Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
March 30, 2015 - X-League (X-League)
BASEBALL
International League: Some officials in the city of Worcester (MA), about 45 miles west of Boston, would like the city try to obtain a Major League Baseball-affiliated team, possibly the Pawtucket (RI) Red Sox (PawSox) of the Triple-A International League. The PawSox recently came under new ownership that wants to move the team to a proposed new stadium in Providence (RI). If that deal falls through in Providence, Worcester could be another option.
Atlantic League: The ownership group called VIP Sports and Entertainment, which has been trying to bring an Atlantic League baseball team called the Loudoun Hounds to a proposed ballpark at a mixed-use development in Ashburn (VA) called One Loudoun, is still battling with the developer over control of the land lease for the ballpark. Adequate financing to complete the ballpark has not been obtained over the past couple of years, so the developer is trying to remove VIP from the lease and negotiate with another group that will move forward with the ballpark and an Atlantic League franchise. The case is set to go to trial in October 2015.
East Coast Baseball League: The proposed new independent ECBL, which plans to start play in 2015 with six teams, is looking at potential markets to eventually find a home for its 2015 road team called the Road City Explorers. The league is looking at Johnstown (PA) as a possibility and would like to have the Road City Explorers play some of its 2015 games in Johnstown to test the market.
Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League: The summer-collegiate PGCBL announced its new team based in Victor (NY) for the 2015 season will be called the RailRiders.
BASKETBALL
Central Basketball Association: The CBA started its second season this weekend with eight teams. The St. Louis Hawks did not return from last season, but the league added new teams called the Mississippi Eagles (Southhaven) and the Springfield (IL) Sentinels. Six teams called the Bowling Green (KY) Hornets, Chattanooga Rail Runners, Fort Wayne Flite, Memphis Soul Kings, Middle Tennessee Storm (Nashville) and Peoria Panthers (formerly the River City Panthers) returned from last season. A previously announced new team called the Indianapolis Briks never made it to the 2015 season. The CBA started play in 2014 when four teams from the 2013 Central Basketball League (now the Central Basketball Developmental League) left to form the league. The CBA plays under international FIBA rules.
East Coast Basketball League: The new ECBL started its inaugural springtime season this weekend with 10 teams based in the southeastern region of the United States. When the Tobacco Road Basketball League (TRBL) decided to switch to a fall-winter season for 2014-15, several TRBL teams left to form the ECBL and continue with a springtime season starting in 2015. Former TRBL teams called the Carolina Gladiators (Lumberton, NC), Fayetteville (NC) Crossover, PrimeTime Players (Fort Mill, SC), Queen City Express (Charlotte, NC) and the South Carolina All Stars (Greenville, SC) will be joined by teams called the Columbia (SC) Crusaders, Fort Gordon Eagles (Augusta, GA), Gastonia (NC) Crowns, High Point (NC) Hawks and Savannah (GA) Storm for the inaugural 2015 ECBL season. The league is aligned into five-team Northern and Southern divisions. The league originally planned to have 12 teams for its first season, but teams called the East Carolina Storm (Wilmington, NC) and more recently the Richmond Redhawks were unable to be part of the first season.
Florida Basketball Association: The FBA started its fourth season this weekend and again will operate with five teams. The Tampa Bay Rebels dropped out after the 2014 season, but the league added the Marion County Showcase Stallions (Ocala, FL). The four returning teams include the Florida Flight (Orlando), Heartland Prowl (Lake Wales), Miami Midnites and Palm Beach Knights.
FOOTBALL
Arena Football League: The AFL started its 2015 season this week with 12 teams. Of the 14 teams from last season, the Pittsburgh Power, San Antonio Talons and Iowa Barnstormers did not return, but the league added the new Las Vegas Outlaws. The owners of the Des Moines-based Iowa Barnstormers left to form a team by the same name as part of the 2015 Indoor Football League. The AFL American Conference has a three-team South Division with the Jacksonville Sharks, Orlando Predators and Tampa Bay Storm and a three-team East Division with the Cleveland Gladiators, New Orleans VooDoo and Philadelphia Soul. The National Conference has a three-team Pacific Division with the Portland Thunder, San Jose Sabercats and Spokane Shock and a West Division with the Arizona Rattlers, LA Kiss and Las Vegas Outlaws.
