Teams That Should Relocate/Relocation Destinations

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I think the Clippers need to find a new home. They've just been doing so well in the past few years yet Lakers still get most of the press. In my opinion, they deserve a new home and a separate fan base. One thing that's annoyed me most is this whole, "we run LA" mentality. The Lakers will always be the first name to come up in basketball when talking about LA. It's just that there's been so much history associated with them already. All the names, the championships, the greatest moments, the broken records, everything they do will eventually be compared to the Lakers and I don't think that's fair to them.

On that note, I have no idea where they can possibly relocate.

The Clippers are fine where they are. I hate the idea of 2 teams in the same league sharing an arena, but I can see the reasons. L.A. is a basketball town. so 2 L.A. NBA teams is no different than 2 Chicago or New York MLB teams. One will always be in the other's shadow, but still well supported nonetheless.

[winters in buffalo]

I'm not sure why the Hurricanes would be dragged into this conversation. A lot of fair weather fans, sure, but there are enough Penguins, Bruins and Sabres fans to keep hockey in this market for a long time.

[Gothamite]

You'd think that about the Rays as well, with all the Yankee and Red Sox fans in Tampa. But at some point, a team needs to develop its own fanbase.

[Mac the Knife]

You'd think that about the Rays as well, with all the Yankee and Red Sox fans in Tampa. But at some point, a team needs to develop its own fanbase.

Tampa's situation is a product of that ridiculous lease the Devil Rays signed back before/when the franchise was awarded. Not that I think they'd draw in that market if they played in an open-air park that featured baseball in sunshine 81 days a year, but they'd at least do better than they are in the mausoleum they're in.

I will say this much though: every municipality in North America that has a professional sports franchise, or which even aspires to one, should have a copy of that lease agreement on file. In nearly two decades of following sport as a business moreso than as a fan, I've never come across a lease in which the team was so hog-tied. It's wonderful - a model to which others should aspire.

[DCarp1231]

I don't know if this was already brought up, but apparently Bill Simmons proposed an idea/scenario where the Redskins relocated which leaves the DMV without an NFL team, but 3 years after the relocation, DC is granted an expansion team, same name, just a different ownership, all new coaches, etc.

[Gothamite]

Why on earth would they do that?

[DCarp1231]

Why on earth would they do that?

who the hell knows... Ask Bill Simmons that question... If anything they just need new ownership. Redskins fans, including myself, have had enough of Dan Snyder.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

With their luck, the relocated team would win a SB 5 years later like the Ravens did.

[Mitch B]

Why on earth would they do that?

who the hell knows... Ask Bill Simmons that question... If anything they just need new ownership. Redskins fans, including myself, have had enough of Dan Snyder.

I don't see an owner like Snyder, who is fighting to retain his brand, trying to relocate a popular franchise. I also don't see the NFL allowing a new franchise to take the name Redskins.

[Mitch B]

According to something I read on RantSports, the Rays are likely relocating in the next couple seasons. Montreal and Charlotte were both mentioned in the article, if I remember correctly. We all know that if they move to Montreal, it's a 95% shot they'll be the second coming of the Expos. But what would they name themselves in Charlotte? With the Panthers and former Bobcats, it kinda seems like Charlotte has a thing for big cat names. Maybe the Cheetahs or Leopards?

Couldn't Charlotte retain the name Knights?

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

According to something I read on RantSports, the Rays are likely relocating in the next couple seasons. Montreal and Charlotte were both mentioned in the article, if I remember correctly. We all know that if they move to Montreal, it's a 95% shot they'll be the second coming of the Expos. But what would they name themselves in Charlotte? With the Panthers and former Bobcats, it kinda seems like Charlotte has a thing for big cat names. Maybe the Cheetahs or Leopards?

Couldn't Charlotte retain the name Knights?

They could and it would be the easiest, but I don't know if Charlotte works. Can it be a 3 horse town? Would people come out 81 times a year?

[The_Admiral]

Go to Havana, now that we're normalizing relations.

I'm joking, of course, but I hope we can get an exhibition game down there by 2016.

[buckeye]

According to something I read on RantSports, the Rays are likely relocating in the next couple seasons. Montreal and Charlotte were both mentioned in the article, if I remember correctly. We all know that if they move to Montreal, it's a 95% shot they'll be the second coming of the Expos. But what would they name themselves in Charlotte? With the Panthers and former Bobcats, it kinda seems like Charlotte has a thing for big cat names. Maybe the Cheetahs or Leopards?

Couldn't Charlotte retain the name Knights?

They'd have to move the minor league team first which still has the name.

[Mitch B]

According to something I read on RantSports, the Rays are likely relocating in the next couple seasons. Montreal and Charlotte were both mentioned in the article, if I remember correctly. We all know that if they move to Montreal, it's a 95% shot they'll be the second coming of the Expos. But what would they name themselves in Charlotte? With the Panthers and former Bobcats, it kinda seems like Charlotte has a thing for big cat names. Maybe the Cheetahs or Leopards?

Couldn't Charlotte retain the name Knights?

They'd have to move the minor league team first which still has the name.

I don't think Charlotte would retain a triple A team if awarded an MLB franchise and a relocated Knights team would likely be rebranded in a new city.

