powerhour24 said:
I don't get everyone referring to Cleveland as a small market club, they have some of the most faithful fans, and have been there for over 100 years (longer than the Yankees have been around) anyone take in a game at Jacobs Field and see the sports' press around them and then call them small market, maybe the city of Cleveland is when compared to others, but not in a sports sense.
please...
the green bay packers are one of the most historic names in all of sport. they have a hardcore fanbase that sell out lambau field year after year after year.
and in the current sports climate, if not for the NFL's CBA, they would no longer exist, because the market they play in could not allow them to compete with the rest of the league for players.
fans, ultimately, play a second fiddle to the financial well being of a modern day sports franchise. it's all about advertising money, tv revenue and luxary boxes... which is where the city's actuall size and population comes into effect. the more people the franchise reaches, the more money the franchise brings in in advertising revenue, the more money they have to spend on players, etc. etc. etc.
on top of that, you can charge more money for ticket prices in large markets because there's more of a sample to draw from.
boston it's self, in reality, is a small market... but boston teams draw from the entire region of new england, which allow them to compete with the big boys. if, per say, portland, maine was a bigger market and had a few pro sport teams to draw away from boston, there's no way that boston could be as competitive as they are.
so yea... long answer to a short statement. cleveland is most certainly a small market team, but one that doesn't bitch and whine about it and does the best job they can with what they have.
i'm done now. honest.