With the Washington Wizards (formerly the Baltimore Bullets) coming to the Baltimore Arena today to face off against the New York Knicks (featuring Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony), it’s fun to dream of the city hosting a professional basketball team of its own again. And with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake endorsing the dream and even talking “with other people who are like-minded,” one may start to foster real hope.
No way, says Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. Or at least, not without overcoming some “major obstacles.” Here are a few:
+The NBA doesn’t appear to have any interest in expansion teams lately.
+It’s possible that the Washington Wizards ownership would actively campaign against a too-close-for-comfort Baltimore team.
+There’s no viable arena in the city. (Sure, there’s a new arena in the works, but fundraising has been difficult, and it may not host basketball games, anyway.)
+The mayor has yet to find “serious” interest in a team.
+Back when the Baltimore Arena regularly hosted four Wizards games a year, ticket sales were relatively low.
Sounds pretty bleak. To have your Baltimore NBA dreams crushed in greater detail, read the article in the Sun.
