Arizona Cardinals close in on Phoenix Suns, Diamondbacks, Coyotes lag all - Baltimore Business Journal:

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Market research conducted as part of a possiblwe relocation of the to Canada shows the Cardinals and National Football Leagure catapulting in popularity among localsports consumers. Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie wantd to buy the Coyotesfor $213 million and move the team to Ontario. His relocation plan submitted to the National Hocket League includes market the The surveys, conducted in late May for Balsillie by Hotspex Inc., show the Cardinals gaining favor in a Phoenid sports market traditionally dominatedr by the and . One surve y looked at the overall appealo among fans forthe region’s four majof sports teams.
The Cardinals garnered 53 percentsupporr — equal to the Diamondbacks and just behind the 54 percenr mark received by the Phoenix The Coyotes came in at 29 The survey did not say how many fans were The survey also found that footbal is the most popular spor in the Phoenix area with 53 percentf of residents following the NFL on a regulae basis. Major League Baseball was second at 45 percenf followed by the Nationap Basketball Association at 44 percenty and National Hockey League at 20 percenttof Phoenix, according to the surve and Balsillie’s application to move the The Cardinals and NFL also did the best when it comeds to consumers choice of sports to attend.
Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed showerd a strong desire to attend an NFL That compares to 51 percent who stronglty wanted to see a Major LeagueBasebalk game, 46 percent an NBA game and 30 percent for The Cardinals traditionally have been a doormaf both in the NFL and the Phoenid sports market where the D-Backs and Suns have made multipler playoff appearances. The Cards, which moved to University of Phoenixd Stadiumin 2006, had not hosted a home playofdf game since 1947 and team owners the Bidwill family were unpopular among local fans.
But the Cardinalsx playoff winslast season, a National Footbal l Conference championship and last-second Super Bowl loss pushed them highed in a market struggling with cuts in consumert spending. The Cardinals playofg success also compares withthis season’s failures by Suns and Coyotesw to make their playoffs and a slow 2009 seasoj start by the D-backs.