OT: Would The NBA Work In Montreal ?

[Gjman2019]

They were talking about it tonight on the Raptors pre-game show.....Did any of you guys see that ?

I know Montreal sports fans are very passionate people from what i have seen over the years.......The Raptors have had longevity in Canada but the Grizzlies didn't.........

What do you think would happen in Montreal if it ever happened ?

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[Runner77]

I fear that Geoff would have a stake in it on account of the BC offering the best venue for it. He would probably name himself President of that too and would never rebuild if needed.

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

No it would not!

Just like any other sport that's not hockey.

 

[danyhabsfan]

Better chance to work than baseball

 

[Gjman2019]

I fear that Geoff would have a stake in it on account of the BC offering the best venue for it. He would probably name himself President of that too and would never rebuild if needed.

Looks as though the Habs are finally gonna get a rebuild though.....Thankfully......

There's a lot of NBA cities that aren't really that huge.......I guess television deals are big in that sport as far as revenue goes....Would have to look it up and see how lucrative those TV deals are compared to the NHL.....

 

[Vachon23]

Better chance to work than baseball

That’s what I was about to say ! And they already have an arena

 

[danyhabsfan]

That’s what I was about to say ! And they already have an arena

41 home games vs 81 (assuming they have a mlb team)

20k fans vs 40k fans stadium

so 700-800k fans vs 2M fans (assuming an average of 25k fans per game)

 

[Runner77]

Baseball only failed because of ownership depleting the team of its stars year over year. They would refuse to sign players into their free agent years and would trade them rather than pay them. The net result is degrading the product to such an extent that fans became frustrated and stayed away.

It’s not an either/or proposition, as different ownership groups would be involved for each sport. The NBA can be looked at on its own merits, it doesn’t need to be compared to some other sport.

 

[417]

Would be amazing

 

[salbutera]

No it would not!

Just like any other sport that's not hockey.

WJC was a failure in Mtl as were multiple junior teams.

Not hockey… Mtl Canadiens.

 

[salbutera]

Baseball only failed because of ownership depleting the team of its stars year over year. They would refuse to sign players into their free agent years and would trade them rather than pay them. The net result is degrading the product to such an extent that fans became frustrated and stayed away.

It’s not an either/or proposition, as different ownership groups would be involved for each sport. The NBA can be looked at on its own merits, it doesn’t need to be compared to some other sport.

Nah… Charles Bronfman spent on the team, but once a sizable portion of the Anglo population left Mtl in the early 80s, the Expos attendance dropped drastically, despite competitive teams. From 1979-1983 Expos were top-3 in MLB attendance.

I grew up in NDG playing little league in a 14-team league, Cote des Neiges had a 24-team league @ Van Horne park, Cote St Luc & Hampstead has their own leagues.. that’s just the West end of the city. All of that had dwindled into almost nothingness by the mid-late 80s.

 

[Runner77]

Nah… Charles Bronfman spent on the team, but once a sizable portion of the Anglo population left Mtl in the early 80s, the Expos attendance dropped drastically, despite competitive teams. From 1979-1983 Expos were top-3 in MLB attendance.

I grew up in NDG playing little league in a 14-team league, Cote des Neiges had a 24-team league @ Van Horne park, Cote St Luc & Hampstead has their own leagues.. that’s just the West end of the city. All of that had dwindled into almost nothingness by the mid-late 80s.

That’s why there was a spike in attendance from 1987-89? I don’t buy the Anglo exodus from the province as the main cause, not when it comes to baseball. The sport was solidly entrenched in the city regardless. Ownership’s shortsighted decision making was the main culprit, I followed that saga daily.

Anyway, it’s a basketball thread, let’s get back to that.

 

[salbutera]

That’s why there was a spike in attendance from 1987-89? I don’t buy the Anglo exodus from the province as the main cause, not when it comes to baseball. The sport was solidly entrenched in the city regardless. Ownership’s shortsighted decision making was the main culprit, I followed that saga daily.

Anyway, it’s a basketball thread, let’s get back to that.

In 87 they were 9th out of 12-teams in National league attendance, 11-of-12 in 1988 and 10-of-12 in 1989.

