There are 5.7 million people who live between P-Cola and Lafayette

"Small market" doesn't always mean "no people".

It also means "no corporate money".


San Antonio is one of the ten largest cities in the US by population but there isn't much of a corporate presence there for whatever reason.

You can add Lafayette metro to the Pelicans/Saints market too. Also Hattiesburg

Just add Baton Rouge and Houma and you have well over 2 million. Better believe a good team will draw from that.

Facts I have this discussion all the time. Everybody keeps saying Zion wants to be in a big market. But the fact of the matter is Zion is from Spartanburg South frickn Carolina. Went to college in Durham North Carolina. No big market aspirations

Mobile baw right here. We do have a presence here it’s just a bad spot for the NBA in general. Plenty of Saints fans and connection to NO as a city though. Zion should build up the fan base here.

quote:

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I get tired of hearing small market this is just the excuse.

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I admit I’m nothing more than a casual basketball fan. I enjoy going to games when I get the opportunity but it’s just not my sport.

But why the hell does this “small market” mantra freakin matter? I used to hear the same nonsense pre-Katrina about the Saints. And then the Bensons decided to get serious, hired a great coach, who got one of the greatest players to ever play the game of football, and completely embraced the city and integrated with the fans in a very personal and at the time unique way. And what’s followed is a level of sustained success that’s not only historic but has turned the Saints into one of the legit draws in the NFL.

So why, I ask you, can that not happen in the NBA? You already have an all time great player, you’re in position to get another. Hire the right coach and embrace the community. And above all else, get your players to understand the importance of that. There is absolutely no reason this isn’t a premier destination for Pro sports. If you embrace this city it will love you unconditionally in ways that literally can not compare to anywhere else.