Money_Whisperer OP t1_ixobic1 wrote on November 25, 2022 at 12:17 AM

Reply to comment by cms59 in We really had to let the Whalers go? by Money_Whisperer

Being a “larger” state doesn’t mean much. Alaska is a gigantic state and there’s nothing there. In terms of population density Michigan is way smaller. Sure they have a lot of land but why does that matter? You might as well include people living in Vermont factoring our size with that comparison

cms59 t1_ixq1gaf wrote on November 25, 2022 at 12:08 PM

I specifically said “population-wise” in my response. I’m aware that land size is irrelevant. The Detroit metro area alone has 1 million more people than our entire state, not to mention the other Michigan metro areas reasonably close enough to be looped in with Detroit as well. Besides, the second part of my point is the bigger issue. We are too close to other major metro areas to carve out a fan base for another team. It would not be profitable.

I should also point out that Detroit specifically has a long history of those sports teams being there. The Tigers were founded in 1894, and the Red Wings and Lions have been there since the ‘20s. The Pistons have been around since before the NBA. It’s hard to compete against established fan bases. The Whalers came around in the ‘70s when most franchises, especially in this New England/New York region, had been around much longer.