Nice rant there Shooter. Devoid of anything of value, but there were a lot of words. You should be proud.

Pros
1. Automatic fan base
2. Resources already in place ie Payroll, medical staff

Cons.
1. Automatic hate base eg Blues or Hawk supporters won't go for a Essendon team.
2. Not all Essendon members or supporters like basketball.

Big no from me.

I think they will need to have it - but as a necessary evil. - you have Hawthorn v Essendon in an NBL game and you can be certain there will be a lot of interest generated.

Also, you only have to watch pretty much every nbl game on TV and the commentarors will guarentee they will mention the AFL in some capacity. Im sick of it, but that's how it is. An AFL player in the stands will get shown and mentioned. If the AFL want to invest in the NBL there is no stopping them, they are that much bigger than the NBL they can do what they want to it.

Probably a little bit critical rather than hypercritical.

NRL fan base is half of Australia??

Not even close.

I live in NRL heartland. On the border of Qld and NSW. Yes state of origin is big. But AFL is almost as big as NRL on the Gold Coast. North coast NSW AFL is a growing force in juniors (part AFL Gold Coast part Northern Rivers). Soccer is growing too. The NRL junior development officers and their school liaison crew are way behind the AFL.

If the NRL can't comfortably hold their greatest asset (in terms of junior development) in one of their heartlands (Qld) how can they have half of the country as their fan base. If the NRL don’t address the loss of their junior base they will eventually become a sport that can only win market share in western Sydney, Brisbane and rural (non-coastal) NSW and Qld.

Actually, I think basketball needs NRL and AFL fans. The NBL is in their off-season and they have the best resources.

But basketball and AFL have more potential crossover participants due to some similarities in skills and demands of the games.

Its indeed hypocritical given the rationale for removing the Tigers

If a new team started, I'd probably split my time between United's games and theirs (assuming they play Hisense/MCA).

But if it was a team backed by Hawthorn or Collingwood? No dice. Forget it.

Many others would feel the same

my experience is that AFL is making inroads into Nrl heartland because of parents. mums and dads are waking up to the fact that their kids can get badly injured playing league at a junior level against a bunch of lads rorting the age classifications, whereas AFL is played low/no contact at the lower age groups and soccer is "safer" still.

Simple question which hopefully can get a simple answer; St. Kilda and North Melbourne both have won NBL championship (so history) and both have adequate/NBL standard facilities and both have fan bases that are on the lower echelon with fans being more apathetic about those clubs than the sheer hatred of Carlton, Essendon, Collingwood or Hawthorn.

If the NBL was to get into bed with any AFL clubs then surely these would be more favourable?

Also Geelong bringing back the Supercars would be desirable if they could get a stadium that's NBL quality

Did the relationship with the Crows help Adelaide with flights and giving the sixers the better seats on the plane for returning home for game 4?