Minus NHL, did Atlanta just drop to Triple A of sports towns?
There's a banner we did not see very often in Philips Arena for Thrashers' games: playoffs.
Good morning. Did Atlanta just drop out of the majors?
This probably would carry a little more weight if Los Angeles still had an NFL team (which remains the funniest thing in sports, only because it drives Roger Goodell nuts). But when Atlanta was officially mugged by Atlanta Spirit, LLC and the NHL on Tuesday and the Thrashers were sold and moved to Winnipeg, the city dropped out of an elite group. There are only 12 remaining metropolitan areas that still have teams in all four pro sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL). Those 12: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco (San Jose), Boston, Washington, Detroit, Phoenix (until the Coyotes move), Minneapolis, Denver and Miami.
Atlanta is now the second-biggest market (behind only Los Angeles) that doesn’t have teams in all four leagues. The second tier group of seven cities with teams in three leagues: L.A. (no NFL), Atlanta (no NHL), Houston (no NHL), Tampa (no NBA), Cleveland (no NHL), St. Louis (no NBA) and Pittsburgh (no NBA).
What I’ve done below is list every U.S. city with at least one pro sports team. This was kind of a tedious exercise, so if I missed a team let me know and I’ll recommend you for an editor’s opening.
I’ve ranked the cities by what Nielsen refers to as “designated market area,” which factors in some secret combination of population, media outlets and I think number of Wendy’s. Atlanta is the No. 8 media market in the country. The only others in the top 15 without teams in the four sports are No. 2 L.A., No. 10 Houston, No. 13 Seattle (which has only two teams after the Sonics were highjacked) and No. 14 Tampa-St. Petersburg.
Here’s the list. And here’s my question for you: Did Atlanta just become less of a major sports city without the Thrashers?
Let me know what you think.
(Market rank, metropolitan area (sports): MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL.)
1. New York-New Jersey (4): Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, Devils.
2. Los Angeles (3): Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks.
3. Chicago (4): Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks.
4. Philadelphia (4): Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, Flyers.
5. Dallas/Ft. Worth (4): Rangers, Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars.
6. SanFran/SJ/Oak (4): Giants, A’s, 49ers, Raiders, Warriors, Sharks.
7. Boston (4): Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins.
8. Atlanta (3): Braves, Falcons, Hawks.
9. Washington (4): Nationals, Redskins, Wizards, Capitals.
10. Houston (3): Astros, Texans, Rockets.
11. Detroit (4): Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Red Wings.
12. Phoenix (4): Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Suns, Coyotes.
13. Seattle (2): Mariners, Seahawks.
14. Tampa-St. Pete. (3): Rays, Buccaneers, Lightning.
15. Minneapolis-St. Paul (4): Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild.
16. Denver (4): Rockies, Broncos, Nuggets, Avalanche.
17. Miami (4): Dolphins, Marlins, Heat, Panthers.
18. Cleveland (3): Indians, Browns, Cavaliers.
19. Orlando (1): Magic.
20. Sacramento (1): Kings.
21. St. Louis (3): Cardinals, Rams, Blues.
22. Portland (1): Trailblazers.
23. Pittsburgh (3): Pirates, Steelers, Penguins.
24. Charlotte (2): Panthers, Bobcats.
25. Indianapolis (2): Pacers, Colts.
26. Raleigh-Durham (1): Hurricanes.
27. Baltimore (2):Orioles, Ravens.
28. San Diego (2): Padres, Chargers.
29. Nashville (2): Predators, Titans.
31. Salt Lake City (1): Jazz.
32. Kansas City (2): Chiefs, Royals.
33. Cincinnati (2): Bengals, Reds.
34. Columbus (1): Blue Jackets.
35. Milwaukee (2): Bucks, Brewers.
37. San Antonio (1): Spurs.
45. Oklahoma City (1): Thunder.
47. Jacksonville (1): Jaguars.
50. Memphis (1): Grizzlies.
51. New Orleans (2): Saints, Hornets.
52. Buffalo (2): Bills, Sabres.
70. Green Bay-Appleton (1): Packers.
(Canadian cities with teams not included: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg.)
By Jeff Schultz
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279 comments Add your comment
BravesWin!
