The Pittsburgh Pistons?

While I see the argument i think that the Cavaliers and the 76ers would both prefer that Pittsburgh not have a team. Of course the flip side to that argument is the potential for two great rivalries.

I do remember that the NHL did not want to put teams in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh t the time of the first expansion and it was Cleveland that got the short end of the hockey stick despite a long history of support for minor league hockey. I do not know if the NBA has or had similar concerns.
 
Everybody from Pittsburgh will jump on me but I think that Cleveland would have been the better choice fora team at the time of the original expansion. But when the Golden Seals moved to Cleveland and took the old barons name the team was horrible and got little support.

As it is the Penguins have had their share of financial problems I am not sure they would welcome another team so close. And the old barons are now the Dallas Stars (sort of anyway) and if they move back to Cleveland then i would expect the Dodgers to move back to Brooklyn.
 
Pittsburgh bombed in the ABA on two separate occasions, the first when they had the incomparable Connie Hawkins. Maybe memories have faded, but I don't think the NBA would make a go of it in Pittsburgh, especially when they have a perennial Top 20 Big East power.
 
This is kind of a silly story. Pittsburgh is the #23 DMA, and is surrounded (except for the area towards Cleveland, which is not relevant to this discussion) by very unpopulated areas (by eastern standards) that do not contribute much to the overall market size. The town, despite the junk science statistic of having a big number of corporate HQs, is in an extend decline for a peak generations ago. The Pirates and Pens struggle at the box office.

Detroit is the #11 DMA and has a legitimate claim to the entire state of Michigan and the Toledo metro area, and at least some following in the nearby part of Ontario.

If the Pistons are moving, its not to Pittsburgh.
 
This is kind of a silly story. Pittsburgh is the #23 DMA, and is surrounded (except for the area towards Cleveland, which is not relevant to this discussion) by very unpopulated areas (by eastern standards) that do not contribute much to the overall market size. The town, despite the junk science statistic of having a big number of corporate HQs, is in an extend decline for a peak generations ago. The Pirates and Pens struggle at the box office.

Detroit is the #11 DMA and has a legitimate claim to the entire state of Michigan and the Toledo metro area, and at least some following in the nearby part of Ontario.
And LA is the #2 DMA, yet couldn't keep the 2 NFL teams it had.

Market size has nothing to do with selling out a stadium, otherwise Green Bay would have gone under a long time ago, instead of having an ungodly long waiting list and how many straight sold out games?
 
The NFL (8 home games per year, generally on a Sunday afternoon) has virtually complete revenue sharing. You could put a team in Vermillion, North Dakota and it would make virtually the same as one in LA. The other three major team sports are a totally different discussion. Which is why I did not mention the Steelers in the first place.
 
This is kind of a silly story. Pittsburgh is the #23 DMA, and is surrounded (except for the area towards Cleveland, which is not relevant to this discussion) by very unpopulated areas (by eastern standards) that do not contribute much to the overall market size. The town, despite the junk science statistic of having a big number of corporate HQs, is in an extend decline for a peak generations ago. The Pirates and Pens struggle at the box office.

Detroit is the #11 DMA and has a legitimate claim to the entire state of Michigan and the Toledo metro area, and at least some following in the nearby part of Ontario.

If the Pistons are moving, its not to Pittsburgh.

The Pens sell out every game and if the Pirates didn't have 17 years of losing they would sell a lot more tickets.

Pitt basketball sells out every game along with the Steelers.

I don't think NBA will work here but with the new arena and the success of Pitt BB who knows.
 
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