Could Providence support a big 4 sports team?

[MMC]

While I know that Providence is incredibly close to Boston, and as such is a Boston sports territory, I still wonder about the possibility of this city/region having a team of its own. It is the second biggest metropolitan area without a team, with over 1 and a half million people, bigger than metros like Milwaukee, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Buffalo, and Raleigh, and is in what seems to be a particularly sports crazed area, which leads me to believe there is a chance it could support a team in one of the leagues despite Boston having a team in each league close by. What do you think though? Is there actually a chance that this region could support one or more big 4 sports teams?

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[CHRDANHUTCH]

While I know that Providence is incredibly close to Boston, and as such is a Boston sports territory, I still wonder about the possibility of this city/region having a team of its own. It is the second biggest metropolitan area without a team, with over 1 and a half million people, bigger than metros like Milwaukee, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Buffalo, and Raleigh, and is in what seems to be a particularly sports crazed area, which leads me to believe there is a chance it could support a team in one of the leagues despite Boston having a team in each league close by. What do you think though? Is there actually a chance that this region could support one or more big 4 sports teams?

no, add to that it already boasts a D1 NCAA program

 

[BKIslandersFan]

No, its way too close to Boston.

 

[HisIceness]

Short answer, very likely not. It might be a decent market for supporting a team (I know very little about it) but the proximity to Boston will likely be a deterrent.

bigger than metros like Milwaukee, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Buffalo, and Raleigh,

While this is true regarding the Raleigh-Cary MSA, the Triangle as a whole (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) is significantly larger than Providence. The Raleigh-Cary area will also likely pass Providence pretty quickly at the rate the two are growing.

 

[MMC]

One thing I also forgot to add is that Greater Boston which includes Providence is the 6th biggest CSA in the country behind NYC-Newark (2 teams in each league, 3 in NHL), Greater LA (2 in each league), Chicago-Naperville (2 MLB teams), the Bay Area (2 MLB teams, formerly 2 NFL), and Baltimore-DC (2 MLB and NFL teams), which leads me to believe that even though the city is very close to Boston, the area is still large enough to support another team in one of the leagues (though maybe Boston 2 would make more sense than Providence?)

I know going to an already existing market isn’t nearly as attractive to the leagues as expanding to new markets, but considering how sports crazed the area is, I still would have a hard time believing they’d struggle to support another major league team (though the recent success of every Boston team could make it difficult for existing fans to jump ship).

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

While I know that Providence is incredibly close to Boston, and as such is a Boston sports territory, I still wonder about the possibility of this city/region having a team of its own. It is the second biggest metropolitan area without a team, with over 1 and a half million people, bigger than metros like Milwaukee, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Buffalo, and Raleigh, and is in what seems to be a particularly sports crazed area, which leads me to believe there is a chance it could support a team in one of the leagues despite Boston having a team in each league close by. What do you think though? Is there actually a chance that this region could support one or more big 4 sports teams?

No. It is an extension of the Boston metro area, both culturally and geographically.

 

[ColinM]

I think Providence would run into the same problems as Hartford.

 

[MMC]

I think Providence would run into the same problems as Hartford.

This was certainly something I considered but Providence metro has 400,000 more people. I figure if Hartford got a chance recently, why couldn't Providence also get one?

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

This was certainly something I considered but Providence metro has 400,000 more people. I figure if Hartford got a chance recently, why couldn't Providence also get one?

Hartford shouldn't have gotten a chance They were much too small of a market and they are located directly between Boston and New York City which famously resulted in them not even having the market majority in their own smaller metro area.

They only joined the league because the NHL was essentially buying out their WHA competition after realizing it was cheaper than facing the rising player salaries from the competition. In normal circumstances, the NHL never would have even considered expanding or relocating a team to Hartford.

And we would live in a much more rational and happier world with less naivety and outright stupidity where Hartford isn't considered as a bench mark for a NHL market.

 

[Stephen]

One thing I also forgot to add is that Greater Boston which includes Providence is the 6th biggest CSA in the country behind NYC-Newark (2 teams in each league, 3 in NHL), Greater LA (2 in each league), Chicago-Naperville (2 MLB teams), the Bay Area (2 MLB teams, formerly 2 NFL), and Baltimore-DC (2 MLB and NFL teams), which leads me to believe that even though the city is very close to Boston, the area is still large enough to support another team in one of the leagues (though maybe Boston 2 would make more sense than Providence?)

I know going to an already existing market isn’t nearly as attractive to the leagues as expanding to new markets, but considering how sports crazed the area is, I still would have a hard time believing they’d struggle to support another major league team (though the recent success of every Boston team could make it difficult for existing fans to jump ship).