June 2nd, 2011
9:22 am
I remember going to see the Thrashers a few times during the playoff year…we were in first place and playing pretty well with a couple of exciting names on the roster…and the stands were still half empty. Hockey is a great sport (especially in person), but this is and always will be the city of college football (it’s no accident that the college football HOF is coming here), Falcons and Braves…and I am ok with that…and hey, if ASG sells the Hawks (or at least signs Dwight Howard), you can add them to the list. I will miss the Thrashers, but I alway thought that they would be much more fun to follow if they put 11 guys on the ice….and moved the game from the ice to a 100 yard field…and used an oddly shaped ball rather than a puck…and were the Falcons…
Mark in ATL
June 2nd, 2011
10:10 am
I don’t think most of us care about the NHL….the vast (99%+) didn’t grow up playing hockey. The vast majority of us (I would guess 90%+) couldn’t stay upright on a pair of skates if our life depended on it. We played baseball, football, basketball growing up. I’m 40…most of my fathers generation in the south were college sports fans growing up…there was no pro sports at the time. My generation is the first in the south to have pro sports the entire time I was growing up. However when we were kids we went to the things that our parents were passionate about…college sports. It’s going to still take another generation for this change to happen completely and I wonder if it will ever happen. We are college sports crazy in the south. Fans will drive an hour up 316 than around the corner to a game. Just who we are.
ATL Observer
June 2nd, 2011
11:25 am
@Mark in ATL, valid point, problem is: ownership didn’t nothing to rectify that situation. Part of the plan should have been for Thrashers’ ownership to take an active role in advocating rink construction across the state. That was never done. Dallas did it (and tell me that Dallas is a cold weather, non-football town) and the results speak for themselves: their team stayed. Tampa Bay has weathered some storms and their franchise is stable.
Making a pro sports team, but esp. hockey, takes WORK beyond just selling the tickets and fielding the team!
re: the AAA question, maybe it’s something more like “not quite AAA, not quite top of the line.” Atlanta occupies a weird middle space, it’s not really like most cities in the U.S.
ATL Observer
June 2nd, 2011
11:25 am
Obviously, I meant to say “did nothing” not “didn’t nothing!” :-p
ATLProSportsFan
June 2nd, 2011
11:42 am
Saying Atlanta is a better College Sports town rather than a ProSports town just make Atlanta look like a provincial minor league type of city on the world stage.
Dat just ain’t raight . . .
Go Falcons , Go Braves, Go Hawks(minus ASG)
Who cares about the football feeder teams of Dawgs, Tigers and YellowJacket bugs. Oh, my!!
not hocket
June 2nd, 2011
11:48 am
altlanta never has been and never will be a hockey town. It will not work in a city that is football oriented with a bunch of transplants living in suburbs. Quit wasting money getting these hockey franchises here run by morons.
RocketRichard
June 2nd, 2011
12:37 pm
Atlanta is a great sports town. What people dont realize about sports is that some of it is just pure plain luck. I would say that 98% of it is skill, but there is also the luck factor that factors in to the equation. Some things can be corrected and other things cannot be corrected. Ok in looking at the NBA finals and the current matchup between Dirk vs. LaBron AND D-Wade. Some folks think the Heat are guaranteed a title but they are not. If the Mavs play anywere close to how they played against the Lakers in the earlier round when they shot 70% from the field, and 90% from 3-point land, there is no defense that would be able to stop it. The Mavericks bench scored over 80 points on one game outscoring the Lakers entire team 89-82. Ive never seen that happen in professional basketball in any single game. Also in that game Jason Terry shot 9-10 beyond the 3-point line and Peja Stojakovich was 6-6 behind the circle. those two combined for 15-16 at the 3-point line. THAT IS SHOOTING LIGHTS OUT. If the Mavs can do that for four straight games against the Heat, the Heat will cool down and get eliminated. I just dont know if the Mavs can dial it in and focus on scoring the basketball at will like they did in the Laker series. Also, the Mavs cant allow the Heat to go up 2-0 or else the series will be over. How about Shaquille O’Neal announcing his retirement after game 1 of the finals so that SHAQS CAREER WILL OVERSHADOW THE FINALS. Shaq is such a selfish dog that he couldnt wait two more weeks after the finals to announce his retirement. He had to announce it now so that he would grab the spotlight and take it away from the Mavs and Heat. I’m glad shaq will be gone from the game because his IQ has always been about a -197.
