The NFL is a league that loves to expands to new and untapped markets within the United States. There are many major cities out there in the U.S. that can make that argument that they are deserving of a new NFL franchise should the NFL decide to expand or relocate one of their current franchises. This article will discuss why Louisville would be a great fit for an NFL team.
Louisville Has A Solid Sports History And Culture
Louisville has a long history with sports. First of all, Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby which is a well attended and watched event on television. Second, Louisville is home to the Louisville Slugger which is a popular brand of baseball bat used by several prominent baseball players. Third, the University of Louisville Cardinals have solid basketball and football programs year in and year out.
Louisville has also been home to some of the greatest legends. One of these legends is Muhammad Ali who would go on to become one of the best boxers ever. Another individual from Louisville is Johnny Unitas who would go on to become one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. There are many other sports figures who are from Louisville but there are too many to be put on this list.
Louisville would certainly be a good fit for an NFL team. One might make the argument that college sports dominate the landscape in Louisville, which certainly is true. However, since the NFL schedule is usually played on Sunday afternoons, it would not be hard to accommodate both the collegiate sports schedules and the Louisville NFL team. In fact, the addition of an NFL team in Louisville would bolster the already solid sports history and culture of Louisville and give the sports fans there another team to cheer for.
Having An NFL Team In Louisville Is Good For The Neighboring Television Markets And Sports Markets
As with any expansion or relocation of a team to a new city, one of the biggest factors is the neighboring markets which the team would expand to. In this case, placing an NFL team in Louisville would reach out to the entire state of Kentucky, southern Indiana, and southern Illinois. If the team is successful in their first few years, they would be able to reach out farther.
It is true that there are other NFL teams which compete in those markets. For example, the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans reach into Kentucky. The Indianapolis Colts reach into southern Indiana. The St. Louis Rams reach into southern Illinois. The Louisville NFL team would have to face competition from those teams in terms of reaching out into the desired markets.
However, I would argue that this competition is a good thing because it encourages fans in those areas to become more active in terms of which team to cheer for and would force the neighboring teams to field a better product in order to keep Louisville from claiming those fans. Louisville in turn would do its best to field a solid team to gain a stronghold into states such as Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee which have solid sports cultures in their own right. It’s a win-win situation for the NFL and the fans in those markets.