It doesn’t take an excessively long article to know that the NSFL has a strong west-coast bias. There are only two teams in the EST (Philadelphia Liberty and Baltimore Hawks), and every other team is in either the Pacific Time Zone or the Mountain Time Zone.
Naturally, this can make travel times somewhat lop-sided.
While teams such as the San Jose Sabercats or the Las Vegas Legion do not often have to travel very far for their away games, teams such as the Yellowknife Wraiths or Philadelphia Liberty generally have to travel great distances (often across the entire country!) in order to play their away games. Luckily, the NSFL has contracted with Simulation Airlines, and each team has access to a private jet. This helps teams in remote locations (looking at you, Yellowknife) travel straight to other cities without having to worry about layovers or connections!
In an effort to identify how huge the discrepancy is between different team’s travel times, the NSFL asked Simulation Airlines to map out how many miles / kilometers each NSFL team will travel throughout this season, as well as how many hours spent in flight.
The first thing Simulations Airlines looked at was the distance between different NSFL team’s home airport. Here are the top ten NSFL team pairs whose home cities are the furthest apart:
1. & : 2,519 miles (4,055 km)
2. & : 2,443 miles (3,932 km)
3. & : 2,398 miles (3,860 km)
4. & : 2,321 miles (3,735 km)
5. & : 2,282 miles (3,673 km)
6. & : 2,240 miles (3,605 km)
7. & : 2,183 miles (3,514 km)
8. & : 2,106 miles (3,390 km)
9. & : 2,090 miles (3,363 km)
10. & 2,012 miles (3,238 km)
The trend here is obvious… the two east coast teams, the Baltimore Hawks and the Philadelphia Liberty, are extremely far away from every other team in the entire NSFL (other than each other). For comparison, here are the ten NSFL team pairs who are closest to each other:
1. & : 78 miles (125 km)
2. & : 258 miles (415 km)
3. & : 271 miles (436 km)
4. & : 334 miles (537 km)
5. & : 359 miles (578 km)
6. & : 381 miles (613 km)
7. & : 573 miles (922 km)
8. & : 593 miles (955 km)
9. & : 620 miles (998 km)
10. & : 828 miles (1,332 km)
As you can see, other than the Liberty and Hawks being super close together, every other team in the league (other than the Wraiths) are relatively much closer together distance wise. The Wraiths, even though they aren’t as far away from the rest of the general league as the Liberty and Hawks, are in the unique situation where they are far away from literally everybody. The team that the Yellowknife Wraiths are closest to are the Colorado Yeti, who are 1,638 miles (2,636 km) away.
To find out how far each team has to travel this season, we have to break down the regular season schedule. We are making a few assumptions here: That each team has their own private jet so they don’t need to worry about layovers and just have direct flights, and that each team returns to their home city after each away game (for practices). We don’t know of any NSFL “travel teams” which practice on the road, so for now this seems pretty accurate.
Below we have the regular season schedule along with the distance the away team had to travel and an estimation of how long their flight was. Just double all of those distances and flight times to account for the return trip home.
WEEK 1 (JULY 31)
334 miles (537 km) 0.7 hrs
1638 miles (2636 km) 3.6 hrs
2519 miles (4055 km) 5.5 hrs
2106 miles (3390 km) 4.6 hrs
WEEK 2 (AUGUST 2)
2321 miles (3735 km) 5.1 hrs
1757 miles (2828 km) 3.8 hrs
2090 miles (3363 km) 4.6
593 miles (955 km) 1.3 hrs
WEEK 3 (AUGUST 4)
1638 miles (2636 km) 3.6 hrs
271 miles (436 km) 0.6 hrs
2398 miles (3860 km) 5.2 hrs
2443 miles (3932 km) 5.3 hrs
WEEK 4 (AUGUST 4)
573 miles (922 km) 1.3 hrs
359 miles (578 km) 0.8 hrs
78 miles (125 km) 0.2 hrs
1797 miles (2892 km) 3.9 hrs
WEEK 5 (AUGUST 7)
258 miles (415 km) 0.6 hrs
1594 miles (2566 km) 3.5 hrs
2443 miles (3932 km) 5.3 hrs
2006 miles (3229 km) 4.4 hrs
WEEK 6 (AUGUST 9)
2106 miles (3390 km) 4.6 hrs
573 miles (922 km) 1.3 hrs
2398 miles (3860 km) 5.2 hrs
1757 miles (2828 km) 3.8 hrs
WEEK 7 (AUGUST 11)
2240 miles (3605 km) 4.9 hrs
334 miles (537 km) 0.7 hrs
929 miles (1495 km) 2.0 hrs
2183 miles (3514 km) 4.8 hrs
WEEK 8 (AUGUST 11)
381 miles (613 km) 0.8 hrs
2282 miles (3673 km) 5.0 hrs
2012 miles (3238 km) 4.4 hrs
828 miles (1332 km) 1.8 hrs
WEEK 9 (AUGUST 14)
1518 miles (2442 km) 3.3 hrs
1797 miles (2892 km) 3.9 hrs
359 miles (578 km) 0.8 hrs
BYE
BYE
WEEK 10 (AUGUST 16)
2240 miles (3605 km) 4.9 hrs
