Top 15 Potential Expansion Cities for the NSFL and DSFL – U.S. Edition
I have read quite a significant number of media posts recently that are suggesting many people are in favor of NSFL expansion and I have to admit that I am quite intrigued by the idea as well. This article will not be an argument or debate over whether or not expansion is a necessity, or even how many teams should be added over the next couple seasons via expansion. While the Head Office mulled over these hotly debated issues, it seems that they have agreed to expand the league to a total of 12 teams, leaving room for two new franchises. Now, HO will have to decide who to award these expansion franchises to. I will instead focus on what areas I believe should receive an expansion franchise, or at least which cities I would be interested in receiving an expansion franchise. I will also endeavor to list these cities from the most interesting option to the least interesting options. Let’s just say a top 15. As you can probably tell by this introduction, I am endeavoring to mix some subjective and objective criteria when selecting these cities. Here are the factors/ criteria I am using in order to rate these cities. As I have mentioned in the title, this list will only be for U.S. cities. I will likely be creating an international edition in the future.
1) The city should have a decent sized population in order to be able to support an expansion franchise. The larger the population, the more points a city/ their metropolitan area receives. This will be measured in millions of people living in the metropolitan area as of the 2018 estimates.
2) If the city already has competing professional sports teams (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS) I will deduct points as I think it would be more interesting to have teams in less “popular” locations. This was easy to find as I found a list of professional sports teams by city.
3) If a major professional sports franchise has left the area in the semi-recent past (let’s say 20 years), I will add points to that city as spite is a better motivator than excitement. This was a bit more difficult to determine as various franchises have moved cities, but I only included those I felt were recent enough or at least I felt the impact was still felt.
4) The cities distance to current DSFL and NSFL franchises will play a factor as well. Generally, if a franchise already exists in a commutable distance to the city in question, it will result in a deduction of points (i.e. Orange County and Los Angeles). This is measured by miles to the nearest DSFL or NSFL city.
5) Has a DSFL or NSFL previously existed in the city in question? If so, then maybe it would be worth reviving these franchises as the league has grown. I found this data by looking at what teams had historically existed.
6) Would this city represent a good enough tourist spot? This metric was definitely the most difficult to find reliable information for. I used the world atlas as well as google searches. Some of the data does not look correct to me, so if any disputes exist I would imagine this would be where.
7) Lastly, my own personal bias will play a small role in these rankings. There are certain cities I don’t like as much as others or am not as interested in seeing as a host to a team in the NSFL or DSFL. Sorry if you disagree.
In this first chart, you will see that I gathered a list of 35 cities to score. I mostly just looked at a list of cities in the US by population, but also added a couple of cities I found interesting into the mix. If a city already has a team, I did not want to include it because I’d prefer to see teams in new areas. If tried my best utilizing various online resources to find the data, some of which probably isn’t 100% accurate since they came from a variety of sources. If you would like to dispute any of the data, please let me know. Or, if you would like me to score a different city, let me know as well.
Next, I assigned somewhat arbitrary point values to each metric and weighted them by how important I thought they would be in hosting an expansion franchise. You will see these point values below.
I then used a simple mathematical calculation to determine the total value of “points” each potential expansion site received from this model. Here is the list of the Top 15 Potential Expansion Cities along with some reasons why I think it would make a good expansion site.
15. Nashville, TN
If you like country music, bachelorette parties, and inhuman running backs; then Nashville is a great place to expand the NSFL. Although not the largest in terms of population, Nashville makes up for this with their healthy tourism industry as well as having no NSFL/ DSFL competition for over 500 miles. This area is in dire need of a franchise, and Nashville is the perfect place. The only downside may be that Nashville is home to 3 professional sports franchises already, so some competition will exist. However, Tennessee has a low cost of living, no personal income tax, and a healthy nightlife to attract players and owners.
14. Boston, MA
The Boston area has a large population and rich history and tradition involving their sports teams. In fact, the last couple of decades have been so successful for teams from Boston that a large portion of the country can’t stand them. This combined with the fact there are no current NSFL/ DSFL teams too close and the fact that millions of people flock to Boston each year make this an attractive spot for an expansion franchise. However, there will be a decent amount of competition with 5 professional franchises already calling the area home, but the fervent fans will make room for another. Additionally, Bostonians love to boast about the cities’ historic roots and their four distinct seasons. A franchise could not fail here.
