Does the Austin Spurs have a nice ring? The first team from a major American sports league to be located in Mexico is the Monterrey Spurs.
We may have to get used to it in the future because the San Antonio Spurs will be taking some road trips during the home portion of their schedule. The Spurs will have a one-year trial period during the 2022-23 season in which they will play four of their home games away from AT&T. Some of the games will be in Austin and Mexico City.
One of the Bexar County Commissioners who voted against the measure was concerned that the Spurs might leave San Antonio for Austin. The Spurs are in the market for a naming-rights partner since AT&T did not renew their deal, Bobby Perez said.
Perez said via My San Antonio that expanding the base of naming-rights partners is not insignificant.
It's not the most ringing endorsement for the Spurs to stay in San Antonio, but it's part of the game. The Chicago Bears aren't looking for a name change, but they are tired of their mistake by the lake and want a larger and nicer stadium. They purchased Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Ill., in October and are currently working on designs with people who worked on the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears need a stadium that looks like a cleaning device in the northwest suburbs.
Leaving San Antonio could be a forward- thinking move for the Spurs. This is a historical NBA franchise, five NBA Championships in 15 seasons, and one of the four ABA franchises left standing, along with the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and the now Brooklyn Nets. San Antonio is bigger than people think. It is only the 31st largest television market in America, but it is also the seventh-most populated city with over 1 million people.
Austin is booming. The University of Texas has a strong creative scene, but now people are moving in from all over the country. It was the fastest growing metropolitan area in America last year. Joe Rogan moving his operation to Austin was a big deal. Austin has a big-city feel, a cool artistic culture that is unique to the city, and cheaper living costs, just like every other major metropolitan area in America. Austin moved up in the television market rankings last year. Austin is not a bad idea if the NBA wants to ignore the outstanding giant market that it left, like Seattle.
If not Austin, why not become the first major American league to have a team in Mexico? The international series will return to Mexico City in 2022. The Spurs already have a large Mexican fan base, and it's just over a five hour drive from San Antonio's River Walk to a metropolitan area with more than five million people. Canada is working for the NBA. Expansion to the other country in North America first and doing it with a team that already has a fan base could be a major economic boon for the NBA. Maybe they try to move to Mexico City. That would be a long flight for a game between the Memphis and the Spurs, but now we're talking 21 million people.
It's still a lot of speculation. The Spurs will have to meet with the Bexar County Commissioners again. The earliest the Spurs could break their lease would be in 2026 and they would have to pay an $84 million penalty. Their current lease is valid until 2032. It would be unfortunate for a city that really shows up for that team to move like that. The Spurs stadium is where I have heard some of the loudest NBA games.
This is probably the most intriguing team out there. The Spurs in Austin or Mexico could be a great success, even if they move to Vegas or England. The fans are near. They might be ready for the real thing after seeing Dejounte Murray in person a couple of times.
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