Sunday, May 24, 2009

Top 5 NBA/NHL/MLB Teams That Need to Move

Note: I didn't include any NFL franchises because none of them cracked the top 5.

5) Oakland Athletics


This is a franchise that's certainly not new to moving around. Originally founded in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics, they moved to Kansas City in 1955 and again to Oakland in 1968. So what's another change of venue or two? The A's have two big reasons to move: crappy ballpark, crappier attendance numbers.

Let's start with the stadium. Having an old stadium in baseball isn't always such a bad thing. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are considered among (if not) the best places to see America's pastime. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (formerly McAfee Coliseum) was built in 1966 but has not held up as, well, the most charming place to watch a game. What makes a baseball park great is often its character: the little quirks like a row of purple seats marking one mile above sea level (Coors Field, Denver), big distinguishing factors like an ivy-covered outfield wall (Wrigley Field, Chicago), or scenery like the breathtaking views of a city on a river (PNC Park, Pittsburgh).
In looking at the Wikipedia article for the Coliseum, the two features noted are Mount Davis (extra seats that block views of the surrounding hills) and the Tarp (literally a tarp that covers these extra seats). This ballpark also currently has the smallest capacity in the majors, despite having at point the largest capacity in the same place. It had to be reduced because game day tickets were so easy to acquire, few saw the need for season tickets. Attempts to build a new park in Oakland or move to nearby Fremont have failed.



As for attendance, it's been pretty terrible even in the face of success. The team has had two losing seasons in a row (and look to be headed for a third), but were in the ALCS in 2006 and had a streak of eight winning seasons prior to 2007. How have they fared attendance-wise? Poorly. The A's have been in the bottom half of average, percentage and total attendance since 2004. Remember that they play in the smallest capacity park too. Can you say ouch? In 2006, the year the team made it to the ALCS, the team finished 26th in ticket sales.

Get this team out of town.

4) Sacramento Kings

This is a team with a lot of rumors circulating about a possible move, with Las Vegas and Kansas City as some of the top possibilities. Why is this exactly? There are a lot of great reasons. They play in one of the oldest arenas in basketball, Arco Arena (1988). This dinosaur (by basketball standards) also boasts the third smallest capacity in the game, soon to be second when the Orlando Magic move into their cozy new arena in 2010. Current attempts are being made to build a new arena, but chances of one actually being constructed seem slim given California's economic state. But this isn't their biggest problem. Heck, it's not even their second biggest problem.

The attendance numbers are one of the big sticking points at the moment. Last season, Sacramento ranked dead last in average attendance. It hasn't always been this bad in California's capital; in fact it's been just the opposite. Of the 24 seasons the Kings have been in Sacramento (after previous stints in Rochester, Cincinnati, Omaha, and Kansas City), Arco Arena has AVERAGED a sellout for all but 6 of them. This is incredible and the fans of Sacramento are to be commended for showing such unmatched loyalty. Unfortunately, of the six seasons mentioned, two were the last two seasons. This isn't too surprising, as the Kings were a terrible product, finishing well below .500 both seasons, and dead last this past year. In a market as small as Sacramento (25th largest metropolitan area) low attendance simply doesn't quite work. Throw in limited corporate sponsorship and you've got a big financial issue.



Another big blow was losing out in the recent NBA Draft lottery. Although the Kings had the best chance of winning the top pick and rights to Blake Griffin, they not only didn't get first choice, they got the worst possible draft position (4th).

Perhaps the most major problem Sacramento faces is its ownership. The Maloof family, owners of The Palms casino in Las Vegas, are hurting for cash. Revenue from the casino and the Kings are down sharply and the Maloofs have had to make layoffs in their organization for the first time ever earlier in May. A move would bring in a lot of new cash because of the sheer excitement of the fans in the market along with merchandise sales.

3) New York Islanders

Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Islanders of the 80's were a dynasty, a force to be reckoned with. They won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980 - 1983. Pretty damn good for a team founded only 8 years before this feat. Now they might be headed elsewhere.

This one doesn't take a lengthy explanation, because the reasons are similar to the other teams on this list. Aging arena, sagging attendance. Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is one of the older NHL arenas around at 1972, and prospects for a new one don't seem likely. But the real story here is the pathetic attendance numbers.



