International- Big players like the NBA and MLB are eyeing expansion.
- MLS has added several new teams already, and more are coming.
You get a team! You get a team! Everybody gets a team!
Sports have been the backbone of TV for years, but now the exploding number of networks and streaming platforms looking for content is helping drive a boom in new sports teams.
Consider these recent revelations from some of the biggest leagues in North America:
- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that the league will start looking into expansion in the coming years, saying, "I think it's natural that organizations grow over time." The NBA has 30 teams, with Las Vegas and Seattle heavy favorites for new franchises.
- MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also said his league, currently at 30 teams, is looking to expand: "I would love to get to 32 teams."
For their part, the NHL added two expansion teams — Las Vegas and Seattle — in the past six years.
And those are just the most prominent players.
A few years ago, it was generally accepted that there were four major pro sports leagues in North America consisting of 122 teams: MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL. But thanks to the influx of streaming services that are duking it out for eyeballs, it's time we rethink what it means to be a "major pro" sports team or league.
Take Major League Soccer. While the league has been around since 1993, it has seen its business explode in recent years. The number of teams jumped from 20 to 29 clubs over the past seven years, and MLS will add a 30th in 2025. Commissioner Don Garber even said they are open to adding more. With a huge new TV deal with AppleTV and Lionel Messi set to join Inter Miami in the coming weeks, it is safe to say that MLS has cemented itself as a major pro sports league. Or take the WNBA: with surging TV ratings and a growing cultural footprint, the league has become a major force in pro sports. It seems reasonable to think they will expand beyond 12 teams in the future.
All of this growth is due, in large part, to the increasing demand for live sports. As more streaming services enter the market, live sports give them two big wins: 1) adding a new type of content that brings in new subscribers and gives existing subs a reason to stick around — the something-for-everybody model; and 2) Live sports, like news, is a constant fount of content even beyond the games.
This seemingly insatiable need for programming is a big reason why North American newcomers, like Major League Rugby and Major League Cricket, also have a good shot at survival. While they have a steeper hill to climb than MLS, the skyrocketing growth of soccer shows that Americans are willing to embrace sports that have traditionally done much better in Europe. And we haven't even gotten to the spring pro football leagues, XFL and USFL.
Saturation? Not here.
After all, if there is a place on ESPN+ for cornhole and kabaddi (for the latter, think a cross between tag and dodgeball with much more contact), then there is a place for cricket and rugby. If your sport has a fan base, no matter how small, there is a good chance a streaming service will be willing to broadcast it.
In other words, if you have ever dreamed of having a pro sports team in your neighborhood, there's never been a better chance it might actually happen.