBA hates smaller markets with NFL and MLB teams, which is why no Pittsburgh, San Diego, StL, Cleveland, Baltimore, etc. It's basically figured out that any market under 3 million in the MSA needs to be pro competition free to maintain its share of entertainment spend. MLS has started to bite at its heels a little here, so with no chance of MLS Louisville is in a solid spot, while KC has an issue due to the Royals and Chiefs. A Seattle and Louisville expansion is not out of the question.
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Old 04-20-2021, 10:28 AM
 
Location: Cleveland, OH
811 posts, read 891,385 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11 View Post
While I wouldn't bet on a Louisville NBA franchise, it has a lot of the features the league looks for in its smaller markets:

-Large enough (approx 1 million MSA) but limited growth which will prevent competition coming in from other pro sports. This is exactly why the league is in OKC and Memphis.

-No other existing pro competition - same as San Antonio, OKC, Sacramento, and Memphis, and no other team ex-MLS like Orlando, Salt Lake, Portland, others....

-Strong basketball tradition like Indy.

The NBA hates smaller markets with NFL and MLB teams, which is why no Pittsburgh, San Diego, StL, Cleveland, Baltimore, etc. It's basically figured out that any market under 3 million in the MSA needs to be pro competition free to maintain its share of entertainment spend. MLS has started to bite at its heels a little here, so with no chance of MLS Louisville is in a solid spot, while KC has an issue due to the Royals and Chiefs. A Seattle and Louisville expansion is not out of the question.
NBA is in Cleveland already but I agree with your point, NBA does not like the competition as it’s the #3 sport in popularity in USA. If Gilbert didn’t own the Cavs, they would already be out of Cleveland. I still don’t think that Louisville would be a contender for NBA after all the chances they have had since 2000 trying to lure The Grizzlies and the Hornets to Louisville
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Old 04-20-2021, 09:32 PM
 
Location: 404
3,006 posts, read 1,496,735 times
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I'm not a Kentuckian or sports fan, but some trends cover this. Colleges are losing enrollment as degrees become worthless and student debt becomes unpayable. Each year a few more colleges shut down. With less college sports teams, minor league teams may increase, or entire new leaques may be born. The next trend is population shift, from the expensive coasts to the affordable middle. Then there's the rising cost of energy. Attendance at sports events will eventually be more common than watching TV or playing video games.
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Old 07-31-2021, 10:54 AM
 
Location: The State Of California
10,400 posts, read 15,599,722 times
Reputation: 4283
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc View Post
I think the NBA would thrive in 2021, in Louisville.

Even though it is "close" to Indianapolis, 115 miles away, there is a market in Kentucky for basketball, in general.

If you look at cities with only 1 pro team, they are doing well, and in the similar population range of Louisville, except San Antonio (2.6 million) and Sacramento (2.4 million):

Memphis (NBA) 1.4 million
Raleigh-Durham (NHL) 1.3 million
Columbus (NHL) 2 million
Jacksonville (NFL) 1.6 million
Oklahoma City (NBA) 1.4 million
Sacramento (NBA) 2.4 million
San Antonio (NBA) 2.6 million

I think it's overdue for Louisville to get an NBA team. In my opinion, it made more sense for Louisville to get an NBA team than New Orleans, or Memphis.

*edit: actually Columbus has the MLS, which I forgot about
Columbus Ohio has NHL/MLS

SAC CALIFORNIA NBA/MLS
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Old 07-31-2021, 11:11 AM
 
Location: The State Of California
10,400 posts, read 15,599,722 times
Reputation: 4283
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter1948 View Post
Please remember Louisville
's TV Market is artificially small. That can easily be deduced by the fact the CSA is top 35 and the DMA is barely top 50.

Why? Lexington and Cincy eat into it. Lexington and Cincy will be a part of the TV market. Effectively, Louisville needs to be viewed as a top 15 or 20 TV market when you consider the TV market is the WHOLE state pus Cincinnati and S. Indiana.

I am not sure why so many think this is a stretch? Nashville, even with its insane growth, can support 4 pro teams easily with under 2 Million metro but Louisville cannot support one team with 1.3 Million? It makes NO SENSE!

We all know the same companies support each pro team and each company can only rent so many boxes....
Nashville is 2Million MSA 2Million +CSA and a boomtown....
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Old 08-04-2021, 07:24 PM
 
115 posts, read 146,664 times
Reputation: 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nattering Heights View Post
I'm not a Kentuckian or sports fan, but some trends cover this. Colleges are losing enrollment as degrees become worthless and student debt becomes unpayable. Each year a few more colleges shut down. With less college sports teams, minor league teams may increase, or entire new leaques may be born. The next trend is population shift, from the expensive coasts to the affordable middle. Then there's the rising cost of energy. Attendance at sports events will eventually be more common than watching TV or playing video games.







The colleges that are shutting down are not commercially viable Division I schools that are competing for eyeballs against professional leagues to any meaningful degree. The kids at those schools were virtually never going to play professionally as careers.
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