Rick
June 2nd, 2011
12:51 pm
Rick from the outpost (Winnipeg) here. Your State population is about 10,000,000…10 times the province of Manitoba. A funny thing happened on the way to an NHL franchise. NHL players born in Georgia = 3. NHL players born in Manitoba = 359. It’s a religion up here in the Great White North. At best, it’s (was) a fad down there in Hotlanta. We used to have a junior hockey team here called the Winnipeg Braves…long before you got your MLB team from MIlwaukee. How ironic…The Winnipeg Braves. Instead of the old Winnipeg Jets whiteouts, we could start something called the Tomahawk Chop. Wudaya think?
LordStanley
June 2nd, 2011
1:38 pm
Even if Atlanta has dropped to the triple A of sports, I want to post this blog to show everyone the titles that the Atlanta sports franchises COULD HAVE and SHOULD have won. It wont make anyone feel any better, but it will just show WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN had these teams not blown it:
1980-Atlanta Falcons-BEST TEAM IN THE NFL ACCORDING TO RANDY WHITE
1988-Atlanta Hawks–POTENTIAL CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD (lost game 7 by 1)
1991-Atlanta Braves–potential world champions (lost to minnesota)
1996-Atlanta Braves–back-to-back world champions (led the yanks 2-0)
1998-Atlanta Falcons-Beat Minnesota in NFC Title game
2010-Atlanta Braves–potential World champions (lost to SF in playoff)
2008-Atlanta Thrashers-lost in playoffs after deep run
2011-Atlanta Hawks–came within 2 wins of Eastern Conference Finals
All of the above atlanta teams SHOULD HAVE WON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. They choked in the playoffs and lost to inferior teams. Had they all won, people would be feeling different about these teams and the city that they live in.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2011
2:30 pm
LordStanley, check your facts. The Thrashers made the playoffs in 2006, not 2008, and got swept in the first round. Hardly a “deep” run.
Besides, the fan base was tiny. Even perennial losers can draw fans in the NHL- something that can be said for no other sport, ESPECIALLY not ones played in Atlanta where even the best teams get no support because Mark Ingram isn’t coaching and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. isn’t driving. The Flames were a good team, and better for the move- When the new Winnipeg team brings home a Cup I’ll call it justice. No city should ever lose two NHL teams- but there should never have been a second franchise in Atlanta.
ATL Observer
June 2nd, 2011
2:30 pm
I can kinda agree with hotnocket. Over 96% of Winnipeg’s “metro” population is contained within the city proper, not so for Atlanta (F*#@* everybody lives in Gwinnett!). Until the transit gets up to code here and the state actually copes with the idea of a real CITY being a good thing, it’s always gonna lag here.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2011
2:31 pm
Scratch that- Mark Ingram isn’t running the ball, not coaching.
LordStanley
June 2nd, 2011
3:07 pm
Anonymous: YOU ARE WRONG, ONCE AGAIN. Ok, I got my year wrong about the Thrashers and their deep run, but there was one year that the Thrashers were in the playoffs that they came one series short of the conference finals. Whatever year that was, the Thrashers DOMINATED the best teams in the league. That alone tells me that they were capable of winning a stanley cup that year. That was the only point I was trying to prove. Also, if it was the year that Heatley and Kovulchuk were both on the squad, then that was a potential stanley cup championship year. I am right on the money as I always am.
The Truth
June 2nd, 2011
4:30 pm
WOW Lord Stanley
You memory is a bit off
The Atlanta Thrashers 2006–07 season began with the highest expectations in franchise history, even with the offseason loss of their second leading scorer, Marc Savard to the Boston Bruins. Veteran center, Steve Rucchin, Niko Kapanen and Jon Sim were acquired in hopes help fill the Savard loss. With NHL superstars Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk and a healthy goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, the Thrashers clinched the first playoff berth and won the Southeast Division, claiming the #3 seed and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, they were eliminated from the playoffs on April 18, being swept by the New York Rangers in four straight games in the Conference Quarterfinals.
Go Jets Go!!!
