The Louisville Raptors?

[CardX]

I'm not a huge proponent of the NBA to Louisville. We'd be a small market with the inability to fully support a franchise, but given travel restrictions to Canada and vice versa, if the Raptors want to hole up in Louisville for the upcoming NBA season, I'm all for giving it a test run. Also, I figure it would be Issel making the phone calls, not Bridgeman. But, leave it to a Card to do a Cats' job.

The Louisville Raptors?
One big focus for next season has been the status of the Toronto Raptors. Due to the United States’ handling of COVID-19, travel into Canada has been banned.

MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays played their home games in Buffalo, and the Toronto FC of the MLS played its games in East Hartford, Connecticut.

The Raptors face a similar dilemma, and league sources tell Yahoo Sports one alternate location that has been broached is Louisville, Kentucky. Former NBA player and successful businessman Junior Bridgeman has been in contact with the NBA, considering Louisville has the KFC Yum! Center that is NBA-ready.

No decision has been made yet, as it’s on a laundry list of topics to be discussed on the upcoming call, along with the collective bargaining agreement, competitive formats for next season and an update on the social justice coalition.

Louisville wouldn’t be first in line in the event of relocation or expansion; Seattle is. But it seems to be an easier sell to get the Raptors in Louisville for a short period — or even sharing a current NBA market, according to sources.

How this goes with the league’s objectives of getting fans in seats is an interesting proposition if the Raptors would play home games in, say, New York or Chicago, given there’s no natural fan base there.

A league official told Yahoo Sports the same line Silver has been parroting for months now, that the virus will determine so much of the league’s actions. It doesn’t appear likely the virus will slow down enough for Canada to open its borders for frequent international travel anytime soon.

The NBA is appearing to take proactive measures similar to its professional counterparts.

 

[CardX]

I'm not a huge proponent of the NBA to Louisville. We'd be a small market with the inability to fully support a franchise, but given travel restrictions to Canada and vice versa, if the Raptors want to hole up in Louisville for the upcoming NBA season, I'm all for giving it a test run. Also, I figure it would be Issel making the phone calls, not Bridgeman. But, leave it to a Card to do a Cats' job.

The Louisville Raptors?
One big focus for next season has been the status of the Toronto Raptors. Due to the United States’ handling of COVID-19, travel into Canada has been banned.

MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays played their home games in Buffalo, and the Toronto FC of the MLS played its games in East Hartford, Connecticut.

The Raptors face a similar dilemma, and league sources tell Yahoo Sports one alternate location that has been broached is Louisville, Kentucky. Former NBA player and successful businessman Junior Bridgeman has been in contact with the NBA, considering Louisville has the KFC Yum! Center that is NBA-ready.

No decision has been made yet, as it’s on a laundry list of topics to be discussed on the upcoming call, along with the collective bargaining agreement, competitive formats for next season and an update on the social justice coalition.

Louisville wouldn’t be first in line in the event of relocation or expansion; Seattle is. But it seems to be an easier sell to get the Raptors in Louisville for a short period — or even sharing a current NBA market, according to sources.

How this goes with the league’s objectives of getting fans in seats is an interesting proposition if the Raptors would play home games in, say, New York or Chicago, given there’s no natural fan base there.

A league official told Yahoo Sports the same line Silver has been parroting for months now, that the virus will determine so much of the league’s actions. It doesn’t appear likely the virus will slow down enough for Canada to open its borders for frequent international travel anytime soon.

The NBA is appearing to take proactive measures similar to its professional counterparts.

And just like that, a big old never mind. Toronto will not play in Louisvillle.No Toronto

 

[zipp]

LOL at NBA/BLM thugs telling me that my City isn't safe...

 

[ShortCreek]

IMO if you’re a Card fan you can’t be for the NBA coming to town. You think times are tough with Covid and athletic budgets now? You want to bring an NBA team to town that sells the luxury suites to their games and not to the UofL games? The list of financial hits would be as long as my arm.