13. Tampa, FL
Much like Tom Brady, I think it could be a good decision for the NSFL to take a trip down to Tampa. Besides the beaches and warm weather, there is not another NSFL/ DSFL within 500 miles of Tampa. Additionally, Tampa sees millions of tourists every year according to my online sources and there’s a big enough metropolitan population to support another franchise despite having 3 professional sports teams already. Overall, you can tell that I’m not too personally invested in a team in Tampa, but the metrics that I used to determine the 15 best cities tend to disagree with me. There are also low taxes, no state income tax, and hey, if you love golf this would be a perfect destination for owners.
12. Houston, TX
In another bid to increase the amount of southern flair in the NSFL/ DSFL, a team in Houston would make a lot of sense. With a favorable climate, a decent enough proximity to beaches on the gulf coast, and a huge population I can’t help but believe Houston would be an attractive spot for a franchise owner. Some obstacles could potentially be 4 current professional sports teams in the Houston area as well as the fact that there are already two NSFL/ DSFL franchises in Texas in the Austin Copperheads and Dallas Birddogs, so I could also see wanting to diversify locations a bit more. However, the lack of state income tax could incentive owners to make a move out there – especially given the fan base will turn a blind eye to “bending the rules” so long as you win.
11. Providence, RI
I would say that Providence is the first big surprise of this list considering it doesn’t have the largest population or a large influx of tourists each year, but the east coast town is just clamoring to have a professional sports franchise and the NSFL/ DSFL is the perfect league to make their mark here. Providence has a decent population, is decently far enough away from existing franchises, and overall this quaint city would be an interesting candidate for expansion, especially given the city’s rich history.
10. Hartford, CT
Hartford is another smaller northeast city that I am also stating would be a good city for expansion. Although not quite as large or as appealing to tourists as Providence, Hartford is also distant enough from existing NSFL/ DSFL franchises to not overlap fan bases. The most appealing aspect of the bid from this city is that they still maintain immense pride for the Hartford Whalers – an NHL team that left the city quite a while ago. One downside may potentially be that there seems to be an exodus of Connecticut due to cost of living. However, considering there would be no other professional teams in the area I could see Hartford being a legitimate destination.
9. San Antonio, TX
I know what you’re thinking: “another team in Texas”? Well, please give me a chance to explain. San Antonio boasts a huge population and a healthy amount of tourism which signals a large potential following. Additionally, San Antonio only has one single other professional sports franchise in the city. However, the city is also rather close to existing NSFL/ DSFL franchises and again, I could agree with a push to diversify team locations. However, the most intriguing aspect of choosing San Antonio as an expansion location is that it would give us the option to revive the historic San Antonio Marshals (DSFL) which existing the first days of the DSFL and seemingly either ceased operations or relocated and rebranded after Season 18. San Antonio also has alarmingly nice weather and no personal income tax which could make it an ideal destination for owners.
8. St. Louis, MO
The St. Louis metropolitan area is actually quite a bit larger than I had anticipated it would be while also being located a good distance away from existing franchises Kansas City and Chicago. St. Louis also has quite a bit more tourism than I would’ve expected for this Midwest city. I also believe that branding from the city would be a potential boon between having “Saint” in the name while also being able to use a structure as iconic as the St. Louis Arch. Additionally; there are only two current professional sports franchises in a city of its size which brings me to my next point. The Rams left an extraordinarily bitter taste in the citizens’ mouths when they gave the city the bird while moving out to LA. The city seems keen to support a football team as evidenced by the recent stint of the XFL’s Battlehawks. To me, St. Louis is the premier expansion location in the Midwest.
7. San Diego, CA
To be fully transparent, there is a lot of bias in selecting this city as an expansion location as evidenced by the personal bias column. However, San Diego has quite a large metro area population and a large influx of tourists each year, especially in the time surrounding Comic Con. Additionally, San Diego only currently has a single professional sports franchise and their large population are definitely capable of supporting more, especially since the fallout surrounding the NFL’s Chargers to (in a fashion similar to St. Louis), give the fan base the middle finger and move to LA. One cause for concern is that San Diego is super close to Tijuana, actually being less than a 30 minute drive away. However, I do not believe this will be an issue as the border and border patrol will make this a significantly loner commute. San Diego also boasts beautiful weather year round, so why wouldn’t you want an NSFL franchise here?
