When the Sixers were in full tank mode, they would still occasionally attract damn near sellouts
It's very similar to the south. Full of conservative, corn fed white boys who only care about football. The midwest is the south without the accents and humid weather.
But in Detroits case, maybe a lot of people just dont have the $$$ to attend sporting events like that. NFL is once a week. MLB and NHL is for rich suburban cacs.
The Spurs are very popular in South Texas but ever seen the crowd at a spurs game? Empty seats every single game. The cash flow simply isnt there in certain markets.