[2001mark]

MLB:

Tampa Bay Rays -> Montreal

NHL:

Florida Panthers -> Quebec City

Arizona Coyotes -> Seattle

Carolina Hurricanes or Nashville Predators -> Las Vegas or Portland Oregon or Salt Lake City

NFL:

St. Louis Rams -> Los Angeles

Oakland Raiders -> Santa Clara/Levi's Stadium

Jacksonville Jaguars -> San Antonio

NBA:

LA Clippers -> Anaheim

[martymcfry]

NFL

Oakland Raiders > San Antonio

St. Louis Rams > Los Angeles

San Diego Charger > Los Angeles

[IceCap]

MLB:

Tampa Bay Rays -> Montreal

Not happening. Montreal's potential as a MLB market died when Bill 101 drove the Anglos into Ontario. The fanbase just isn't there. And neither is the will to build a new ballpark, which would be a prerequisite to getting a team back. Everyone wants the Expos back so they jump on the team that seems to be struggling the most in their current locale without actually looking into Montreal's viability as a market. It's not as simple as sticking in them in the Olympic Stadium, saying "hey guys the Expos are back," and calling it a day.

NHL:

Florida Panthers -> Quebec City

Arizona Coyotes -> Seattle

Carolina Hurricanes or Nashville Predators -> Las Vegas or Portland Oregon or Salt Lake City

There's a whole other thread dedicated to NHL relocation/expansion and the cluster the league has found itself in. Quebec City should happen. Seattle would be nice, but they need an arena. Which won't get built without a NBA team because Seattle really wants the Sonics back and could take or leave the NHL. There are no NBA teams that are an immediate threat to move and the Seattle-based ownership group both lost a backer in the Clippers' sale and burnt bridges with the NBA in general when Hansen tried to sabotage the Kings' arena plans in Sacramento. So no NBA means no arena which means no NHL.

Vegas is a bad idea of a number of reasons, the first of which being that people don't go to Vegas to watch a sporting event. Portland and SLC are out because the NBA's claimed those markets for years. The NHL would be the latecomers, and I don't see them wanting to go into a city only to struggle to compete with the more established NBA teams.

NFL:

St. Louis Rams -> Los Angeles

Oakland Raiders -> Santa Clara/Levi's Stadium

Jacksonville Jaguars -> San Antonio

Why move the Jags to San Antonio? It's the Raiders who have made noise about heading that way. If anyone moves there it's them. Levi's would be a disgrace. It's a modern, yuppie-friendly stadi-mall in the suburbs. About as un-Raiders-esque as possible. San Antonio may not be in California but that only emphasizes why moving there would be the most Raiders thing they could do.

As for the Jags? They have an ironclad lease in Jacksonville.

NBA:

LA Clippers -> Anaheim

Not happening. The Clippers have a sweetheart lease to fill dates at the Staples Centre. They turn a profit merely by existing and playing NBA basketball. I wouldn't be going out on a limb to say that the f'ing Clippers of all teams sold for as much as they did because of that lease. It makes moving a non-issue because it makes too much financial sense to stay where they are.

[Mitch B]

I've seen Montreal being thrown around in this thread for the Rays and I just don't think Montreal will be a viable option for a baseball team in the immediate future. No field, no plans for a field and last I had heard, no potential owners.

As far as NYC being able to support a third MLB team, I've read a couple of studies that pointed to Northern New Jersey being the most valuable market to move to. Any move though would have to be approved by both the Yankees and Mets, with the Phillies possibly even having some say as well. Just based on that I think your more likely to see the St. Louis Browns return then see a third NYC team.

It sucks to because logistically there's no reason it can't happen. It won't happen because its not in the best financial interest for at least 2 MLB teams for a team to be there.

Do you think northern NJ would be a good place to locate a triple A franchise for The Mets?

[pmoehrin]

I've seen Montreal being thrown around in this thread for the Rays and I just don't think Montreal will be a viable option for a baseball team in the immediate future. No field, no plans for a field and last I had heard, no potential owners.

As far as NYC being able to support a third MLB team, I've read a couple of studies that pointed to Northern New Jersey being the most valuable market to move to. Any move though would have to be approved by both the Yankees and Mets, with the Phillies possibly even having some say as well. Just based on that I think your more likely to see the St. Louis Browns return then see a third NYC team.

It sucks to because logistically there's no reason it can't happen. It won't happen because its not in the best financial interest for at least 2 MLB teams for a team to be there.

Do you think northern NJ would be a good place to locate a triple A franchise for The Mets?

Absolutely yes and there's already a number of minor league teams in the state including the Newark Bears who could probably be a AAA affiliate tomorrow.

But the same preventing the Mets from doing so is the same as to why a major league team can't come in. Any move like that would have to be okayed by the Yankees and they will never do that. Same goes with the Yankees.

Honestly at that level I think its silly. In addition to Newark you also have the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones as two other teams that could easily jump to AAA but won't becuase the Mets and Yankees can't figure out a plan than can benefit both of them.

[Gothamite]

Sure, those boroughs could easily support a higher-level team. I don't know that the Yankees or Mets want a AAA team in NYC. Having short-season single-A doesn't in any way compete with their product, whereas a winning triple-A club might well draw some dollars away from a struggling parent club.