Ever since the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League in 1949, the newly formed National Basketball Association (NBA) has been on a mission to expand. Throughout the history of the league, many cities have gained and lost teams as basketball culture changed. Most notably, teams like the Seattle Supersonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Vancouver Grizzlies migrated south to Memphis. Additionally, Pittsburgh was home to a professional team back in the late 1960s. Originally called the Pipers and later named the Condors, the team won the inaugural American Basketball Association title in 1968. Despite the title win, the team would eventually shut down in 1972 due to poor performance and, therefore, fan attendance. However, the city of Pittsburgh may soon be regaining an NBA-level basketball team.
When determining whether or not a city is capable of being home to a professional basketball team, the first criterion to meet is the necessary facilities to support a team. The city needs to have space for an arena, practice facility, etc. Many teams just share stadiums with the local hockey team, and this remains a possibility in Pittsburgh. PPG Paints arena has already hosted basketball events such as March Madness, so it seems plausible that a professional basketball team could also call PPG Paints Arena home.
While Pittsburgh isn’t exactly lacking in terms of facilities, one aspect that the 412 does lack is media market size. Media market size refers to often the city is covered in news or media. Pittsburgh is middle of the pack in terms of a city’s media market size. This may slightly hinder the new team’s television or coverage of games, but still remains doable.
Even though national media coverage may be average, Pittsburgh sports fans remain ahead of the pack in terms of objective loyalty. In recent history, Pittsburgh has proved to be a city full of loyal sports fans. Even if teams have lackluster seasons, there are always fans filling the stadium. This provides confidence that the sale of tickets and gaining revenue would not necessarily be an issue even while the team is starting up and trying to find stability.
One last aspect to think about when considering whether or not Pittsburgh is prepared for a professional basketball team is whether Pittsburgh is a better option in comparison to other cities. While many Pittsburgh pridefuls may immediately say yes, there are certainly other options for cities that are still in need of a team. Cities like St. Louis have higher media market shares, a hockey team to share a stadium with and a loyal fanbase to cheer on a potential team. Whether or not this makes them a better fit is ultimately up to the NBA. About all anyone can do is go out and support the team if Pittsburgh is ever deemed fit for a squad.