6. Orlando, FL
Warm weather, beaches, and Disney World, come on how can one not like Orlando? I believe that most people have fond memories when they think of Orlando and we should capitalize on this. On top of this, Orlando has quite a large metropolitan population and as mentioned with Tampa, is extremely far away from existing NSFL/ DSFL a franchise. Orlando also has low taxes and no state income tax, really incentivizing players and owners alike to live there. The city also only has two current professional sports franchises in the area and neither of them would be rival football teams. The most intriguing aspect of a bid from this city to me would be the influx of tourists at all times of year. Overall I can see Orlando as a very attractive location for an expansion franchise.
5. Las Vegas, NV
The city of vice and casinos, Sin City represents an extremely attractive location for an expansion franchise in my opinion. First of all there are tons of things to do on any given day and there are a lot of attractions open 24/7. Las Vegas also has a good sized population, tons and tons of tourists (and lots of people betting), and is overall not very close to any existing NSFL/ DSFL franchises. Until recently, Las Vegas did not have any professional sports franchises to act as competitors, although this has changed recently as with the expansion of the NHL (see how that worked!) and the movement of the Raiders. Additionally, Las Vegas is attractive given the low cost of living and low taxes. Most importantly, a franchise in Las Vegas would give the league the exciting option of reviving NSFL franchise; the Las Vegas Legion which operated from Season 2 until Season 5 when it was either rebranded or disbanded. I don’t think we could expand without considering reviving this historic franchise.
4. Seattle, WA
The highest west coast expansion location on my list is the rainy, coffee-making capital of the Northwest; Seattle. Despite being the hot zone coronavirus hub of the United States, the Seattle metropolitan area contains a large population and is a decent enough tourist spot to be the leading competitor in this region. Additionally, Seattle is decently far away from current DSFL franchise in Portland. One major downside to Seattle is there is competition from hosting three current professional sports franchises, but the city is also still reeling from the loss of the Seattle Supersonics who relocated to Oklahoma City not too long ago. There are plenty of reasons to expand the NSFL into Seattle and in fact it would be shorter to list reasons of why we shouldn’t. Seattle is a burgeoning hub with a plethora of industry and a vibrant and loyal fan base which makes it the premier expansion location of the western United States.
3. Miami, FL
Party in the city where the heat is on; welcome to Miami once said a wise man. Vice City is another promising location for an expansion franchise. Florida itself has many benefits of residency including low taxes and no personal income tax, but Miami also has beautiful weather and beautiful people. Miami has a large population and a metric ton of tourism. Despite having 5 professional sports franchises already located in the city, it can be said that none of these current franchises are competitive, so the fans will definitely be willing and eager to support a franchise committed to winning. As stated in previous entries about Florida, Miami is at least 500 miles from the any current NSFL/ DSFL franchise. Most promising though is that we would be able to revive the historic DSFL franchise Palm Beach Solar Bears who operated from Season 6 until Season 17 when the team either disbanded or rebranded. Miami is the second best southern based location to expand the NSFL.
2. New York, NY
I mean, of course New York was going to be highly rated by my metrics. I have even heard a certain member of the Dallas Birddogs say he would do illegal and unsavory things in order for the NSFL to expand to one of the boroughs (no way we would play football in New Jersey). First of all, New York hosts the largest population of any city in the United States and is one of the largest tourism locations in the United States according to my research. Some potential downsides are that New York is somewhat close to existing NSFL franchise Philadelphia Liberty and that the New York metro area already contains 11 professional sports franchises. Just the sheer number of potential fans make New York the premier expansion location of the eastern United States. The question isn’t why we should have an NSFL franchise in New York, but rather why don’t we have one already?
1. Atlanta, GA
Are you surprised to see Atlanta as the top choice of city to host an NSFL expansion franchise? To be honest, I was surprised to see it top the list. First off, Atlanta boasts quite a large population and is the international travel hub of the southern United States. There are also quite a few tax benefits for operating within Georgia which an owner would love to exploit. On top of that, Atlanta sees more tourism than one would expect and is far away enough from current NSFL/ DSFL franchises to not overlap fan bases. Additionally, there are only 4 current professional sports franchises in Atlanta for competition. I think the main reason they scored so highly though, is that a couple decades ago they lost a hockey team (I struggled on whether or not to include it, but thought this outcome would be more interesting than having New York as the top choice). Atlanta has a booming economy and reasonable cost of living which would attract players to live there despite the traffic. Overall, Atlanta is the premier choice for NSFL expansion in not only the southern United States, but in the entire United States.
In case you are interested in the full list of cities, I will paste the full table below. Again, please let me know if you would like me to rate additional cities. Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts.
