Economic conditions are right for Canada’s existing professional sports clubs to prosper and for new Canadian-based franchises to succeed over the next 25 years, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s concluding publication of its Playing in the Big Leagues series.
The publication, What Will the Canadian Pro Sports Scene Look Like in 2035?, assesses the business economics of pro sports using the Conference Board’s long-term national and provincial economic forecasts, as well as the analytical framework developed throughout this series. Based on these criteria, the Canadian professional sports scene in 2035 could include:
Up to three more National Hockey League (NHL) teams, raising the number to 10;
A revived Major League Baseball (MLB) team in Montreal;
A second chance for a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise in Vancouver;
Three more Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs in Canada, making six in all; and
Up to seven viable new markets for franchises in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
“The future is bright for professional team sports in Canada. The Canadian population is expected to continue to grow, and the dollar should remain strong for years to come. Thus, there is no reason to expect that existing Canadian franchises will move south of the border over the next 25 years. And there is reason to believe that the number of Canadian-based franchises will increase in the future,” said Mario Lefebvre, Director, Centre for Municipal Studies, and co-author of the series ....
