Virgin territory for pro sports

Seeing the NBA schedule trhead with the OKC mixup made me wonder. Are there any more places in the US that currently don't have a Big 4 sports franchise that could get one in the foreseeable future? With the economy diving and overall sports interest flattening, I wonder if we'll see anyone take a chance on a brand new market. Here's what I got from Wikipedia's list of combined statistical areas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Combined_Statistical_Areas

25 Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV CSA NV 1,880,449
30 Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC CSA NC 1,535,926 (temporary home for NHL Hurricanes)
31 Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN CSA KY-IN 1,369,024
32 Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI CSA MI 1,323,095
33 Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT CSA CT 1,306,151 (lost the NHL Whalers)
35 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA SC 1,221,881 (temporary home for NFL Panthers)
37 Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA AL 1,188,764
38 Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam, NY CSA NY 1,148,416
39 Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY CSA NY 1,122,845 (lost the NBA Royals)
41 Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH CSA OH 1,067,741

Excluding Green Bay, the smallest markets I found were No. 40 New Orleans (which was more like No. 31 pre-Katrina) and No. 36 Buffalo.

 

Louisville already has pro basketball -- the Cards.

 

I thought this thread was going to be about A.C. Green.

 

Is hockey still considered the fourth?

 

I thought some franchise was considering going to the Virgin Islands. Shawn Kemp was not invited.

 

That list is kind of misleading as far as population goes, since it only lists the ones that combine for statistical purposes. Don't get me wrong, it's better than plain city population, but there are some areas that for some reason didn't qualify for that particular list that have a bigger population. Some that don't have major league teams:

Vegas (1,836,333)
Va Beach/Norfolk/Newport News (1,658,754)
Providence (1,600,856)
Austin (1,598,161)
Louisville (1,233,735)
Richmond (1,212,977)
Hartford (1,189,733)
Birmingham (1,108,210)

Everything after that is smaller than the last one on your list.

 

I'd think Portland, Ore., would be smaller than those, but they don't make that list.

 

To be fair, that isn't quite a comprehensive list. These places weren't on it because they are considered "stand-alone" MSAs.

Virginia Beach-Norfolk 1.65 million
Austin 1.59 million
Richmond 1.21 million

EDIT: Big Circus figured out the same thing I did.

 

Cherry Hill, N.J.

 

A glorified Philly suburb.

 

Portland shows 2.17 million, between Cincy and Kansas City.

 

Vegas is obvious. After that, most of the rest of them are too close to other major markets, like Providence and Austin, to get a team. Va. Beach-Norfolk will never get a team; too fragmented with seven independent cities and not enough corporate support. And of course, Birmingham is holding out for another minor-league football team.