Professional Indoor Football League: The PIFL started its fourth season this week with seven teams aligned in one table. Of the eight teams from last season, the Georgia Fire (Rome) and Harrisburg Stampede did not return, but the league added the Erie (PA) Explosion from last season's Continental Indoor Football League. Other teams include the Alabama Hammers (Huntsville), Columbus (GA) Lions, Nashville Venom, Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (Allentown, PA), Richmond Raiders and Trenton Freedom.
X-League Indoor Football League: The X-League started its second season this week and has grown from five to ten teams. Returning from last season are the Alabama Outlaws (Birmingham), Florida Marine Raiders (Lakeland), Georgia Rampage (Dalton) and St. Louis Attack. A team called the Pennsylvania Steam (Reading), which played one road game in 2014 before coming under new ownership and moving to become the Savannah Steam, did not return to the X-League for the 2015 season. Six indoor teams from other leagues joined the X-League for the 2015 season - the Bloomington (IL) Edge from the Champions Professional Indoor Football League, the Cape Fear Heroes (Fayetteville, NC) from American Indoor Football, the Corpus Christi Fury and Florida Tarpons (Estero) from the Ultimate Indoor Football League, the Marion (OH) Blue Racers from the Continental Indoor Football League, and the Rio Grande Valley Sol (Hidalgo, TX) from the Lone Star Football League.
HOCKEY
North American Hockey League: With the major-junior Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth (MI) Whalers relocating and becoming the Flint (MI) Firebirds next season, the Flint-based Michigan Warriors of USA Hockey's Tier-II NAHL are expected to relocate with Brooklyn (NY) mentioned as a possible location. The league-operated Keystone Ice Miners (Connellsville, PA) are reported to be moving to Wilkes-Barre (PA) for the 2015-16 season.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer: MLS awarded an expansion team to Minneapolis where the team will be owned by the current owner of the Minnesota United FC of the Division-II North American Soccer League. A soccer-specific stadium in downtown Minneapolis has been proposed and the team hopes to start play in 2018. Minneapolis would be the league's 23rd team as MLS moves toward a goal of 24 teams by the 2020 season. This portion of the expansion process included proposals from Sacramento, Las Vegas and a second Minneapolis bid by the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings, whose owners wanted to have the MLS team play at the Vikings' new NFL stadium under construction in Minneapolis. A 24th MLS team could be based in Miami, where a franchise was previously granted on the condition of a new soccer-stadium being constructed. Although stadium efforts had stalled in Miami, it looks as though progress is being made on utilizing a site next to Marlins Park for an MLS-style stadium.
League1 Ontario: The Ontario-based semi-pro men's League1 Ontario will return for its second season in May 2015 and will grow to 12 teams. The league started the 2014 season with ten teams, but lost the Internacional de Toronto club during the season. All nine of the remaining teams from last season will return along with three new teams called the Oakville Blue Devils, Pro Stars FC (Mississauga) and the Sanjaxx Lions (Toronto). League1 Ontario also announced it plans to start a six-team semi-pro women's division in 2015.
Major Arena Soccer League: The MASL announced earlier this month that a new team called the Soles de Sonora, based in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, has joined for the 2015-16 season. The Soles de Sonora played an exhibition game against the league's San Diego Sockers prior to the 2014-15 season.
Professional Futsal League: The proposed new PFL, which hopes to start play in November 2016, held a three-day International Challenge tournament earlier this month in Frisco (TX). Participating teams included FC Barcelona (Spain) and representative teams from Mexico (PFL Team Mexico) and the United States (PFL Team USA). The league plans to hold several international futsal events in the next several months to introduce the sport to fans, investors and sponsors in the United States.
Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagues, Teams & Nicknames 2013-14: "The Leagueology Almanac" , which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.
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X-League Stories from March 30, 2015
- Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
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