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Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
February 22, 2016 - NBA G League (G League)


BASEBALL

Southwest League of Professional Baseball: The proposed new Southwest League, which plans to start play in 2018 with six Texas-based teams, is looking at the Waco market for one of its teams. In each of its markets, the league plans to build new stadiums with a seating capacity between 2,000 and 4,000.

Pecos League: The new Salina (KS) Stockade of the independent Pecos League will play the majority of its 68-game schedule on the road for its first season in 2016. The Pecos League was unable to work out a deal for the local ballpark in Salina due to its use for various summer collegiate and American Legion games. When the league's Las Cruces (NM) Vaqueros dropped out for the 2016 season, the league needed a tenth team, so it worked out a deal for the Stockade to play 11 home games in Salina in 2016 with the rest to be played on the road. The league hopes to have the Stockade play a full home schedule next season.

Carolina Professional Winter League: The proposed CPWL announced plans to play a 2016 schedule with six teams from January 12 to February 9 in Myrtle Beach (SC), but it apparently never got off the ground as planned. A similar pro instructional league called the Myrtle Beach Winter League played a brief season last January.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association Development League (D-League): The Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association has narrowed the list of potential arenas for its D-League team from eight to four: the ESPN Wide World of Sports Fieldhouse in Orlando, Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville and The Lakeland Center in Lakeland (FL). Proposals from these locations are due at the end of March and the Magic wants a Florida-based D-League affiliate to start play in the 2017-18 season. The Erie (PA) BayHawks currently serve as the Magic's D-League affiliate. The city of Rochester (MN) has submitted a bid to the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves to become the location for the Timberwolves' future D-League team. Rochester is about 75 miles south of the Timberwolves' home in St. Paul.

Central Basketball Development League: The CBDL announced it has merged with another league called the North American Basketball League (NABL)and the new merged league will operate under the NABL name. The CBDL previously listed ten teams in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri and now eight teams throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee have been added from the NABL. One new NABL team is the Dallas Hoyas, which played as the Garland Hoyes in the inaugural winter season of the New Era Basketball Association.

FOOTBALL

Indoor Football League: The IFL started its 2016 season this weekend with ten teams aligned into a five-team Intense Conference and a five-team United Conference. The league was to have 12 teams this season with the addition of the Mankato-based Minnesota Havok expansion team and the Spokane Shock from the Arena Football League. The league's Minnesota Axemen, which operated as the Bemidji Axemen in 2015, was terminated by the league in November 2015 and the expansion Minnesota Havok franchise was terminated last month, so the IFL was down to ten teams. The Loveland-based Colorado Ice was renamed the Colorado Crush in the off-season and the Spokane Shock changed its name to the Spokane Empire as part of its move to the IFL.

American Indoor Football: The previously announced 2016 AIF expansion team called the Louisiana Cottonmouths, based in the Baton Rouge area, has decided to postpone its 2016 season and will try to return for the 2017 season.

Canadian Football League: The CFL announced the schedule for its 2016 season that will have the same nine teams aligned into a four-team East Division and a five-team West Division. Teams will play an 18-game schedule from June 23 to November 5, 2016. The league would like to expand to ten teams in the future with the addition of another East Division team, possibly in the Atlantic Canada region.

Major League Football: After losing out on an expected $20 million investment last week, the proposed eight-team spring professional MLF has another prospective investment offer of a $100 million line of credit along with rights to purchase a future Orlando-based MLF franchise. The final terms of this new funding agreement have yet to be worked out.

HOCKEY

Ontario Hockey League: The major-junior OHL has suspended the owner and management staff of the league's Flint (MI) Firebirds from daily operations of the team. The owner fired the entire coaching staff in early November 2015, rehired the staff a day later and again fired the coach this week. The league was not satisfied with ownership's commitment to the players and has hired an interim coach for the team. This is the first season in the league for the Flint Firebirds team, which operated as the Plymouth (MI) Whalers last season before coming under new ownership and moving to Flint for the 2015-16 season.

North Atlantic Professional Hockey League: The proposed NAPHL has been trying to get off the ground over the past couple of years and posted an update last month that states the league is still planning to start play in October 2016. The league has two approved applications - one for a team in the United States and another in Canada. The NAPHL plans to announce its four initial teams this month with additional teams to follow.

National Roller Hockey League: The NRHL is currently in its second season with four Detroit area teams called the Detroit Bordercats, Detroit Stars, Motor City Revive and Shelby Surge. The league started play last season and decided to become a professional league by paying players for the 2015-16 season that runs from mid-December to late March. The NRHL wants to add other regional divisions with teams playing games within their division to minimize travel costs

SOCCER

Major League Soccer: MLS previously announced the addition of the Atlanta United FC expansion team for the 2017 season and will most likely also add the new Minnesota United FC, which currently plays in the Division-II North American Soccer League. With the current D.C. United using the "United" name, the league would have three teams with the "United" name, so it is looking to have Minnesota change its name. The current Minnesota United FC, also known as the Loons, has gone by other names in the past such as the Minnesota Thunder, NSC Minnesota and Minnesota Stars. Atlanta United FC will play in a new football stadium under construction for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons. Minnesota's new stadium in St. Paul will not be ready until 2018, so the team will play home games at either the Minnesota Twins Target Field or the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium in 2017. The new Los Angeles FC expansion team is still targeting the 2018 season to join MLS in a new stadium.

National Women's Soccer League: The professional NWSL announced its 2016 season schedule that will feature ten teams aligned in one table. The league had nine teams last season, but added the expansion Orlando Pride for the 2016 season. Each team will play a 20-game schedule from April 16 to September 25, 2016 with a 25-day break in August for the Summer Olympics.

Northwest Premier League: The new women's elite-amateur NWPL, which will have all teams based in Washington State, announced it will start its inaugural 2016 season with seven teams: Fuerza FC (Marysville/Snohomish County), Olympic Force (Bremerton), Seattle Stars FC, South Sound FC (Tacoma),

Spokane Shadow, Twin City Union (Centralia/Chehalis) and Yakima United FC.

OTHER

USA Premier Volleyball League: The USA PVL, which is sanctioned by USA Volleyball, is a grass roots indoor professional volleyball league for elite-level post-collegiate players on teams from regional associations across the United States. The league started play in 2012 and offers tournament play and a league championship event each year. The 2016 schedule started last weekend and has six women's events and seven men's events through April. The league lists the various regional associations in Eastern, Central and Western conferences. Last season the USA PVL had 13 regional men's teams and 13 women's teams participating in its events. Some of the 2016 teams include men/women teams called the Arizona Sizzle, Lakeshore Surge, Great Lakes Lightning, NorCal Wildfire, Chesapeake Rising Tide, Florida Tide and New England Midnight Riders; women-only teams called the SoCal Barricades, Badger Blizzard, Team Western Empire, Sound Premier Volleyball and Iowa Ice; and men-only teams called the SoCal Avalanche, Penn Blast, Virginia Vibe, Hoosier Team Pineapple and Iowa Icemen.

World TeamTennis: The WTT announced it will operate a team called the New York Empire based out of the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens for the 2016 season. The New York Empire will replace the league's Boston Lobsters team in the Eastern Conference. The WTT took over operations of the Lobsters for the 2015 season, but had been unable to find local ownership for the team and decided to move it to New York City. The Boston Lobsters had been part of the league since the 2005 season. The WTT last had a team in New York City called the New York Sportimes, which moved to San Diego after the 2013 season.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagues, Teams & Nicknames 2014-15: "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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