OT: Would The NBA Work In Montreal ?

[JtotheC]

Not now but maybe in the future.

The NBA just recently started airing on RDS I believe. Still novel to Quebec audiences.

Those that follow the NBA or play basketball regularly are mostly young and would not be able to afford to consistently attend the NBA games or become season ticket holders. I feel like our games would be filled with a lot of spectators rooting for the other teams because of their players.

We would also be faced with NBA players not wanting to play in Montreal because it is in Canada, taxes, weather, foreign to them etc. This was what Toronto had to face for many years up until recently. A lot of challenges for now.

Exhibition games at the Bell Centre always sold out in the past, but part of it is because it was sort of an "event".

We just got a CEBL team so it will be interesting if that generates any interest. This is an opportunity to grow the game in Montreal. Former NBA star Joel Anthony named GM of CEBL's Montreal Alliance | Montreal Gazette

 

[ottawa]

Imagine the difficulty they'd have in attracting talent.

Also the shit show of mixing our French media and their ways with identity politics and the NBA media who likely won't give a f*** about French culture.

 

[sandviper]

As a Raptors fan, I'd love for a team in Montreal as well.

Basketball is so accessible and easy to play. I'd think if an NBA team were to stand up shop in Montreal, they'd develop a fan base relatively quickly. At least here in Toronto, basketball is a little cheaper than hockey and thus you see a much younger and vocal crowd. I know we joke a lot about how quiet Scotiabank arena is for Leafs games, but the house is rocking with the Raptors.

Plus, it'd give another pro sport for Montreal radio media to discuss. This can only be a good thing for two reasons: this will help maintain sport fan sanity during these trying hockey times, and secondly this will just help with secondary economy and so forth.

 

[Edgy]

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.

Are you sure you're not talking about the Habs?

 

[Scintillating10]

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 ?

No, Canadiens own the sports market here

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I dont think it would work. Montreal is a habs town. Then again more kids play basketball in Montreal than hockey growing up these days. Still don't think it would work but maybe in a few decades.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

There's actually alot of talent coming out of QC these days in the basketball world. I think the problem would be with french media embracing it and trying to sell it to people outside of Montreal

 

[Maitz]

It would work and baseball would work also. This city can support more than hockey, the fans and the city has changed,
.

 

[Sterling Archer]

American players have a hard enough time playing in Toronto. They wouldn't want to play in Montreal and you'd never be able to attract the really top end talent you need to compete and after years of bad to so-so years, interest would wain and the franchise would fold.

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

A basketball team, just like baseball, soccer or football, would work in this city as long as the team was winning. Therefore, they would be doomed to fail within 10 years because almost no star players would want to come to this market.

 

[Monsieur Miz]

The other sports aren't doing so good so probably not.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I'd like it. Also I would like CTV or City to air it. Basketball franchises are way more expensive than NHL ones though I believe. Maybe start with the WNBA?

 

[George Lebay]

I wonder why basketball and especially soccer fans always feel the need to say their sport is better than baseball... why do you care so much about baseball if you don't like it ?

 

[Tripledeke333]

IMO NFL would be more awesome but that would likely go to Toronto first.

 

[dcyhabs]

If the media couldn't handle Subban they would be totally freaked out by the calmest, most subdued player in the NBA. Legault would start talking about wokeness again were it ever to come up.

 

[MXD]

Maybe if I were still living in Montreal, I'd care.

 

[FF de Mars]

IMO NFL would be more awesome but that would likely go to Toronto first.

I would personally be more interested in an NFL team. I thought about it, dreamed about it for a while. Something big could happen if the CFL folded to be replaced by an NFL division. A whole 4 teams Canadian division. How cool would that be!

 

[Gjman2019]

Imagine the difficulty they'd have in attracting talent.

Also the shit show of mixing our French media and their ways with identity politics and the NBA media who likely won't give a f*** about French culture.

That's an interesting point because it is a superstar driven league....If you go through the history of the league it's the teams with the real elite superstars that have a lot of the titles.....

I love basketball as a sport but i never did like the superstar culture of the NBA.....Always felt like it should be more about the teams than the individuals......I guess it's with good reason though, when you consider how important the stars are when it comes to winning.....

 

[Mandala]

Fun to play not to watch for me. Same as baseball.

 

[vokiel]

No it wouldn't work, nobody cares about basketball in this province, but a tiny minority.

Even Lacrosse would work better.

 

[Habs Icing]

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.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you mean what I think you mean, you're woefully wrong. If you discount the Maritime provinces Quebec is the whitest province in Canada. Check the stats:
% of Visible minority/ white
B.C. 36/64
Alta 30/70
Sask 27/73
Man 30/70
Ont 32/68
QC 15/85

It ain't even close.

 

[FF de Mars]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you mean what I think you mean, you're woefully wrong. If you discount the Maritime provinces Quebec is the whitest province in Canada. Check the stats:
% of Visible minority/ white
B.C. 36/64
Alta 30/70
Sask 27/73
Man 30/70
Ont 32/68
QC 15/85

It ain't even close.

It's hard to have this conversation because of PC stigmats which only help spreading racism in the end. What I meant is Québec has the highest population of African descendants. I wasn't talking about visible minorities as a whole, but actual black people only.

 

[Habs Icing]

It's hard to have this conversation because of PC stigmats which only help spreading racism in the end. What I meant is Québec has the highest population of African descendants. I wasn't talking about visible minorities as a whole, but actual black people only.

Without checking the stats of the other provinces I know Ont has a larger black population than Quebec.

 

[FF de Mars]

Without checking the stats of the other provinces I know Ont has a larger black population than Quebec.

Check the stats and check the % of the population.

 

[Doublechin]

It's what I am waiting for before I give up on the pathetic hockey team we've been stuck with