Such demographic change results in financial opportunities to engage with the new market as consumers of sports demand local teams to support.
Major League Baseball (MLB) was limited to 16 teams located north and east of St. Louis, Missouri, for the first half of the 20th century.
During that time, the United States population doubled and expanded to the south and west.
The U.S.-based NFL has been laying groundwork for a potential franchise in the UK, with a target date some time in the early to mid-2020s.
When an expansion team begins play, it is generally stocked with less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement.
Additionally, prospective owners may face expensive fees to the league as well as high startup costs such as stadiums and facilities.
Expansion teams are not necessarily doomed to mediocrity, however, as most leagues have policies which promote parity, such as drafts and salary caps, which give some expansion teams the opportunity to win championships only a few years after their first season.
In the NBA, The Milwaukee Bucks won the 1971 NBA Finals in their third year of existence, greatly helped by drafting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969 draft and acquiring Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals before the 1970–71 season began.
However, the Vegas Golden Knights quickly emerged as one of the NHL's best teams in its first season.
The National Football League (NFL), despite being considered the most generous in its revenue sharing and the strictest with its salary cap, has had far more difficulty bringing expansion teams up to par with their more established brethren.
In 1996, the Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars each made it to their respective conference championship games in their second season in the league.
The WNBA began in 1997 with eight charter franchises, four of which are still active: the Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Utah Starzz (now Las Vegas Aces).