What If: The GSB Expands…Again? Pt. 1
This past offseason we saw the addition of 4 new teams to expand the league to 16 teams and 4 divisions. The Albuquerque Martians, Baltimore Constellation, Virginia Merfolk, and Boston Militia were brand new teams that had brought more excitement into the GSB with their owners wanting to make an impact. We’ve had great moments with these teams throughout the year, with the emergence of guys like Hakuna Matata and Rob Ivory in Baltimore, Dex Matty from Boston making a case for Rookie of the Year, and feel good moments with Virginia and Albuquerque picking up wins to end the year avoiding going winless. These new expansion teams has been great for the league, but what if the GSB decided to keep expanding? What if they want to expand even more and reach markets they haven’t reached yet. In this series, we will explore ideas of expansion teams in places the GSB hasn’t gone to yet. This series will be in 5 parts.
Part 1 will be dedicated to places and teams in the Atlantic Division
Part 2 will be dedicated to the Pacific Division
Part 3 will be dedicated to the Midwest Division
Part 4 will be dedicated to the Gulf Coast Division
Part 5 will be dedicated to international teams (teams outside of the United States)
I will introduce each team, their colors, their team name and significance.
Part 1: The Atlantic Division
The Atlantic Division represents places the eastern United States near/bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Location: Washington D.C.
Washington D.C., our nation's capital. Adding a team in D.C. adds to the DMV rivalry with the Merfolk and Constellation. D.C. has a great basketball history with basketball legend Kevin Durant being from there and having a very successful college basketball program in the Georgetown Hoyas. In the GSB though, only one player has come from the nation’s capital, Matt Philips of the Ohio Shaman. Having a team in DC would surely attract more great talent from the DMV area.
Team Name: D.C. Dinos
D.C. is known for a lot of things, mostly being our political capital with the White House. There were other names pertaining to that with Admirals, Generals, Majors, and etc. However, I went a different approach with the name Dinos. D.C. Dinos has a ring to it that the other names don’t. D.C. has an official dinosaur, that being Capitalsaurus. The capital also has many museums and dinosaur exhibits such as the Smithsonian, the National Geographic Museum, and Dinosaur Land. The T-Rex will be the logo.
Team Colors: White and Red
This one is a simple explanation. White and Red are the colors of the flag of D.C.
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
The Atlantic Division mostly features teams up north, this time they expand down south to North Carolina. North Carolina features a deep basketball history with many legends such as Vince Carter, Michael Jordan, Chris Paul, and Bob McAdoo hailing from the Tar Heel State. Only 1 GSB player calls North Carolina their home, that being Al Ingram from Greensboro.
Team Name: Carolina Stingers
The Honeybee is the state insect of North Carolina, and when provoked they are known for stinging which can hurt…a lot (speaking from experience). A queen bee will be the logo with her making a stinging motion. There is a bit of complication with this being another bee based team (Michigan Killer Beez).
Team Colors: Gold, Purple, White
A symbol of regality and royalty. Gold and Purple are common for monarchs and are most associated with them.
Location: Philadelphia, PA
The City of Brotherly Love, where I’m from. Philadelphia has a great basketball history with an NBA Title, a great college in Villanova, and many basketball legends calling Philadelphia their home. Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl Monroe, Rasheed Wallace, and Rip Hamilton all come from the City of Brotherly Love. In the GSB, 3 players come from Philly; those being Christopher Lingham (SA), Love Lockdown (KY), and Navonte Richardson (Prospect)
Team Name: Philadelphia Liberty
The city of Philadelphia has a lot to do with the founding of this very nation, being one of the key places of the Revolutionary War. One of the most recognizable symbols of Philadelphia is the Liberty Bell, and the logo will reflect that as well as the severed serpent that surrounds it.
Team Colors: Blue and Yellow
Blue and Yellow are the colors of the flag of Philadelphia.
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Boston doesn’t have to be the only team to represent New England. Connecticut would be a great addition to the GSB to create a New England rivalry with the Militia. They have a good basketball history as well, having a very good basketball program with the UConn Huskies. Players such as Calvin Murphy, Marcus Camby, Andre Drummond, and Michael Adams come from Connecticut.
Team Name: Elm City Robins
The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut. During the spring time you’ll see a bunch of them in CT. It is the most recognizable bird in the state. The logo will feature an anthropomorphic robin with a basketball.
Team Colors: Black, Orange, Blue
The colors combine colors of a robin as well as the state flag of Connecticut.
Here’s the Atlantic Division. With these expansion teams, the GSB would expand down south to North Carolina, and go up north into New England with Connecticut. Next time we will heading west for the Pacific Division.