620 miles (998 km) 1.4 hrs
828 miles (1332 km) 1.8 hrs
2183 miles (3514 km) 4.8 hrs
WEEK 11 (AUGUST 18)
2282 miles (3673 km) 5.0 hrs
258 miles (415 km) 0.6 hrs
2012 miles (3238 km) 4.4 hrs
929 miles (1495 km) 2.0 hrs
WEEK 12 (AUGUST 18)
78 miles (125 km) 0.2 hrs
620 miles (998 km) 1.4 hrs
593 miles (955 km) 1.3 hrs
2010 miles (3234 km) 4.4 hrs
WEEK 13 (AUGUST 21)
1594 miles (2566 km) 3.5 hrs
381 miles (613 km) 0.8 hrs
2006 miles (3229 km) 4.4 hrs
2321 miles (3735 km) 5.1 hrs
WEEK 14 (AUGUST 23)
1518 miles (2442 km) 3.3 hrs
2010 miles (3234 km) 4.4 hrs
2090 miles (3363 km) 4.6 hrs
BYE
BYE
WEEK 15 (AUGUST 25)
271 miles (436 km) 0.6 hrs
2519 miles (4055 km) 5.5 hrs
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
Total Miles / KM Traveled and Hours Flown by team
27,460 miles (44,194 km) … 59.9 hours flown
26,288 miles (42,312 km) … 57.4 hours flown
25,436 miles (40,934 km) … 55.5 hours flown
18,016 miles (28,998 km) … 39.3 hours flown
17,016 miles (27,382 km) … 37.1 hours flown
15,812 miles (25,446 km) … 34.5 hours flown
15,346 miles (24,696 km) … 33.5 hours flown
15,178 miles (24,430 km) … 33.1 hours flown
So there you have it. Theres three pretty clear tiers when it comes to total travel… Wraiths, Liberty, and Hawks travel by far the most (In fact, over the course of this season, each of these three teams will have traveled the equivalent of all the way around the Earth!). Sabercats and Otters, being on the far west coast, travel a little bit longer distance than the Outlaws, Yeti, and Legion, who travel the least distance.
What lessons have we learned?
If you’re thinking of creating your own NSFL expansion team and you’re worried about plane fuel prices, it’s best to locate your team somewhere in the Midwest… perhaps St. Louis or Kansas City. The league also has an obvious west coast bias.
When it comes to home and away games, the Wraiths, Liberty, and Hawks have a great advantage of playing at home against teams that have traveled a long ways, but they also have to travel great lengths to get to their own away games.
Perhaps this explains why the sim seems to favor home teams so much?
(1501 words, ready to be graded)
GRADED
Naturally, this can make travel times somewhat lop-sided.
While teams such as the San Jose Sabercats or the Las Vegas Legion do not often have to travel very far for their away games, teams such as the Yellowknife Wraiths or Philadelphia Liberty generally have to travel great distances (often across the entire country!) in order to play their away games. Luckily, the NSFL has contracted with Simulation Airlines, and each team has access to a private jet. This helps teams in remote locations (looking at you, Yellowknife) travel straight to other cities without having to worry about layovers or connections!
In an effort to identify how huge the discrepancy is between different team’s travel times, the NSFL asked Simulation Airlines to map out how many miles / kilometers each NSFL team will travel throughout this season, as well as how many hours spent in flight.
The first thing Simulations Airlines looked at was the distance between different NSFL team’s home airport. Here are the top ten NSFL team pairs whose home cities are the furthest apart:
1. & : 2,519 miles (4,055 km)
2. & : 2,443 miles (3,932 km)
3. & : 2,398 miles (3,860 km)
4. & : 2,321 miles (3,735 km)
5. & : 2,282 miles (3,673 km)
6. & : 2,240 miles (3,605 km)
7. & : 2,183 miles (3,514 km)
8. & : 2,106 miles (3,390 km)
9. & : 2,090 miles (3,363 km)
10. & 2,012 miles (3,238 km)
The trend here is obvious… the two east coast teams, the Baltimore Hawks and the Philadelphia Liberty, are extremely far away from every other team in the entire NSFL (other than each other). For comparison, here are the ten NSFL team pairs who are closest to each other:
1. & : 78 miles (125 km)
2. & : 258 miles (415 km)
3. & : 271 miles (436 km)
4. & : 334 miles (537 km)
5. & : 359 miles (578 km)
6. & : 381 miles (613 km)
7. & : 573 miles (922 km)
8. & : 593 miles (955 km)
9. & : 620 miles (998 km)
10. & : 828 miles (1,332 km)
As you can see, other than the Liberty and Hawks being super close together, every other team in the league (other than the Wraiths) are relatively much closer together distance wise. The Wraiths, even though they aren’t as far away from the rest of the general league as the Liberty and Hawks, are in the unique situation where they are far away from literally everybody. The team that the Yellowknife Wraiths are closest to are the Colorado Yeti, who are 1,638 miles (2,636 km) away.
