- Big players such as NBA and MLB are aiming to expand.
- MLS has already added several new teams, with more to come.
- Thanks to television and streaming, more and more leagues are moving up to major pro status.
Get a team! Get a team! Let’s form a team together!
Sports have long been a staple of television, but now the explosion in the number of networks and streaming platforms seeking content is fueling a boom in new sports teams.
Consider a recent revelation from some of North America’s biggest leagues.
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirms appointment “I think it’s natural for an organization to grow over time,” he said, adding that the league will begin looking at expansion in the next few years. He has 30 teams in the NBA, with Las Vegas and Seattle being strong candidates for new franchises.
- MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also said: His league, which currently has 30 teams, is looking to expand.
On the NHL side, we’ve added two expansion teams, Las Vegas and the NHL. Seattle — in the last six years.
And those are just the most prominent players.
A few years ago, it was commonly believed that North America had four major professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) with 122 teams. But thanks to the influx of high-profile streaming services, it’s time to rethink what a “big pro” sports team or league is.
Take Major League Soccer, for example. The league has been around since his 1993, but business has exploded in recent years. The number of teams has surged from 20 to 29 clubs over the past seven years, and MLS plans to add 30 clubs in 2025. Commissioner Don Garber even said he was open to adding more. A new large-screen TV deal with AppleTV Lionel Messi to join Inter Miami In the coming weeks, it’s no exaggeration to say that MLS has established itself as a major professional sports league. Or take WNBA. Soaring TV ratings and Growing cultural footprint, Leagues have become a major force in professional sports.It seems reasonable to think that We plan to expand beyond 12 teams in the future.
Arya Boston (right) and WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbart pose in Indiana Fever jerseys during the 2023 WNBA Draft.
AP Photo/Adam Hanger
All this growth is primarily due to increased demand for live sports. Live sports gives him two big wins as more streaming services enter the market. 1) Acquire new subscribers and give existing subscribers a reason to continue by adding new types of content. In other words, it is a model that anyone can use. 2) Like news, live sports are always a treasure trove of content beyond gaming.
This seemingly insatiable need for programming is a big reason why new entrants in North America like Major League Rugby and Major League Cricket have a chance to survive. Although the climb is steeper than in MLS, football’s rapid growth shows that Americans are willing to embrace a sport that has traditionally performed better in Europe. And they haven’t even qualified for the XFL and USFL, the spring professional football leagues.
Saturated? Not here.
After all, if ESPN+ has a place for cornhole and kabaddi (think of the latter as more contact tag and dodgeball combined), it also has a place for cricket and rugby. If your sport has a fan base, even if it’s small, streaming services are more likely to be happy to broadcast it.
In other words, if you’ve ever dreamed of having a professional sports team in your neighborhood, the chances of it actually happening couldn’t be better.