This is personally one of my favorite times of year. I love watching football. If it’s High School or the pros. And with NFL playoffs now kicking off, it gets pretty exciting. Watching the best of the best has a true nostalgia to it. Knowing that one team is going to make history.
But what is South Dakota’s football team? Some would argue it’s the Vikings. Some could say it’s the Broncos. Yet others could argue it’s the Chiefs. The fact is, I’m not sure there isn’t a team that doesn’t get some support in South Dakota. With true fans of almost all thirty two teams coming to my mind.
But have you ever wondered, could South Dakota have it’s own pro team? What would it look like? Where would it be? Would there be enough support for it?
South Dakota’s Population
Let’s start off this topic by taking on the big problem with having a NFL team in South Dakota that we all realize. Our population. My favorite team is the Cleveland Browns. And home of the Brown’s, First Energy Stadium, holds 73,000 people. And even in their not so great years the stadium gets very close to full. In order for South Dakota to have this big of a crowd, we would need about 12 percent of the State to show up to the game. A pretty tall order.
However, Omaha, Nebraska was quietly considered at one point for an NFL team. Why? Because the state has tremendous support for their university team. The Huskers. Does South Dakota have this kind of support? To honestly answer this, you would have to realize that our state has two teams that get the bulk of the support versus one. SDSU and USD. A very real rivalry that has a ton of support. Regardless of what side you root for. It may not get the support the Huskers do, but it gets the support none the less.
Financial Support
Next, the team would have to have a ton of financial backing. This is usually by a single person. Is this possible? Of course. Though they may not decide to spend their money on an NFL franchise, there are definitely people in South Dakota that could put up the money if they chose to. And at one point in 2006, the state was more than willing to throw quite a bit of money at an attempt to get the Vikings training camp pushed to Sioux Falls. This was more than a noble attempt to get the attention of the NFL and other sports organizations. With the state pushing ever harder to get bigger events to come to South Dakota.
Where Would It Be?
This leads up to the last question that answers itself. Where would it be located? Sioux Falls would be the most obvious spot. With an airport, ample hotel and accommodations, the largest population in South Dakota, and a willingness to lure in bigger events. Sioux Falls would most likely be the spot.
But this could be a big reason to why a pro sports team wouldn’t come to Sioux Falls. It is not all that far from Minneapolis with less than a 4 hour drive. And it would have a very tough time competing with their fans. However, this isn’t a deal breaker either. Going back to the Browns team. Two of their AFC North opponents are less than 4 hours apart. Put in the fact that the NFL has seen the hole between teams in the middle of the US as an opportunity. It may not be as far of a reach as one might think.
NFL Expansion
Last, you have what may be the biggest hurdle of them all. The NFL expanding to add more teams or a team wanting to move. Lets go with the NFL expanding since this is the most likely.
London has been rumored for a long time to want to get an NFL team. And there are forces pushing hard to achieve this. The only problem with that is teams having to travel across seas to play on a regular basis. But it is very obvious the NFL is trying hard to pull this off.
What does this have to do with South Dakota having a team? If the NFL were to add an expansion, it wouldn’t be only one team. It would most likely be four. And they would be looking for holes to fill that would have the support of an area. And with a strong NFL football support from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, this may be just what the NFL is looking for.
I’m talking very hypothetical for all of this. And it is a very fun idea to kick around.(Pun Intended) But the reality is for now, we will just have to continue following other teams. At the end of the day, we realize it is probably a long shot that this will ever happen. But is it really as unrealistic as we might think? For myself, until that day, “Go Browns”.
What do you think? Is there a chance that South Dakota could ever get a pro team? Would you support a pro team or would you continue to cheer for your current team? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time.