To find out how far each team has to travel this season, we have to break down the regular season schedule. We are making a few assumptions here: That each team has their own private jet so they don’t need to worry about layovers and just have direct flights, and that each team returns to their home city after each away game (for practices). We don’t know of any NSFL “travel teams” which practice on the road, so for now this seems pretty accurate.
Below we have the regular season schedule along with the distance the away team had to travel and an estimation of how long their flight was. Just double all of those distances and flight times to account for the return trip home.
WEEK 1 (JULY 31)
334 miles (537 km) 0.7 hrs
1638 miles (2636 km) 3.6 hrs
2519 miles (4055 km) 5.5 hrs
2106 miles (3390 km) 4.6 hrs
WEEK 2 (AUGUST 2)
2321 miles (3735 km) 5.1 hrs
1757 miles (2828 km) 3.8 hrs
2090 miles (3363 km) 4.6
593 miles (955 km) 1.3 hrs
WEEK 3 (AUGUST 4)
1638 miles (2636 km) 3.6 hrs
271 miles (436 km) 0.6 hrs
2398 miles (3860 km) 5.2 hrs
2443 miles (3932 km) 5.3 hrs
WEEK 4 (AUGUST 4)
573 miles (922 km) 1.3 hrs
359 miles (578 km) 0.8 hrs
78 miles (125 km) 0.2 hrs
1797 miles (2892 km) 3.9 hrs
WEEK 5 (AUGUST 7)
258 miles (415 km) 0.6 hrs
1594 miles (2566 km) 3.5 hrs
2443 miles (3932 km) 5.3 hrs
2006 miles (3229 km) 4.4 hrs
WEEK 6 (AUGUST 9)
2106 miles (3390 km) 4.6 hrs
573 miles (922 km) 1.3 hrs
2398 miles (3860 km) 5.2 hrs
1757 miles (2828 km) 3.8 hrs
WEEK 7 (AUGUST 11)
2240 miles (3605 km) 4.9 hrs
334 miles (537 km) 0.7 hrs
929 miles (1495 km) 2.0 hrs
2183 miles (3514 km) 4.8 hrs
WEEK 8 (AUGUST 11)
381 miles (613 km) 0.8 hrs
2282 miles (3673 km) 5.0 hrs
2012 miles (3238 km) 4.4 hrs
828 miles (1332 km) 1.8 hrs
WEEK 9 (AUGUST 14)
1518 miles (2442 km) 3.3 hrs
1797 miles (2892 km) 3.9 hrs
359 miles (578 km) 0.8 hrs
BYE
BYE
WEEK 10 (AUGUST 16)
2240 miles (3605 km) 4.9 hrs
620 miles (998 km) 1.4 hrs
828 miles (1332 km) 1.8 hrs
2183 miles (3514 km) 4.8 hrs
WEEK 11 (AUGUST 18)
2282 miles (3673 km) 5.0 hrs
258 miles (415 km) 0.6 hrs
2012 miles (3238 km) 4.4 hrs
929 miles (1495 km) 2.0 hrs
WEEK 12 (AUGUST 18)
78 miles (125 km) 0.2 hrs
620 miles (998 km) 1.4 hrs
593 miles (955 km) 1.3 hrs
2010 miles (3234 km) 4.4 hrs
WEEK 13 (AUGUST 21)
1594 miles (2566 km) 3.5 hrs
381 miles (613 km) 0.8 hrs
2006 miles (3229 km) 4.4 hrs
2321 miles (3735 km) 5.1 hrs
WEEK 14 (AUGUST 23)
1518 miles (2442 km) 3.3 hrs
2010 miles (3234 km) 4.4 hrs
2090 miles (3363 km) 4.6 hrs
BYE
BYE
WEEK 15 (AUGUST 25)
271 miles (436 km) 0.6 hrs
2519 miles (4055 km) 5.5 hrs
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
Total Miles / KM Traveled and Hours Flown by team
27,460 miles (44,194 km) … 59.9 hours flown
26,288 miles (42,312 km) … 57.4 hours flown
25,436 miles (40,934 km) … 55.5 hours flown
18,016 miles (28,998 km) … 39.3 hours flown
17,016 miles (27,382 km) … 37.1 hours flown
15,812 miles (25,446 km) … 34.5 hours flown
15,346 miles (24,696 km) … 33.5 hours flown
15,178 miles (24,430 km) … 33.1 hours flown
So there you have it. Theres three pretty clear tiers when it comes to total travel… Wraiths, Liberty, and Hawks travel by far the most (In fact, over the course of this season, each of these three teams will have traveled the equivalent of all the way around the Earth!). Sabercats and Otters, being on the far west coast, travel a little bit longer distance than the Outlaws, Yeti, and Legion, who travel the least distance.
What lessons have we learned?
If you’re thinking of creating your own NSFL expansion team and you’re worried about plane fuel prices, it’s best to locate your team somewhere in the Midwest… perhaps St. Louis or Kansas City. The league also has an obvious west coast bias.
When it comes to home and away games, the Wraiths, Liberty, and Hawks have a great advantage of playing at home against teams that have traveled a long ways, but they also have to travel great lengths to get to their own away games.
Perhaps this explains why the sim seems to favor home teams so much?
(1501 words, ready to be graded)
GRADED