Florida's market size underrated?

[nbhadja]

I hear it all the time when talking about how Lebron James wants a big market so Miami is out but I think it is BS.

Sure we do not have any mega cities like Boston, NYC, LA, Chicago but we have the 4th largest state in the country with a population of 19 million people.

A lot of people from the North East have the wrong perspective about Florida. Up there in the NE there are tons of big cities and hence NBA franchises all very close to each other. So say when you leave Boston and Massachusetts you quickly will enter another NBA team's territory.

Because of this being very common in the NE most people have the idea that only the city the team is located in is the market for that team. This is true in the NE and in states where basically one big city makes up the states population (like Chicago) but it is completely false in Florida where the population is spread out but there are only 2 teams in the state.

Basically what I am saying is that the radius that makes up the market for Miami and Orlando is much larger than the radius that makes up the market for the Knicks (which is mainly just NYC) and the Celtics etc.

I mean do they just expect that Tampa, Naples and south west Florida, Jacksonville, the panhandle and all of the other Florida cities that have no NBA teams and are located away from the Miami and Orlando Metro areas do not follow the NBA?

If Miami were to establish a dynasty (which would happen if Lebron came here) pretty much the entire state except for Orlando would follow the Heat and watch them closely- That's a lot of people.

[Iputsomepantson]

Also, unlike the Northeast we're more spread out in terms of population density, but you're right, we are a big market. The Palm Beach-Broward-Miami-Dade area is the 7th largest metropolitan area in the country. Bigger even than Boston.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Un ... itan_areas

[Vertical Limit]

Market has a chance to explode to new levels in Miami, especially with the new Dolphins and now the Heat are going to making some strong moves for a championship. It's going to get really exciting for South Florida very soon.

[fishfuego.]

Also, unlike the Northeast we're more spread out in terms of population density, but you're right, we are a big market. The Palm Beach-Broward-Miami-Dade area is the 7th largest metropolitan area in the country. Bigger even than Boston.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Un ... itan_areas

This^, also Miami IS basically the 'non-official' capital of South America when it comes to hispanic entertainment, including music, fashion, tv, news etc. Any news of sports involving Miami will be heard in the South Continent, and this is another market you hardly hear about.

[HEATindaHouse]

Man, I have been fighting this fight ,for a long time....

Then google is no help in my argument

the census may shown you Miami has a population of 400,000 -500,000
If you'll not famliiar with Miami -DADE you would never know
there a population over 2.5 million

WTF


Take that 2.5 million and add about half million more. To the
peoples who goes back and forward from the Islands

Now include Palm Beach and-Broward
MIAMI is no small market at all....

Chicago has a population of 2.8 (estimate)
Miami-Dade is not the city but the County..
NO one live Downtown...,or on Bayside
So when looking up Miami population
You would need to look up Miami-Dade to receive a better picture
of how over crowd Miami has become...

[HEATindaHouse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas

Oh I have more.....

Miami is the 4rd largest Metropolitan AREAs in the United States
that does not need to include other states.... Like NY(NJ ,parts of PA)or like Chi( which include IND,Wis)

Only Houston ,Dallas and LA are larger....

[jmbflame21]

Miami's market will be as big as anyone's once we sign a slew of high profile free agents