Tom Jurich was criticized by some city leaders for protecting the UofL athletic department, but IMO he was doing his job. He understood the harm the NBA coming to town would have done not just to the basketball program but the entire athletic department at UofL. Screw the NBA.

 

[Louis III]

For one year to make up some of the financial hardships for the local economy.......hell yes!

For the record, I don't want the NBA here long term, but for 1 season, yup.

 

[CommodoreCard]

If Kentuckians want an NBA team so bad, put it in Lexington.

if it HAS to be named “Kentucky”, put it in Lexington.

 

[LeFors4Ever]

I'm a Louisvillian and I want pro sports in Louisville. Wanting to keep the NBA away would just keep holding the city back. NBA games draw tourism and help the downtown economy. We have an area, so we don't have to raise taxes to build them a game. And if your reason is "I don't personally care" for NBA, that has no basis in what the community at large wants. We aren't a small town, Nashville went all in on the Predators and then got the Titans and they never looked back.

I mean it's a box office draw. Imagine the night's when LeBron or Curry & the Warriors come to the Yum? What if Donovan Mitchell becomes a free agent and says he's coming to The Ville? There would be more excitement, and having pros in our city would be better for youth basketball development, which would benefit our basketball program at UofL.

 

[zipp]

...Wanting to keep the NBA away would just keep holding the city back...

I don't know what that means.

...NBA games draw tourism and help the downtown economy. We have an area, so we don't have to raise taxes to build them a game...

We heard bold predictions like that when the arena was built. And it's borderline insolvent a decade later.

...And if your reason is "I don't personally care" for NBA, that has no basis in what the community at large wants....

What are the numbers for "what the community at large wants" that aren't published by the NBA2LOU group?

...Nashville went all in on the Predators and then got the Titans and they never looked back...

I don't understand how it matters what Nashville is or does.

...What if Donovan Mitchell becomes a free agent and says he's coming to The Ville?...

I hope Donovan and all of our former guys make a gazillion dollars playing pro ball--somewhere else.

 

[LeFors4Ever]

I don't know what that means.

We heard bold predictions like that when the arena was built. And it's borderline insolvent a decade later.

What are the numbers for "what the community at large wants" that aren't published by the NBA2LOU group?

I don't understand how it matters what Nashville is or does.

I hope Donovan and all of our former guys make a gazillion dollars playing pro ball--somewhere else.

Well you can turn the TV off and still go to all of our games (Men's and Women's) at the Yum! and I'll just have an extra team I can root for along with the Cards!

My response to community at large is that where's the community at large that doesn't want NBA in The Ville? NBA doesn't bring crime or kill jobs like Walmart lol. The NBA really isn't failing in any other market. If Memphis can hold a team, then we easily can hold a team. And the Arena is borderline insolvent, they need a draw for 40 games a year.

Louisville's numbers show it is very much a sports town. It loves college basketball, as the market around here (IU, Slappies, and our beloved Cards) do very well. We aren't Slapd*** Mayberry with Barney Fife, we're a city.
We don't have pro sports. We have an arena. We have a market that has no other competition.

Data points: I'll provide links if necessary.
-The 2017 NBA Draft is the 2nd most watched draft in NBA History. The Louisville Market scored the HIGHEST local ratings of any market in the nation. Definitely an interest.

-Louisville always ranks at the top of the NCAA tournament ratings. So, the market LOVES BASKETBALL.

-Humana, YUM!, Brown/Forman, and many other corporate offices are in Louisville. Not to mention the UPS & Pap John's companies having a large presence here. And there's no competition to compete for AD dollars or season ticket holders. Go to every single city in the country, pro sports is the top rated TV item every night in an area with a local team and that rakes in large ad revenue. The Rays don't draw well in Tampa, but on TV they rate very well when they're winning.

-The attendance for UofL sports, Bats Baseball, & even Minor League Soccer show that this city shows up for sporting events. We host the big horse racing event in the world. So there are a lot of people interested in sports.

