From Childs Walker at the Baltimore Sun,
A new arena is a poor risk for Baltimore if the city is counting on attracting an NHL or NBA franchise, sports business experts say, but some agree with city leaders that a proposed 18,500-seat venue could be profitable without such an anchor tenant.
Neither the NBA nor the NHL offers many relocation or expansion prospects, analysts said, and the presence of basketball and hockey teams in Washington make the odds even longer for Baltimore. [...]
NHL spokesman Frank Brown said the league has no plans for expansion or relocation, though several cities have expressed interest. He said questions about the Capitals’ sharing a market with another team are “way too hypothetical for me to answer.
No, no, no, no. Will not work.
They are nuts for their Ravens (after a long, loooooong period of mourning for the Colts) but the crowds in Camden Yards are notoriously quiet and prone to chatting on cell phones with their back to the play. Teams that travel well (particularly Boston) take the place over entirely - not even a substantial minority presence, but take the place over.
I cannot see hockey drawing at all - certainly not better than Washington, which has the excitement of a playoff run (however brief) and Ovechkin to build off of.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/25 at 12:39 PM