This is also why the New Jersey Nets never took off in the NBA: everyone in South Jersey had already chosen the Sixers, and everyone in North Jersey had already chosen the Knicks.
When the Nets were in New Jersey, they *consistently* struggled to ever fill their arena, even during their two back-to-back Finals appearances in ‘02 and ‘03. No one wanted to make the trek out to the New Jersey suburbs just to see New York’s “other” team.
That’s why they’re in Brooklyn now. Because although the crowd in Brooklyn might not be made up of bona fide Nets fans, at least *now* there will actually *be* a crowd, even if it’s just like, tourists.
Every so often NFL execs talk about a London-based team, which reveals that Americans fundamentally don't understand British sporting culture. Every British NFL fan already has a team. No one is going to abandon their team to support the "London Redcoats" lmao.