“Veterans Memorial Stadium in Mississippi” Licensed Under CC BY-NC-ND 1.0
Pro sports expansion has become a buzzy topic in recent years. It isn’t hard to see why. Live sports remain one of the few truly appointment-viewing events. The ability to guarantee so many sets of eyeballs at centralized times is a virtue in the direct-to-consumer and on-demand era in which we’re living.
Of course, it also helps that a few of the most prominent leagues clearly have it top-of-mind. The WNBA is adding another two teams as you read this article. The NBA will likely be adding a team in Seattle and a team in Las Vegas by 2028. Major League Soccer is focused on continued expansion. The NHL has added two franchises within the past seven years. Even the NFL has bandied about the idea of expansion, including the possibility of having a team or two or overseas.
This got us thinking: Which U.S. Cities without a pro sports team should be considered for expansion opportunities? And which league are they best suited for?
Jackson, Mississippi
Best Fit for Expansion: NFL
People have pushed back against adding a pro sports team to Jackson, Mississippi in the past. It would be the city with the lowest population in the country to have one, which is an immediate turnoff for potential investors.
Respectfully, however, we disagree.
Mississippians have routinely shown out for their college football and basketball teams. Adding an NFL team to the Veterans Memorial Stadium feels like a worthwhile consideration. As Eric Uribe of MyTopSportsbooks also unpacks, the growing demand for Mississippi betting apps isn’t slowing. This suggests that building up a loyal fanbase in the area wouldn’t be particularly difficult.
Plus, the concern about the overall population ignores something that could offset it: Football is religion The Magnolia State. You don’t need the biggest market to subsidize an NFL team when love of the game itself is ingrained into the fabric of the city and state.
Austin, Texas
Best Fit for Expansion: NHL
Austin is a pretty big market. So much so, it’s actually kind of wild that they already don’t have a major sports team. Such is the perils of being located in a gigantic state that also has major hubs in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
It’s a toss-up between Major League Baseball and the NHL here. As the fine folks over at Complete write, though, the latter is probably the best fit all things considered:
“Don’t give us that bull about a professional sports team being unable to compete with the Longhorns. There are plenty of major college programs that share drive markets with pro teams, and Austin is dynamic enough to be polyamorous. While nearby San Antonio puts the kibosh on NBA expansion, Texas’ capital might have tremendous upside in the NHL or MLB. With the city’s edge, we see the greatest potential in a hockey team full of enforcers and a carefully curated stadium soundtrack.”
Hockey also makes the most sense when factoring in that the state is already home to two MLB teams: The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
Louisville, Kentucky
“Louisville Bats Minor League Baseball Team” Licensed Under CC BY-NC-ND 1.0
Best Fit for Expansion: MLB
With a metropolitan population of more than 1.3 million, Louisville is most definitely fit to house a pro sports team. And while the state is a low-key basketball haven, the NBA’s planned expansion for two more teams in Las Vegas and Seattle makes it an unrealistic option.
That leaves us with MLB. College and minor league baseball are fairly popular throughout the state of Kentucky. In many regions, it actually generates more eyeballs than college football.
Building up the fanbase shouldn’t take much work, either. According to Taylor Kujuwa of CableTV.com, the most popular MLB team in the state is the Cincinnati Reds. That is not a rooting interest with exceptional deep ties.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Best Fit for Expansion: WNBA
Look, let’s be real with one another: We need more pro sports teams playing in stadiums or arenas with waterfront views. Virginia Beach offers that exact opportunity.
Not too long ago, the city proposed the construction of a contemporary arena to the Oceanfront. Supporters argue the 1.8 million inhabitants in the area can prop up a pro-sports economy.
As it turns out, these people might be right. Virginia Beach was apparently on the NBA’s expansion shortlist in the event Seattle or Las Vegas were no-gos.
Knowing this, the WNBA is a natural fit. They have expanded to a total of 15 teams in recent years. Relative to how much the league’s ratings are increasing, bringing a WNBA franchise to Virginia Beach makes too much sense in our book.