I have read quite a significant number of media posts recently that are suggesting many people are in favor of NSFL expansion and I have to admit that I am quite intrigued by the idea as well. This article will not be an argument or debate over whether or not expansion is a necessity, or even how many teams should be added over the next couple seasons via expansion. While the Head Office mulled over these hotly debated issues, it seems that they have agreed to expand the league to a total of 12 teams, leaving room for two new franchises. Now, HO will have to decide who to award these expansion franchises to. I will instead focus on what areas I believe should receive an expansion franchise, or at least which cities I would be interested in receiving an expansion franchise. I will also endeavor to list these cities from the most interesting option to the least interesting options. Let’s just say a top 15. As you can probably tell by this introduction, I am endeavoring to mix some subjective and objective criteria when selecting these cities. Here are the factors/ criteria I am using in order to rate these cities. As I have mentioned in the title, this list will only be for U.S. cities. I will likely be creating an international edition in the future.
1) The city should have a decent sized population in order to be able to support an expansion franchise. The larger the population, the more points a city/ their metropolitan area receives. This will be measured in millions of people living in the metropolitan area as of the 2018 estimates.
2) If the city already has competing professional sports teams (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS) I will deduct points as I think it would be more interesting to have teams in less “popular” locations. This was easy to find as I found a list of professional sports teams by city.
3) If a major professional sports franchise has left the area in the semi-recent past (let’s say 20 years), I will add points to that city as spite is a better motivator than excitement. This was a bit more difficult to determine as various franchises have moved cities, but I only included those I felt were recent enough or at least I felt the impact was still felt.
4) The cities distance to current DSFL and NSFL franchises will play a factor as well. Generally, if a franchise already exists in a commutable distance to the city in question, it will result in a deduction of points (i.e. Orange County and Los Angeles). This is measured by miles to the nearest DSFL or NSFL city.
5) Has a DSFL or NSFL previously existed in the city in question? If so, then maybe it would be worth reviving these franchises as the league has grown. I found this data by looking at what teams had historically existed.
6) Would this city represent a good enough tourist spot? This metric was definitely the most difficult to find reliable information for. I used the world atlas as well as google searches. Some of the data does not look correct to me, so if any disputes exist I would imagine this would be where.
7) Lastly, my own personal bias will play a small role in these rankings. There are certain cities I don’t like as much as others or am not as interested in seeing as a host to a team in the NSFL or DSFL. Sorry if you disagree.
In this first chart, you will see that I gathered a list of 35 cities to score. I mostly just looked at a list of cities in the US by population, but also added a couple of cities I found interesting into the mix. If a city already has a team, I did not want to include it because I’d prefer to see teams in new areas. If tried my best utilizing various online resources to find the data, some of which probably isn’t 100% accurate since they came from a variety of sources. If you would like to dispute any of the data, please let me know. Or, if you would like me to score a different city, let me know as well.
Next, I assigned somewhat arbitrary point values to each metric and weighted them by how important I thought they would be in hosting an expansion franchise. You will see these point values below.
I then used a simple mathematical calculation to determine the total value of “points” each potential expansion site received from this model. Here is the list of the Top 15 Potential Expansion Cities along with some reasons why I think it would make a good expansion site.
15. Nashville, TN
If you like country music, bachelorette parties, and inhuman running backs; then Nashville is a great place to expand the NSFL. Although not the largest in terms of population, Nashville makes up for this with their healthy tourism industry as well as having no NSFL/ DSFL competition for over 500 miles. This area is in dire need of a franchise, and Nashville is the perfect place. The only downside may be that Nashville is home to 3 professional sports franchises already, so some competition will exist. However, Tennessee has a low cost of living, no personal income tax, and a healthy nightlife to attract players and owners.
14. Boston, MA
The Boston area has a large population and rich history and tradition involving their sports teams. In fact, the last couple of decades have been so successful for teams from Boston that a large portion of the country can’t stand them. This combined with the fact there are no current NSFL/ DSFL teams too close and the fact that millions of people flock to Boston each year make this an attractive spot for an expansion franchise. However, there will be a decent amount of competition with 5 professional franchises already calling the area home, but the fervent fans will make room for another. Additionally, Bostonians love to boast about the cities’ historic roots and their four distinct seasons. A franchise could not fail here.