I don't see how it makes sense. When you think in hockey terms, (NHL being the most affordable of the Big 4) Providence's hockey identity (Providence Bruins) is a direct extension of the Boston Bruins identity. Feels like trying to cleave off a Toronto suburb to create a distinct identity from the Maple Leafs. Just seems to be trying to serve a market that's not there.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

I don't see how it makes sense. When you think in hockey terms, (NHL being the most affordable of the Big 4) Providence's hockey identity (Providence Bruins) is a direct extension of the Boston Bruins identity. Feels like trying to cleave off a Toronto suburb to create a distinct identity from the Maple Leafs. Just seems to be trying to serve a market that's not there.

I am pretty sure the bruins name is a mandate by Jacobs when it comes to Providence's AHL team. There has been rumors before that Larue has wanted to rename the team the reds but has been rejected.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I am pretty sure the bruins name is a mandate by Jacobs when it comes to Providence's AHL team. There has been rumors before that Larue has wanted to rename the team the reds but has been rejected.

because the Reds are descended from Hartford, Centrum, Providence's current team was only founded in 1987, (there have been issues as to the validity of a Boston Braves hockey franchise, which has never been truly verified)and had only been there since 1992, it was why the Reds were sold to Binghamton ownership, in 1977, which became the Dusters, it was one reason why Spectra blocked them as well as the League bylaws where you cannot split territory, if another club existed in that market as Portland was granted that same season

 

[Gnashville]

Any city could support an NFL team given most of the revenue comes from TV and there are only 8 games a year mostly on Sunday.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Any city could support an NFL team given most of the revenue comes from TV and there are only 8 games a year mostly on Sunday.

Providence doesn't have a football team, and URI is that option....

 

[GindyDraws]

Hartford shouldn't have gotten a chance They were much too small of a market and they are located directly between Boston and New York City which famously resulted in them not even having the market majority in their own smaller metro area.

They only joined the league because the NHL was essentially buying out their WHA competition after realizing it was cheaper than facing the rising player salaries from the competition. In normal circumstances, the NHL never would have even considered expanding or relocating a team to Hartford.

And we would live in a much more rational and happier world with less naivety and outright stupidity where Hartford isn't considered as a bench mark for a NHL market.

Okay, which WHA team would you have taken instead? Cincinnati or Birmingham?

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Okay, which WHA team would you have taken instead? Cincinnati or Birmingham?

Not going to get too off topic because this isn't what the OP is asking, but...

I wouldn't have taken any if I was John Ziegler Jr. If my goal was to buy out the competition because it is cheaper than facing the rising costs, I certainly wouldn't have taken four so questionable markets. Three of the four teams relocated for reasons mostly related to market size. The only one of the four teams that didn't relocate, Edmonton, was a signature away from relocating on two separate occasions.

If I had to take a merger, I would have done it before the WHA burnt itself out after the 1978-79 season and taken Houston Aeros, Calgary Cowboys, Edmonton Oilers, and Phoenix Roadrunners. It satisfies everything: two medium-sized Canadian markets and two large American markets. Phoenix and Houston would have required the same market dedication showed to the NHL's expansion and relocation teams during the 90s, especially considering all of the NHL's non-traditional markets during the late 70s were struggling. However, having both of them today level with markets like San José, St. Louis, and Washington are now would result in the league being much stronger than having Winnipeg, Québec, and Hartford all struggle financially for less than two decades before relocating.

 

[GindyDraws]

I'm not trying to go off-topic, but it's only because there isn't much you can say about Providence. It doesn't have a large media market, and while you can make the argument that the city, in essence, could double as the state of Rhode Island (though that logic would be shaky at best), its proximity to Boston makes it unlikely to support any major sports team. In fact, it's going to be down to one minor league team next year when the nearby Pawtucket Red Sox move to Worcester, Massachusetts.

Not to mention there isn't any purpose for the state to want to invest heavily in something like, say, a major league caliber sports venue, especially after a similar fiasco years ago with Curt Schilling and his video game studio damn near bankrupted the state and left them hanging with a Kingdoms of Amalur IP that, while ambitious, wasn't the killer application Schilling made it out to be.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I'm not trying to go off-topic, but it's only because there isn't much you can say about Providence. It doesn't have a large media market, and while you can make the argument that the city, in essence, could double as the state of Rhode Island (though that logic would be shaky at best), its proximity to Boston makes it unlikely to support any major sports team. In fact, it's going to be down to one minor league team next year when the nearby Pawtucket Red Sox move to Worcester, Massachusetts.

Not to mention there isn't any purpose for the state to want to invest heavily in something like, say, a major league caliber sports venue, especially after a similar fiasco years ago with Curt Schilling and his video game studio damn near bankrupted the state and left them hanging with a Kingdoms of Amalur IP that, while ambitious, wasn't the killer application Schilling made it out to be.

Worcester has already occurred, JD.... Pandemic or not... NAPBL or not, since MLB elected to pass on minor league baseball..... all there waiting for is for Polar Park to be completed