fluffernutter
09-05-2004, 10:15 PM
I was watching SportsCenter - The Next 25 Years special tonioght and there was a bit on the very good possibility of our 4 major sports expanding into the rest of the world over the next 25 years and how that would change the whole landscape of Professional Sports in America. David Stern mentioned how a European NBA could be very possible by 2010.
Me? No sir, I don't like it. Expansion has watered down the najor four sports quite a bit already. What would a London NBA Team or a Swedish NHL team do? I seriously doubt that teams would want to live over there away from their families and the travel would be insane. Most of these other countries have their own Professional Leauges and if our leauges go over into their countries it would kill their leauges and who is to say people would come to watch or if there is even a demand for it. It just seems crazy.
I can handle the leauges being spread out over our continent. Canada, maybe Mexico, fine. It wouldn't seem to impractical for a Baseball team in Puerto Rico or Mexico or maybe some other expansion into Canada. Personally, I hope there is no more expansion and if anything, maybe they cut back as to eliminate the parity in some of our leauges as it is.
Just 20 years ago it was like this:
LEAUGE Teams 1985 Teams 2004
...NHL... ......21........ .....30........
...NFL... ......28........ .....32........
...MLB... ......26........ .....30........
...NBA... ......23........ .....29........
Is there enough talent developing to bring about more teams not only here on this continent but in Asia and in Europe? It just sounds crazy to me. I meean no way in hell would I stay up late until what, 5 in the morning to watch the Phillies play in Australia. Not to mention wouldn't the seasons be a tad bit longer with expansion worldwide. You would be killing teams having them come back after a long flight and THEN a day off. Wouldn't they need at least 2 days to recover? Didn't that Japan game kind of screw up the Yankees for a few days until they got over the jetlag. I wonder if these commissioners think aboout this kind of thing or if they only see green.
I say they only see green.
The only other disadvantage I can think of is that all of these leauges are OURS! Here in America, Baseball is the National Pasttime. I want to be a little bit selfish here and not share the NBA or NHL or NFL with other countries. It would just screw with things too much and more than anything screw with tradition. Create an NHL Europe or MLB and NBA Europe and let them have their own leauges. Don't be crossing oceans.
http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=fluffernutter
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Me? No sir, I don't like it. Expansion has watered down the najor four sports quite a bit already. What would a London NBA Team or a Swedish NHL team do? I seriously doubt that teams would want to live over there away from their families and the travel would be insane. Most of these other countries have their own Professional Leauges and if our leauges go over into their countries it would kill their leauges and who is to say people would come to watch or if there is even a demand for it. It just seems crazy.
I can handle the leauges being spread out over our continent. Canada, maybe Mexico, fine. It wouldn't seem to impractical for a Baseball team in Puerto Rico or Mexico or maybe some other expansion into Canada. Personally, I hope there is no more expansion and if anything, maybe they cut back as to eliminate the parity in some of our leauges as it is.
Just 20 years ago it was like this:
LEAUGE Teams 1985 Teams 2004
...NHL... ......21........ .....30........
...NFL... ......28........ .....32........
...MLB... ......26........ .....30........
...NBA... ......23........ .....29........
Is there enough talent developing to bring about more teams not only here on this continent but in Asia and in Europe? It just sounds crazy to me. I meean no way in hell would I stay up late until what, 5 in the morning to watch the Phillies play in Australia. Not to mention wouldn't the seasons be a tad bit longer with expansion worldwide. You would be killing teams having them come back after a long flight and THEN a day off. Wouldn't they need at least 2 days to recover? Didn't that Japan game kind of screw up the Yankees for a few days until they got over the jetlag. I wonder if these commissioners think aboout this kind of thing or if they only see green.
I say they only see green.
The only other disadvantage I can think of is that all of these leauges are OURS! Here in America, Baseball is the National Pasttime. I want to be a little bit selfish here and not share the NBA or NHL or NFL with other countries. It would just screw with things too much and more than anything screw with tradition. Create an NHL Europe or MLB and NBA Europe and let them have their own leauges. Don't be crossing oceans.
http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=fluffernutter
EAT! Ron and Fez Cereal! (http://pleaseforgetme.com/PTV/RFCereal.swf)