With the somewhat embarrassing move to Memphis, the Grizzlies have left Vancouver without a franchise in the NBA. The Grizzlies played in Vancouver for a total of five seasons, with a consistent low win:loss ratio and poor attendance, but it seems that the growing city is once again a viable option for the NBA. Investor Chris Hansen notes that Vancouver has a few factors in their favour: “They have the corporate infrastructure, they have a building that they can readily move into … they also have a very hot hockey team there currently.” The move across the border will help globalize the organization and hopefully revamp struggling teams such as the New Orleans Hornets, who have recently put themselves up for sale. The biggest question which looms over the decision is: can Vancouver sustain such a franchise financially? It is obvious that for any city to support a sports team, there must be a tremendous amount of help from a broad set of fans. John Furlong chairmen of the WhiteCaps FC in Vancouver is sceptical: “There are players in the NBA who have $100-million contracts, you have to know that just isn’t sustainable in every market.” All things said, Vancouver is a major competitor in the battle for a franchise and has the capability of boxing out other potentials such as Seattle and Anaheim. Would the move be just as big of a flop as the last? Is Vancouver capable of supporting another team?
What do you think?
Web References: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/24/bc-nba-vancouver-conference-board.html
The problem with having an NBA team in Vancouver is exactly what the Whitecaps owner said, the contracts are way too expensive and there just isn’t enough interest. Sure, many people into basketball but there’s just no competing with markets like LA and Miami. If Vancouver gets another chance at an NBA franchise, I think we’ll see the same problem as before: not enough interest which causes not enough money which causes few big name players which causes few wins. And few wins ultimately means even less money.