13. Tampa, FL
Much like Tom Brady, I think it could be a good decision for the NSFL to take a trip down to Tampa. Besides the beaches and warm weather, there is not another NSFL/ DSFL within 500 miles of Tampa. Additionally, Tampa sees millions of tourists every year according to my online sources and there’s a big enough metropolitan population to support another franchise despite having 3 professional sports teams already. Overall, you can tell that I’m not too personally invested in a team in Tampa, but the metrics that I used to determine the 15 best cities tend to disagree with me. There are also low taxes, no state income tax, and hey, if you love golf this would be a perfect destination for owners.
12. Houston, TX
In another bid to increase the amount of southern flair in the NSFL/ DSFL, a team in Houston would make a lot of sense. With a favorable climate, a decent enough proximity to beaches on the gulf coast, and a huge population I can’t help but believe Houston would be an attractive spot for a franchise owner. Some obstacles could potentially be 4 current professional sports teams in the Houston area as well as the fact that there are already two NSFL/ DSFL franchises in Texas in the Austin Copperheads and Dallas Birddogs, so I could also see wanting to diversify locations a bit more. However, the lack of state income tax could incentive owners to make a move out there – especially given the fan base will turn a blind eye to “bending the rules” so long as you win.
11. Providence, RI
I would say that Providence is the first big surprise of this list considering it doesn’t have the largest population or a large influx of tourists each year, but the east coast town is just clamoring to have a professional sports franchise and the NSFL/ DSFL is the perfect league to make their mark here. Providence has a decent population, is decently far enough away from existing franchises, and overall this quaint city would be an interesting candidate for expansion, especially given the city’s rich history.
10. Hartford, CT
Hartford is another smaller northeast city that I am also stating would be a good city for expansion. Although not quite as large or as appealing to tourists as Providence, Hartford is also distant enough from existing NSFL/ DSFL franchises to not overlap fan bases. The most appealing aspect of the bid from this city is that they still maintain immense pride for the Hartford Whalers – an NHL team that left the city quite a while ago. One downside may potentially be that there seems to be an exodus of Connecticut due to cost of living. However, considering there would be no other professional teams in the area I could see Hartford being a legitimate destination.
9. San Antonio, TX
I know what you’re thinking: “another team in Texas”? Well, please give me a chance to explain. San Antonio boasts a huge population and a healthy amount of tourism which signals a large potential following. Additionally, San Antonio only has one single other professional sports franchise in the city. However, the city is also rather close to existing NSFL/ DSFL franchises and again, I could agree with a push to diversify team locations. However, the most intriguing aspect of choosing San Antonio as an expansion location is that it would give us the option to revive the historic San Antonio Marshals (DSFL) which existing the first days of the DSFL and seemingly either ceased operations or relocated and rebranded after Season 18. San Antonio also has alarmingly nice weather and no personal income tax which could make it an ideal destination for owners.
8. St. Louis, MO
The St. Louis metropolitan area is actually quite a bit larger than I had anticipated it would be while also being located a good distance away from existing franchises Kansas City and Chicago. St. Louis also has quite a bit more tourism than I would’ve expected for this Midwest city. I also believe that branding from the city would be a potential boon between having “Saint” in the name while also being able to use a structure as iconic as the St. Louis Arch. Additionally; there are only two current professional sports franchises in a city of its size which brings me to my next point. The Rams left an extraordinarily bitter taste in the citizens’ mouths when they gave the city the bird while moving out to LA. The city seems keen to support a football team as evidenced by the recent stint of the XFL’s Battlehawks. To me, St. Louis is the premier expansion location in the Midwest.
7. San Diego, CA
To be fully transparent, there is a lot of bias in selecting this city as an expansion location as evidenced by the personal bias column. However, San Diego has quite a large metro area population and a large influx of tourists each year, especially in the time surrounding Comic Con. Additionally, San Diego only currently has a single professional sports franchise and their large population are definitely capable of supporting more, especially since the fallout surrounding the NFL’s Chargers to (in a fashion similar to St. Louis), give the fan base the middle finger and move to LA. One cause for concern is that San Diego is super close to Tijuana, actually being less than a 30 minute drive away. However, I do not believe this will be an issue as the border and border patrol will make this a significantly loner commute. San Diego also boasts beautiful weather year round, so why wouldn’t you want an NSFL franchise here?
