Hypothetical- Could Midland-Odessa Support An NFL Team?

If you live in Midland-Odessa, then it is no secret that football is exceedingly popular in the region.  Multiple schools in the area have won multiple State Championships over the decades and draw in thousands of spectators with every single game.  Having said that, could the region realistically and successfully ever support an NFL franchise?

Get our free mobile app

Let's suspend disbelief that the NFL would choose the Permian Basin over larger cities for a moment, let's break down if it could actually succeed if it were to ever happen.

Population:

One big roadblock to the teams success would be population size.  It isn't impossible since Green Bay, Wisconsin has roughly the same population as Midland-Odessa combined, however, one advantage they have is that they have been established for over 100 years and have accumulated fans all around the world.

Corporate Involvement:

Midland-Odessa has many insanely rich oil companies that could possibly back the team.  However, there is a lack of diversity that would be appealing outside that industry, let alone Fortune 500 companies that are outside our market, being very unlikely to want to get involved.

TV Market:

Midland-Odessa is in a small TV market.  Typically, big brand deals want a high return on their investment, TV deals usually are given to bigger cities where their branding and ads can be seen by the masses.  A small TV market is limited on the amount of eyes that will see these ads, thus making the region unattractive.

Competing With Other Texas Teams:

Other Texas teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have a massive following in Midland-Odessa.  Having a localized team could draw in some of those fanbases but it isn't likely diehard fans of those franchises would abandon those teams to become a fan of any local team. That, plus all NFL owners need to sign off on any expansion teams and its unlikely Jerry Jones would be on board with losing any portion of his teams fanbase.  This is also a major reason as to why other Texas cities such as San Antonio do not have an NFL team despite having the population and TV markets.

Could A Local NFL Be Successful?

Realistically, it isn't likely Midland-Odessa could support an NFL team.  Regardless of the region's high school football popularity, the other elements involved are not ideal for a marriage between the NFL and the Permian Basin.  Although, in a hypothetical world it would be pretty cool.  Unfortunately, its most likely never going to happen.