-Now you can go on about "I see no proof people want it" and I can say "I see no proof that people don't want it" and we can go on and on. But if I can connect data points. The City is large enough for pro sports and has no other pro sports team. The city has proven that it will show up and support College Baseball, Minor League Soccer, Minor League Baseball, and sellout a 20k seat YUM for years for games against Garbage Directional U. There is data and history that shows this is a basketball interested area. Other cities have benefited from pro sports, when there's not large competition. We don't have to worry about building an arena. Those fundamentals can connect that if we were offered a NBA team that it would have support from people and financial support from donors. It would do well.

Where is the market?

MLB: Well the Reds are too close. We do have a baseball friendly city, but too close to the Reds. Not to mention the Cubs/Cards fans that dominate the area. Baseball is very entrenched in established traditional fanbases, and we're too close to get in that market. Also, we'd have to build a stadium.

NFL: NFL can thrive anywhere, but Louisville isn't close to the top of the list for an NFL team. No stadium.

NHL: We have an arena. I think it would do well here in time, but is there a market for NHL?

NBA: Obvious connection to basketball. An arena already built. Young diverse city, which is the demographic that loves the NBA.


And I do think Dan Issel is toxic and would rather someone else head up that group. And yes, the team name needs to be LOUISVILLE.

 

[CommodoreCard]

I lived in Nashville. Vanderbilt was the only game in town. Once the Preds and Titans moved in, that was all she wrote for the Commodores. Memorial Gym used to sell out most games. Now, they draw 5-6 thousand. Football at Dudley Field now is just a good road trip for all the other SEC fans to make. Local media is all about the pros.

 

[H00SIER-Cat]

Its seems Nashville has more Ewe Tea and Alabama fans than Vanderbilt fans.

 

[CommodoreCard]

Its seems Nashville has more Ewe Tea and Alabama fans than Vanderbilt fans.

They do. A lot of fickle fans, a lot of bandwagon fans, tons of Alabama football/Ky basketball fans (they are the worst). But, as far as going to see a big game, like buy a ticket and sit in a seat, Vandy was the only game in town before pro sports came to town.

 

[zipp]

There is no example of successful pro and college sports teams sharing the same town, much less the same arena. Unless you're regarding Memphis, Vandy, and UCLA as "successful"...

 

[CommodoreCard]

UCLA isn’t successful? Their sports programs have won 138 National Championships. Second only to Stanford, which is also in a pro market. I’ll give you Memphis and Vandy.

 

[zipp]

UCLA isn’t successful? Their sports programs have won 138 National Championships. Second only to Stanford, which is also in a pro market. I’ll give you Memphis and Vandy.

LA isn't the best comparison for other reasons. But UCLA basketball is the reference point, not their other sports.

And past the 1970s, UCLA isn't among the best college basketball programs. Nor will it ever be for the very reason that it ranks behind too many other alternatives there are in LA for entertainment dollars.

In most cases, it's a zero sum game. And you're better off with potential competition out of your backyard...

 

[CardsFirst]

Well you can turn the TV off and still go to all of our games (Men's and Women's) at the Yum! and I'll just have an extra team I can root for along with the Cards!

My response to community at large is that where's the community at large that doesn't want NBA in The Ville? NBA doesn't bring crime or kill jobs like Walmart lol. The NBA really isn't failing in any other market. If Memphis can hold a team, then we easily can hold a team. And the Arena is borderline insolvent, they need a draw for 40 games a year.

Louisville's numbers show it is very much a sports town. It loves college basketball, as the market around here (IU, Slappies, and our beloved Cards) do very well. We aren't Slapd*** Mayberry with Barney Fife, we're a city.
We don't have pro sports. We have an arena. We have a market that has no other competition.

Data points: I'll provide links if necessary.
-The 2017 NBA Draft is the 2nd most watched draft in NBA History. The Louisville Market scored the HIGHEST local ratings of any market in the nation. Definitely an interest.

-Louisville always ranks at the top of the NCAA tournament ratings. So, the market LOVES BASKETBALL.