6. Orlando, FL
Warm weather, beaches, and Disney World, come on how can one not like Orlando? I believe that most people have fond memories when they think of Orlando and we should capitalize on this. On top of this, Orlando has quite a large metropolitan population and as mentioned with Tampa, is extremely far away from existing NSFL/ DSFL a franchise. Orlando also has low taxes and no state income tax, really incentivizing players and owners alike to live there. The city also only has two current professional sports franchises in the area and neither of them would be rival football teams. The most intriguing aspect of a bid from this city to me would be the influx of tourists at all times of year. Overall I can see Orlando as a very attractive location for an expansion franchise.
5. Las Vegas, NV
The city of vice and casinos, Sin City represents an extremely attractive location for an expansion franchise in my opinion. First of all there are tons of things to do on any given day and there are a lot of attractions open 24/7. Las Vegas also has a good sized population, tons and tons of tourists (and lots of people betting), and is overall not very close to any existing NSFL/ DSFL franchises. Until recently, Las Vegas did not have any professional sports franchises to act as competitors, although this has changed recently as with the expansion of the NHL (see how that worked!) and the movement of the Raiders. Additionally, Las Vegas is attractive given the low cost of living and low taxes. Most importantly, a franchise in Las Vegas would give the league the exciting option of reviving NSFL franchise; the Las Vegas Legion which operated from Season 2 until Season 5 when it was either rebranded or disbanded. I don’t think we could expand without considering reviving this historic franchise.
4. Seattle, WA
The highest west coast expansion location on my list is the rainy, coffee-making capital of the Northwest; Seattle. Despite being the hot zone coronavirus hub of the United States, the Seattle metropolitan area contains a large population and is a decent enough tourist spot to be the leading competitor in this region. Additionally, Seattle is decently far away from current DSFL franchise in Portland. One major downside to Seattle is there is competition from hosting three current professional sports franchises, but the city is also still reeling from the loss of the Seattle Supersonics who relocated to Oklahoma City not too long ago. There are plenty of reasons to expand the NSFL into Seattle and in fact it would be shorter to list reasons of why we shouldn’t. Seattle is a burgeoning hub with a plethora of industry and a vibrant and loyal fan base which makes it the premier expansion location of the western United States.
3. Miami, FL
Party in the city where the heat is on; welcome to Miami once said a wise man. Vice City is another promising location for an expansion franchise. Florida itself has many benefits of residency including low taxes and no personal income tax, but Miami also has beautiful weather and beautiful people. Miami has a large population and a metric ton of tourism. Despite having 5 professional sports franchises already located in the city, it can be said that none of these current franchises are competitive, so the fans will definitely be willing and eager to support a franchise committed to winning. As stated in previous entries about Florida, Miami is at least 500 miles from the any current NSFL/ DSFL franchise. Most promising though is that we would be able to revive the historic DSFL franchise Palm Beach Solar Bears who operated from Season 6 until Season 17 when the team either disbanded or rebranded. Miami is the second best southern based location to expand the NSFL.
2. New York, NY
I mean, of course New York was going to be highly rated by my metrics. I have even heard a certain member of the Dallas Birddogs say he would do illegal and unsavory things in order for the NSFL to expand to one of the boroughs (no way we would play football in New Jersey). First of all, New York hosts the largest population of any city in the United States and is one of the largest tourism locations in the United States according to my research. Some potential downsides are that New York is somewhat close to existing NSFL franchise Philadelphia Liberty and that the New York metro area already contains 11 professional sports franchises. Just the sheer number of potential fans make New York the premier expansion location of the eastern United States. The question isn’t why we should have an NSFL franchise in New York, but rather why don’t we have one already?
1. Atlanta, GA
Are you surprised to see Atlanta as the top choice of city to host an NSFL expansion franchise? To be honest, I was surprised to see it top the list. First off, Atlanta boasts quite a large population and is the international travel hub of the southern United States. There are also quite a few tax benefits for operating within Georgia which an owner would love to exploit. On top of that, Atlanta sees more tourism than one would expect and is far away enough from current NSFL/ DSFL franchises to not overlap fan bases. Additionally, there are only 4 current professional sports franchises in Atlanta for competition. I think the main reason they scored so highly though, is that a couple decades ago they lost a hockey team (I struggled on whether or not to include it, but thought this outcome would be more interesting than having New York as the top choice). Atlanta has a booming economy and reasonable cost of living which would attract players to live there despite the traffic. Overall, Atlanta is the premier choice for NSFL expansion in not only the southern United States, but in the entire United States.
In case you are interested in the full list of cities, I will paste the full table below. Again, please let me know if you would like me to rate additional cities. Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts.
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