By Aspen McAdoo

All the four major sports leagues are looking to make more money. One of the best ways at doing that is to expand the league. Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Basketball Association (NBA) are all looking to expand across the USA and even the world. The National Hockey Association (NHL) has just recently added two teams, the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken, so it is unlikely to do any more expanding anytime soon. The MLB and NBA each have 30 teams. While the NFL and NHL have 32 teams. Each league has a different set of rules it looks at when looking to add a new team in. The criteria for a new team in all the leagues are based on population, general interest in the sport, and existing infrastructure.

The MLB’s viewership is declining at a rapid rate, meaning they have to make a big change in the game. According to foxsports.com, “The top five cities for expansion are Nashville, Montreal, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Portland.” A city such as Portland would not make much sense because it is competing with the already limited baseball popularity in Seattle. Other cities such as Nashville and Charlotte have shown that they can support other professional teams, so they might be top destinations. Another thing they bring into account is the city’s market size. Currently in the MLB, the smallest market is the Kansas City Royals, while the largest market is the New York Yankees. The league also focuses on the international market playing four games outside of the USA this year. The Giants and Padres will play a two-game series in Mexico City and the Cardinals and Cubs will play a two-game series in London. It would cost about 2.2 billion dollars to add a new MLB team. Hunter Alba, a freshman at Ponte Vedra High School, said, “I believe that adding two new teams to the MLB would be great. It would bring a bunch more attention to the game. I think the two best cities would be Nashville and Vegas.” The support for new MLB teams is there, it is just about finding the right place.

The NFL, which might be at its peak of popularity right now, is not serious about expanding now, but it is still one of the things the league is looking at. The criteria is very similar to the MLB, but the TV market also plays a big role. The NFL’s market ranges greatly. The Green Bay Packers have the smallest market size, while the New York Jets and Giants have the largest. They aren’t talking about any relocation cities until they make it a top priority to relocate. Some discussions have talked about expanding into other countries due to the games growing popularity. The NFL focuses a lot on the international market, playing five games outside of the USA last year. They played three in London, one in Germany, and one in Mexico City. Roshan Patel, a sophomore at PVHS, said, “I think the NFL should not be focusing on expansion, they should look at other ways to make the game better. I think 32 teams is a lot and adding anymore could add insult to injury.” Some of the population does not think it is a good idea to add on but, there is also a lot of support for the expansion.

The NBA, which is also losing popularity wants to make a splash by adding in new teams to the league. The criteria for a new team is: would the city support a team? What is the city’s population and can they house an expansion team? According to franchisesports.co, “The top 5 relocation cities are Seattle, Las Vegas, Louisville, Tampa, and Nashville.” Seattle is an obvious choice because the city is begging to get a team back since the Super Sonics left for Oklahoma City. Las Vegas will always be an option when looking to expand because of the popularity of the city. Tampa might not be the best option due to there already being two others teams in Florida, and some of the other sports attendance are not the best. The NBA also wants to focus on market size just like the other leagues. The Memphis Grizzlies have the smallest market size, while the New York Knicks have the largest. The NBA might not have the best international market but they certainly focus on it. The NBA played three games outside of the USA and Canada last year. One in Paris, one in Japan, and one in Mexico City. Ben Miller, a sophomore at PVHS, said, “I think if the league wants to get younger fans, they have to make a big splash to do it. Adding in new teams would be the perfect opportunity. Seattle and Vegas are the two best options out there.” Along with the MLB, the support is there for expansion teams, it is just finding the right spot to make a splash in.

All four leagues want to bring in money, and the best way to do that is to create a splash. Expansion teams lead to increased attendance and new fans to the game. Especially in struggling leagues like the MLB and NBA, expansion might be the best choice.