I always hear Mtl’ers say how fans showed up in 1994… well they ended up 11th out of 14 teams in attendance in end Aug, despite having the team with the best record in baseball, and despite a team that was in contention well into September the previous two seasons.

Baseball never deeply penetrated the hearts & minds of the mass population in the city. Add to it, to replace the Anglo exodus, there was a strong demographic change underway in the populace as more immigration was taking hold from la francophonie, who had no association with the game of baseball

 

[Runner77]

In 87 they were 9th out of 12-teams in National league attendance, 11-of-12 in 1988 and 10-of-12 in 1989.

I always hear Mtl’ers say how fans showed up in 1994… well they ended up 11th out of 14 teams in attendance in end Aug, despite having the team with the best record in baseball, and despite a team that was in contention well into September the previous two seasons.

Baseball never deeply penetrated the hearts & minds of the mass population in the city. Add to it, to replace the Anglo exodus, there was a strong demographic change underway in the populace as more immigration was taking hold from la francophonie, who had no association with the game of baseball

Baseball began in Montreal in the 1870s. There were also the Montreal Royals. The closest the Expos had to a stadium configured like a MLB stadium was Jarry Park and that was a converted AAA stadium. And despite the unfavourable venues, fans still showed up, Anglos or less of them.

Proof’s in the puffing, fans showed up in large enough numbers through most years. When Bronfman decided he didn’t want to spend and handed the team to Brochu, it downspiraled further. The same Brochu who ordered players not to throw baseballs into the stands as it was a waste of money.

The Expos will have a resurgence when they return as the Expos. An NBA team in Montreal could learn from the mistakes ownership made in baseball.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

I would love basketball so much. Not alot of people in Quebec follow that sport and it shows. Having a superstar in the NBA can carry you and make magical moments.
I would gladly put this over the CFL , Impact and another washed up baseball team that nobody will show up after 1 year.

Also we wouldn't even need to a build a new arena , since they could play in the bell center.

It would be so far better than having the god damn nordiques back

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

It definitely would work

 

[FF de Mars]

I think it could happen: Québec is the blackest province of the country, it comes down to France's versus England's colonial past and how they spread their language. They would immediately garner an international following too.

 

[JianYang]

I think it could happen: Québec is the blackest province of the country, it comes down to France's versus England's colonial past and how they spread their language. They would immediately garner an international following too.

By your metric, Mississippi should have a basketball team being the 2nd most concentrated state with respect to African Americans.

If Canada gets another team, Vancouver was in the news a few years ago, and I think they would be front of the line in canada.

I'm sure the league wants to get a team back in Seattle first and foremost.

 

[peate]

By your metric, Mississippi should have a basketball team being the 2nd most concentrated state with respect to African Americans.

If Canada gets another team, Vancouver was in the news a few years ago, and I think they would be front of the line in canada.

I'm sure the league wants to get a team back in Seattle first and foremost.

MSU Bulldogs.

 

[Aces on the road]

No, Gally would be in starting line up

 

[FF de Mars]

By your metric, Mississippi should have a basketball team being the 2nd most concentrated state with respect to African Americans.

If Canada gets another team, Vancouver was in the news a few years ago, and I think they would be front of the line in canada.

I'm sure the league wants to get a team back in Seattle first and foremost.

By the metric of Gary Bettman and the NHL expansion, an NBA team in Montréal would open up a whole new market. Expanding the NBA to Seattle or Vancouver is the equivalant of expanding the NHL to Québec city, you don't create a new fan base by doing so. If you expand the NBA to Montréal it is like expanding the NHL to Arizona, you create a brand new fan base. According to the rules of the NHL expansion, having an NBA team in Montréal before Seattle or Vancouver actually makes sense.

 

[rahad]

Does the coach and GM need to speak french???

 

[FF de Mars]

Does the coach and GM need to speak french???

You would have to ask to the Director of Marketing lol. Probably so in order to sell more tickets and get more views.

 

[Stive Morgan]

I'd like to see it even though I'd probably still root for the Knicks.

The 2019 Raptors championship was definitely a big boost for the NBA in Canada. The whole country was behind them that year.

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

Maybe. I think there are still not enough fans among the older crowd, the one who holds the financial power, but it's changing.