-Humana, YUM!, Brown/Forman, and many other corporate offices are in Louisville. Not to mention the UPS & Pap John's companies having a large presence here. And there's no competition to compete for AD dollars or season ticket holders. Go to every single city in the country, pro sports is the top rated TV item every night in an area with a local team and that rakes in large ad revenue. The Rays don't draw well in Tampa, but on TV they rate very well when they're winning.

-The attendance for UofL sports, Bats Baseball, & even Minor League Soccer show that this city shows up for sporting events. We host the big horse racing event in the world. So there are a lot of people interested in sports.

-Now you can go on about "I see no proof people want it" and I can say "I see no proof that people don't want it" and we can go on and on. But if I can connect data points. The City is large enough for pro sports and has no other pro sports team. The city has proven that it will show up and support College Baseball, Minor League Soccer, Minor League Baseball, and sellout a 20k seat YUM for years for games against Garbage Directional U. There is data and history that shows this is a basketball interested area. Other cities have benefited from pro sports, when there's not large competition. We don't have to worry about building an arena. Those fundamentals can connect that if we were offered a NBA team that it would have support from people and financial support from donors. It would do well.

Where is the market?

MLB: Well the Reds are too close. We do have a baseball friendly city, but too close to the Reds. Not to mention the Cubs/Cards fans that dominate the area. Baseball is very entrenched in established traditional fanbases, and we're too close to get in that market. Also, we'd have to build a stadium.

NFL: NFL can thrive anywhere, but Louisville isn't close to the top of the list for an NFL team. No stadium.

NHL: We have an arena. I think it would do well here in time, but is there a market for NHL?

NBA: Obvious connection to basketball. An arena already built. Young diverse city, which is the demographic that loves the NBA.


And I do think Dan Issel is toxic and would rather someone else head up that group. And yes, the team name needs to be LOUISVILLE.

All good points but I could careless if the NBA ever lands in The Ville. In 15 years the Yum will be obsolete and the owners will be crying for a new arena and threaten to pull out if the city doesn’t agree to build it. Or the attendance isn’t what you and all the SuCk NBA to Louisville people want and they’ll depart. And if you don’t believe it will have a negative effect on UofL your dead wrong. Although this is a big BB market it’s not a big market overall. And there’s a big difference. And all those businesses you mention only have so many marketing dollars. Who do you think will get it? I’ll answer that. Not UofL. We’re a great college town and there’s nothing wrong with that. Plus I just don’t see it ever happening anyway. Because we’re just to small of a market. Heck KY couldn’t even keep one NASCAR race and NASCAR is huge.
And who would get priority in the Yum if the answer is anything but the Cards we would be going backwards. Those days we horrible.

 

[LeFors4Ever]

All good points but I could careless if the NBA ever lands in The Ville. In 15 years the Yum will be obsolete and the owners will be crying for a new arena and threaten to pull out if the city doesn’t agree to build it. Or the attendance isn’t what you and all the SuCk NBA to Louisville people want and they’ll depart. And if you don’t believe it will have a negative effect on UofL your dead wrong. Although this is a big BB market it’s not a big market overall. And there’s a big difference. And all those businesses you mention only have so many marketing dollars. Who do you think will get it? I’ll answer that. Not UofL. We’re a great college town and there’s nothing wrong with that. Plus I just don’t see it ever happening anyway. Because we’re just to small of a market. Heck KY couldn’t even keep one NASCAR race and NASCAR is huge.
And who would get priority in the Yum if the answer is anything but the Cards we would be going backwards. Those days we horrible.

Ok got it.

It possibly hurts UofL is why you don't want it. We're in the ACC now, we have a lot more avenues for money. And besides, football is still king in the US, even college football. We're still going to be rolling in revenue from just being in a conference with FSU & Clemson. Imagine if ND joins and the TV deal is reworked in the next 10 years? WOW

We aren't moving back to the AAC like some fear on here. We're here to stay. We're a big time program. We aren't Big BlueNeck Nation with trailer parks, we are a big city. Big cities do big things, and pro sports is apart of that. This ain't small town America where the walmart comes in and closes the town, a pro sports team won't change our Cards. We aren't a college town, we're a big city.

