Quote:
Originally Posted by ExiledFlamesFan
A population of 600 000 is tiny by American standards. Surely somebody living in Taipei would appreciate this.
Putting professional sports teams in retirement communities is a bad idea. It's failed many times before. See: All south Florida sports teams, Phoenix Coyotes. Old people don't have the disposable income. Also they follow their old teams and rarely switch allegiances
|
This is only partly true. Tampa Bay has a very strong following. And, while not a retirement city, Nashville also has a very loyal fan base. Hockey can work in southern markets. Look at L.A., San Jose, Anaheim (Ducks have a little more problem filling their building though).
It's important to look at disposable income, competition for entertainment dollars, affinity for the sport, and possible corporate purchases (box seats, season seats etc.). Vegas has at least 2 of those nailed, but I worry about relative affinity for hockey amongst the population, and the vast, vast amount of competition for entertainment dollars, even for tourists that might be "comped" a game. The locals would have to be really passionate about hockey the way they've become in Nashville and Tampa to make a successful team there.