In the last four seasons, the Islanders have ranked dead last in attendance for three of them. Even when the team had moderate success in recent years, they've ranked consistently in the bottom half of attendance. This is staggering considering their location in a city as gigantic as New York. Sure they have to share the spotlight with the Rangers, but there should be no way a hockey team in Nashville, Phoenix, Atlanta, or Columbus of all places should draw more fans. The city doesn't care about the team at this point, and I'm not sure they'd be missed.

2) Phoenix Coyotes

Perhaps the most obvious selection on the list, because they already have their foot halfway out the door. The Coyotes have already tried to file for bankruptcy and sell the team over to Jim Balsillie, who already tried to buy the Nashville Predators two years ago. Balsillie is desperately trying to move any team he possibly can into Hamilton, Ontario. The team would've already been sold if not for the NHL stepping into court and fighting the bankruptcy and transaction. The crux of the debate is whether the Coyotes acceptance of massive financial assistance from the NHL put the league in control of the team. Whether or not the league wins the debate is almost immaterial. This team is gone sooner rather than later.



In the last decade, the Coyotes have been in the playoffs only once, and ranked 19th in attendance in their best year. In fact, the team hasn't won a playoff series since moving to Phoenix from Winnipeg. I think it's about time this franchise made its way back to Canada. Give it up Gary Bettman, the attempt to shoehorn the NHL into the southern United States didn't work. Of the ten warm weather teams currently in the league (Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Carolina, Anaheim, Nashville, Florida, Tampa Bay, San Jose), only one finished in the top half of total attendance last season, Dallas. And Dallas finished 15th. In terms of percentage attendance, the same holds true, except that San Jose is the only team to finish in the top half. In all fairness, only three of these teams made the playoffs. Still, this trend is troubling. Get those Coyotes out of Arizona.

Oh and I did a Google Image search for "Phoenix Coyotes fan". 226 results, only 2 pictures of people wearing Phoenix Coyotes gear, and one of them was of a paid model.

1) Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers place at the top of the list has nothing to do with an inadequate arena, or terrible attendance (though their attendance isn't great). It doesn't even have anything to do with an impending move in the works. By the numbers, the Clippers are actually fine where they are in Los Angeles as LA's second basketball team. This pick has nothing to do with necessity, but more to do with the intangibles and opportunity. Let me explain....

On the court, the Clippers are simply a haunted franchise. They are the oldest team in NBA history (founded in Buffalo in 1970) to never have appeared in the Finals, to never have won their conference, and to never have even won their division. The Clippers haven't won anything, ever. Well, that's not completely true. They won their first round series in the 2006 Playoffs, but besides that, not much. In the battle for the city of Los Angeles, the Clippers have had a better regular season record than the Lakers four times in the 25 seasons they've been in the same town. As a franchise, the Clippers have won 36.2% of their games overall (compared to 61.7% for the Lakers franchise). This is a loser team.



I've been to a Clippers game myself. It was one of the most depressing sports experiences of my life. One single fan in the lower bowl got the crowd going louder than the public address announcer could. Unlike most teams, which only use a dance squad/cheerleaders plus an entertaining performer or two during time outs, the Clippers used their kids dance squad. Some of them were wearing suspenders! It was like a Kidz Bop commercial. It was truly awful.

But my dislike for the Clippers' game experience isn't enough for them to move. The opportunity to have a sizeable market (and spotlight) to yourself is though. If you're the Clippers, why stay in LA as a second team when you can move 30 miles away to Anaheim and have the market to yourself. Anaheim and the Orange County area have shown through their support of the Angels and the Ducks that they're capable of supporting their teams. By moving out to Orange County you could have a facility exclusive to your own basketball team, a HUGE potential sponsor in Disney and a fanbase looking for more accessible basketball. Don't like Anaheim Donald Sterling? What about San Diego? Sure, maybe it's not as appealing of a market because of a poor past history with the city (they used to be the San Diego Clippers), but at least you'd have it to yourself instead of being LA's redheaded stepchild.

Worried fans won't be excited when you get there? You're dead wrong. The Clippers have the top pick in this year's draft, meaning they get to pick up Blake Griffin. Without all of their injuries this year, they might have been decent. They will have the talent, they just need the luck (and a coach). A quick move makes a lot of sense, and the team certainly won't be missed.

Honorable Mentions

- Atlanta Thrashers
- Nashville Predators
- Florida Marlins (if they weren't already getting a new ballpark... nothing describes a Marlins game better than an orange seat convention)

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