And if you think a little NBA team would hurt our programs, then you're the one that does not have faith in our Cards. I think we're in good shape top to bottom. We have great coaching and great fans that are not going anywhere. The players will still be here.

 

[LeFors4Ever]

There is no example of successful pro and college sports teams sharing the same town, much less the same arena. Unless you're regarding Memphis, Vandy, and UCLA as "successful"...

Memphis is a good example? FedEx pumps them w/ a lot of money. Where do you think Cal got the ca$h to get Derrick Rose? They had one of the longest sellout attendance streaks in the NCAA until Pay Pal Cal left for Lex$ington. Their football has been ranked decently the last 6-7 years, about as good as we were in the AAC for several years. Cincy still does very well with their attendance and their programs have done very well. Houston has been very strong too. Miami seemed to be just fine when they were WINNING games, combined with pro sports and other college programs in the same city.

I know you'll pick out all of those cities and nitpick some irrelevant detail, but those programs do fine with their attendance and success WHEN THEY WIN GAMES. Just like UofL fans and you've pointed out the data Zipp, with TJ/Rick and the proven track record we won games. When they were fired and we took a step back, the fans haven't come back in those same numbers because Mack hasn't proven anything. It's about W's & L's.

Vanderbilt doesn't draw because they're awful. They have the worst facilities in major college sports. They are a private institution that doesn't spend money on sports. Their basketball hasn't drawn in years because they haven't won games. I don't recall some revisionist history where Vanderbilt was a thriving football program until pro sports came in and took it away.

If you win, people come and donors pay money.

 

[zipp]

Memphis is a good example?

Memphis is a shadow of the PROGRAM it was forty years ago. They had a run under Pitino Lite, but that was about him not the program. And they're relegated to 2nd fiddle playing in an NBA arena.

Towns the size of Memphis and Louisville aren't large enough to maximize support for pro and college teams simultaneously. Whatever one gains, the other loses.

If you wanna become a middle tier Power 5 program, bring in the NBA. And BOTH teams will struggle...

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

This is Zipp's wheelhouse he knows his stuff on this.

 

[CommodoreCard]

“Vanderbilt doesn't draw because they're awful. They have the worst facilities in major college sports. They are a private institution that doesn't spend money on sports. Their basketball hasn't drawn in years because they haven't won games. I don't recall some revisionist history where Vanderbilt was a thriving football program until pro sports came in and took it away.”

I never said Vanderbilt was great at football or basketball, I simply stated that before the Titans/Oilers and Preds, they were the only game in town. Lots of casual/walk up ticket sales. Once the NFL & NHL came to town, **poof**, it was gone.

Memorial Gym is cool. Most unique arena in college hoops IMHO.

 

[zipp]

There are no examples of a college program succeeding in the shadow of a pro franchise, at least not in a market this size. It's why we won't be the first...

 

[LeFors4Ever]

There are no examples of a college program succeeding in the shadow of a pro franchise, at least not in a market this size. It's why we won't be the first...

So you’re saying Memphis/Cincy don’t succeed? Memphis basketball is losing not because of money nor fan support, they aren’t winning games. Cincy and Memphis football are very good programs at the moment. Arguably better than they both have ever been in football.

Because then our success in the AAC/CUSA/Big East wasn’t success by your measure.

If we win games, people will come. Football is the breadwinner, and the only thing that would hurt football would be an NFL team which isn’t coming.

NCAA football > NBA.

 

[zipp]

So you’re saying Memphis/Cincy don’t succeed?...

Start a poll whether Cincy and Memphis measure up to U of L basketball. You'll have your answer. Unless regressing to their level is OK with you.

Do you hear Bearcat fans and players chirping that they're the NBA team in the Cincy market? I've never heard that...