Maybe with exception of Detroit, Phx, and Boston, I think all of those markets are much larger than Mpls. And those three are probably still at least a bit larger than us.
We should really be more of a 2 or 3 pro sports town. We just happen to be a hockey state and so it makes perfect sense that we'd have an NHL team. Should probably be closer to a Pittsburgh or Cleveland, though.
The only one that would be realistic to "lose" would be the TWolves. And would losing them realistically help the other three win more? I guess I don't see how. Plus seems like fairly recent, major facility investments for all of them. Is what it is.
So, this piqued my curiosity and I did a very cursory search on where the Minneapolis/St. Paul market falls into place amongst its brethren of Big 4 sports towns. There are 13 metro areas that have pro teams in the four major sports (if you include Major League Soccer, there are 11, including Mpls/St. Paul).
The Twin Cities has the 15th largest media market in the U.S., with the following Big 4 cities are in the same neighborhood: Phoenix (13), Miami (16), and Denver (17). Boston and Detroit are #10 and 11, the rest are all in single digits.
Now, you could make strong arguments for why Phoenix and Miami have great advantages (weather, Florida's lack of income tax), although what's fascinating about comparing these cities with Minnesota is that three of the four teams have been consistently average to strong in the regular season over the last 20 years. (the T-Wolves are. . .well, let's avoid talk of them for now). To whit, here are the top 3 performing teams in the four markets since 2000-01, when the Wild debuted (MN, Phoenix, Miami, Denver) over the last twenty years:
MN
Wild: 3 seasons under .500; 10 playoff appearances, 4 series wins, one Conference Final appearance in '02-03)
Twins: 8 seasons under .500; 9 playoff appearances, 1 series win)
Vikings: 7 seasons under .500; 8 playoff appearances, 5 wins)
The T-Wolves have had 14 losing seasons in this time span, with 5 playoff appearances and 2 series wins, 1 Conference Final in '03-04
Arizona/Phoenix
Coyotes: 9 seasons under .500; 5 playoff appearances, one Conf. Final appearance, 2011-12)
Diamondbacks: 9 seasons under .500; 5 playoff appearances; WS win-2011, 5 series won)
Suns: 11 seasons under .500; 7 playoff appearances; 7 series won, 3 Conf. Finals)
*
while the Cardinals were excluded because they were under .500 for 12 seasons, they have a Super Bowl appearance, and 5 wins over 4 seasons of playoff appearances in this time period
Miami
Heat: 5 seasons under .500; 13 playoff appearances; 6 championship appearances, 3 championships (assuming they lose against the Lakers)
Panthers: 9 seasons under .500; 3 playoff appearances
Dolphins: 11 seasons under .500; 3 playoff appearances
* while the Marlins were excluded because they under .500 for 15 seasons, they won the World Series in 2003 and have advanced further in this year's playoffs than the Twins
Denver
Broncos: 5 seasons under .500; 9 playoff appearances; 7 wins, 2 Super Bowls-win in '15, loss in '13
Avalanche: 4 seasons under .500; 11 playoff appearances; 11 series wins; won Stanley Cup in 2000
Nuggets: 7 seasons under .500; 12 playoff appearances; 5 series wins
* the Rockies have had 14 losing seasons, with 4 playoff appearances, including a World Series loss in 2007
So, what's the takeaway? Every one of our "peer cities" has hosted at least one parade in the last twenty years. If the name of the game is to put winning teams on the field/arena/rink, the MN teams outperform these cities overall, with the exception of Denver, a smaller metroplex without the benefit of year round summer. The Minnesota teams have not been able to push themselves to a championship round. Dumb luck? Mismanagement in the playoffs? Unwillingness to take risks that could pay off in a championship? Whatever the case, I don't think it can be blamed upon our market size. It can be done, as every peer city on this list has demonstrated.
(on a side note, I don't follow the Wild, but seeing the criticism that the Twins have deservedly garnered for playoff impotence, I have to imagine that fan base is similarly dissatisfied if not more so)
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