June 2nd, 2011
8:33 pm
I’m sorry but despite its huge population, Atlanta is just not a sports town, unless you are talkin’ NASCAR or the Dawgs. Just look at the facts, Over the past decade, despite population growth, the Thrashers have been in the bottom three for attendance. That is with ticket prices in the bottom half of the league. The Hawks have been the WORST supported franchise in the NBA over the past decade and that is with prices 20% below the league average. Even the braves, who have won 4 pennants and a wild card in the last decade are a middle of the pack team in terms of attendance, and that is despite the second cheapest tickets in the league. Face it, Atlanta doesn’t give its sports teams a fair chance!!!
You can make fun of winnipeg as much as you want, but, they will have sold out ALL of the available season tickets come Saturday for the next 4 years (I might add those tickets are the 5th highest cost in the league). Not bad for a town with a couple of doughnut shops Eh???
GO JETS GO!!!
(Maybe you can get the Coyotes when they leave next year)
LordStanley
June 3rd, 2011
1:26 pm
THE THRASHERS COULD HAVE HAD A SIMILAR HISTORY TO THAT OF THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS. Maybe I got a little carried away and the disappointment of the Thrashers leaving town still lingers, but I knew that the Trashers had two hall-of-fame calibre SUPERSTARS in Danny Heatley and Illya Kovulchuk. I understand they played together during Kovulchuks rookie season and then Heatley was traded for Hossa. My point I was trying to make was if we could have kept Marc Savard and acquired Hossa, without giving up Heatley and if Heatley could have stayed in atlanta coupled with acquiring Kovulchuk, then you would have had Savard, Kovulchuk, Heatley and Hossea and I believe with the aggregation of those talented hockey players coupled with the supporting cast, THE THRASHERS WOULD HAVE HAD THE POTENTIAL TO WIN 4 STANLEY CUPS WITH THAT AGGREGATION OF TALENT. THAT WAS MY ONLY POINT THAT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE BUT I TOOK A ROUNDABOUT WAY OF GETTING TO IT.
rc35
June 4th, 2011
10:22 am
After all the time the Thrashers spent in town, the only one I could name was Danny Heatley–and that was because of the driving tragedy, not really hockey. On the other hand, I still remember Ray Comeau and Tom Lysiak from the old Atlanta Flames, not to mention their unforgettable coach, “Boom-Boom Geoffrion.”. Those guys went out of their way to make an impact on the community. I always felt like the Thrashers just sort of skated through town as if they were changing planes at Hartsfield.
Blue Flame
June 4th, 2011
11:22 am
To stay on the topic at hand…
Yes, Atlanta is a second rate sports town, and it hurts me to say so, since I grew up in Georgia, have lived here most of my life, and have supported Atlanta teams for decades. I was a big Thrashers fan, and seeing them leave town has made me realize that there is no more room for excuses.
I mean no disrespect to anyone, and I hope no one is offended by my comments. But to categorize local sports fan is not that difficult. The majority of them are from other places and remain loyal to other teams in other cities. I wish they would embrace Atanta’s teams as well, but most of them choose not to. As for the homegrown fans, for whatever reasons (regional pride, longing for the good old days), they prefer amateur sports, especially amateur football, to professional sports. Most of them don’t associate themselves with the city of Atlanta until it is convenient (Olympics, Super Bowl). The fact is, as has been stated earlier by others, the one team in Atlanta that is embraced by fans and the media, and also has a real national identity is the Braves. And it is likely to remain that way, at least until the Falcons win a Super Bowl.
As a mature sports fan, I suggest that one should enjoy each game for what it is, without worrying about the long term ramifications. Enjoy the ride and when the train reaches the station, get off.
I, for one, will miss the Thrashers. And as far as Atlanta being a second rate sports town, well that’s okay too.
