Originally Posted on Facebook...
So about a week ago now, more or less, my buddy (not The Quiet Man, let's call him The Pale Man) came down to Iowa City in pursuit of a job (which he got by the by), but while he was here, we debated many topics in our usual manner, but one that did come up was this:
Des Moines (apparently) was labeled one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country some years ago- or last year, whenever it was, I wasn't really sure. But given that- could its growth reach a point where Des Moines (and by extension, Iowa) support a successful professional sports franchise?
It's an interesting question to consider- and worth noting that technically we've already had one, courtesy of the Iowa Barnstormers of the now more or less bankrupt and near-defunct Arena Football League- the AFL. Now, I know everyone is rolling their eyes and saying, 'OK Tom. But it was Arena Football' which I'm totally willing to concede. Having seen maybe one or two arena football games, I can't say that I found it that appealing or exciting- which probably explains why the League is now bankrupt.
But that leaves the question- which sport and which league could come to sunny old Des Moines? Iowa is situated in an interesting and potentially fatal geographical position. We are in the middle of a crowd of major media markets, which means that from the point of view of financial viability, Des Moines probably couldn't compete with markets like Chicago, the Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and potentially even Denver have to offer. We're more or less in a crowd of major cities- all of which have teams and fans that spread their brand and tentacles across the Midwest- including most of Iowa. But let's knock the sports down one at a time, shall we?
1. Football: Not a chance in hell. First of all, we are way too small time for the NFL and ain't no expansion team out there who could compete with Da Bear, The Vikes, the Packers or even (few the fans are, in my experience) the Chiefs and the Rams. Second of all, you can't top the Hawkeyes or the Cyclones. College Football rules the state- it's a real, more gritty version of the game that happens in everyone's backyard, more or less and not in some overpriced gaudy Pro Stadium.
2. Baseball: Here, The Pale Man was more or less convinced that the MLB could come to town and bring a team with them. But I was less than convinced- in Iowa's smaller communities, yes, it may be true that baseball is extremely popular- and there is the Field of Dreams up in Dyersville, but there are also minor league teams scattered throughout the state- ranging from the I-Cubs to the Kernels and there's a quantifiable difference between the minor and major league experience- why pay more for a pro baseball team? And besides how are you going to convince the legions of Cubs fans throughout the state to support a new team? Really and truly? I don't think so...
3. Men's Basketball: Not so much. The NBA will go to Las Vegas before they come anywhere near here. Again, another case of being too big for us- plus, we're not exactly a state of Men's Basketball.
4. Hockey: Um, in Minnesota... sure. Here, not so much.
5. Women's Basketball: This ultimately proved to be my favorite notion. Women's basketball has always seemed to be more successful in the state of Iowa- and the girl's state tournament has been the high school tournament since the 1920s. An NCAA attendance record for a women's game was set in 1985 by Iowa, when 22,000 people jammed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch Iowa play Ohio State. The tradition and the history are all there- and if a few players from Iowa State and Iowa find their way onto the new WNBA Team in Des Moines, I really think something could come of that. (Again, fans of basketball will be rolling their eyes and making jokes about women's basketball, but basketball is basketball and right now I sure wouldn't piss my money away on the Men's Team at Iowa. I remember the Women going to the Final Four. I wasn't alive the last time the men got even close...)
6. Soccer: I'm not sure how popular soccer is in the state of Iowa, but the MLS is impressing me more and more- it's expanding slowly but surely and the quality of play and players is improving with every passing year and since Minneapolis has a 'Division II' pro-team that is already established and in place, an MLS team in Des Moines? Eh, not entirely out of the question...
So there it is kids- the case for a pro team in Iowa. What do you think? Will Iowa have (or can we have now) a pro sports team? And if so, what sport will it be in? Feel free to comment...
(**In a side note, PTI today noted that the PAC-10 was looking at a two-team expansion their faves were BYU, Utah or Boise State. Thoughts on that?)
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