British Columbians are in favour of Vancouver getting another NBA team!
A new Research Co. poll has found that most residents would be pleased with the return of professional basketball to Vancouver, more than two decades after the city lost its team.
The poll was conducted after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently commented on the possibility of adding new franchises to the league.
The Vancouver Grizzlies were part of the NBA from 1995 to 2001.
According to an online survey conducted on a representative provincial sample, 59% of British Columbians believe that having an NBA team in Vancouver would be a “good idea.”
Over three-in-five residents in Northern BC (63%), Metro Vancouver (62%), and the Fraser Valley (62%) would welcome an NBA franchise in Vancouver. However, support is lower on Vancouver Island (52%) and southern BC (50%).
Almost one-in-four British Columbians (23%) recall attending a Vancouver Grizzlies game, a proportion that increases to 28% in Metro Vancouver.
If an NBA team is established in Vancouver, one-in-five British Columbians (20%) express that they are ‘very likely’ to attend at least one home game per year.
“In Metro Vancouver, about one-in-four residents (24%) are very likely to go to at least one home game if an NBA franchise is established in Vancouver,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.
“In this region, 5% of residents would seriously consider purchasing season tickets.”
Across the province, just over one in five British Columbians (22%) are “very likely” to watch the Vancouver team’s NBA games at home, while fewer (13%) would watch them at a bar or pub.
More than seven in ten British Columbians (71%) do not possess any merchandise or apparel from NBA teams. The leaders in this category are the Toronto Raptors (14%) and the Vancouver Grizzlies (12%).
Just under three in five British Columbians (59%) are not currently rooting for any NBA franchise right now. The Raptors are the most popular team (25%), followed by the Los Angeles Lakers (9%), the Golden State Warriors (4%), the Boston Celtics (2%), and other franchises (also 2%).
One-third of NBA fans (32%) say they are “very likely” to stop rooting for their current team to support the franchise from Vancouver, including 36% of male fans and 35% of fans aged 55 and over.
What are your thoughts, would you travel to Vancouver to watch an NBA game? Let us know in the comment section below.