D-Man
June 4th, 2011
12:25 pm
Braves haven’t done much in over a decade. Falcons fans still routinely walk out at half-time. Hawks will always be an also-ran at best. Regardless of what ‘ur pappy told ya, NASCAR is NOT a sport. Soccer? Did someone actually say Soccer? This isn’t the rest of the world, it’s the US, so Soccer is not a major league sport here. College football…my favorite. Most of the fans didn’t even graduate high school, much less go to the school for the team they seem so rabidly to root for. To answer the question, was Atlanta ever a contender for a sports town? Obviously not…
Smart Goat
June 4th, 2011
1:28 pm
Season tickets in Winnipeg went on sale to the general public today at noon. Sold out in 13 minutes. Your Thrashers are in very good hands, Atlanta!!!! Woot!! Woot!!!
anonuser
June 4th, 2011
6:31 pm
I was born in San Diego, California and I grew up in Deep South Texas, never more than 30 miles frm the Mexican border. I have no northern ties. I love hockey. Just sayin.
yearofthedawg
June 5th, 2011
2:26 pm
I’ll believe hockey is a major sport when the NHL finals are on TV in prime time on a real network. Don’t get me wrong, I like hockey. But the interest in many markets is tepid at best, so losing a bad NHL franchise doesn’t demote the city to AAA.
dd
June 5th, 2011
6:41 pm
how many seats does phillips arena have since they do concerts and circus since most hockey places have maybe 15000 seats?? Also why isn’t the mayor, governor or Waddell taking Nhl to court for overridding their own bylaws. I thought the team should be here another year if you go by the NHL RULES.
the gooch
June 6th, 2011
10:53 am
here come the rednecks. “Thrashers we hatem yuk yuk yuk.”
LordStanley
June 7th, 2011
1:09 pm
I hate the fact that the Thrashers are gone, but I will maintain as long as I live that had not been for an incredible ATLANTA CURSE coupled with an incredible amount of BAD LUCK, the Atlanta Thrashers, in my opinion, would have won at least FOUR STANLEY CUPS. I am sure and positive that would have happened had Danny Heatley and his friend not gotten into their car accident killing Snyder, then the fans of Atlanta wouldnt have run Heatley out of town because Heatley would have stayed if he werent being bashed incessently 24/7/365. Had the car accident never occurred, then as Illya Kovulchuk developed into a SUPERSTAR maybe after his second season, you would have seen potentially the SECOND HIGHEST SCORING LINE OF KOVULCHUK–HEATLEY, SECOND ONLY TO Jari KURRI AND WAYNE GRETSGY. Future Hall of famers Heatley and Kovulchuk would have teamed up to give us a scoring line that strikes and scores as fast as lightning. That would have been something else to behold and Im sure the Thrashers would have won the cups to prove just how special it was. Oh well, all we can do now is dream about it–WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN!
J
June 7th, 2011
4:21 pm
wow, these arguments i’m reading on here are piss poor … it shows that this town is full of complete idiots when it comes to analyzing sports & the economic impact created by sports teams. Did any of you fools even think how many transplants are here from the North who love hockey? Yeah, they may not be Thrashers fans and they won’t show up for the Thrashers rally but they throw good money at the team. Also, think about big sporting events here that attract people to come down for the games. That also has an impact on local businesses. To sit here and say the South doesn’t care about hockey b/c we are all NASCAR/College Football fans is ignorant and stupid. Goes to show you haven’t been to a game to experience it yourself. People talk about the Hawks not getting past the second round but yet 5 years ago, people were complaining the Hawks sucked and could never win games. They get to the playoffs (which is rare for any Atlanta now, other than the Dream) and you people still bitch. Same with the Braves … Braves were always in the hunt but people still weren’t attending the playoff games. This city makes me sick sometimes. Stop bitching and learn your facts. Those UGA fans who know nothing other than UGA football and comment as so, can suck this left one.
J
June 7th, 2011
4:30 pm
Fyi – i’m an Atlanta native & i’ve about had it with you ignorant UGA football fans. Curbside diploma??? It amazes me that 75% of the people that respond to any blog have UGA or dawg somewhere in their name. Do you have jobs??? You’re about as smart as my left nut, and that’s saying a lot.
For you UGA Grads, that comment doesn’t pertain to you
J
June 7th, 2011
4:30 pm
And you winnipeg pricks, while i salute you on getting our talented young roster, stay the “F” off our blogs.
LordStanley
June 8th, 2011
12:15 pm
The question was asked, “What will you remember about the Trashers?” My answer to that is that the Thrashers were lucky enough to have two of potentially the greatest talented players in NFL history! Illya Kovulchuk and Danny Heatley. Had those two played together for at least a decade, the Thrashers would have EASILY WON MULTIPLE STANLEY CUPS! That is what I will miss about the Thrashers.