National Headed to Chicago Again in 2026

[Hankphenom]

I Have no dog in this hunt--too old to be going to Nationals now unless they're in D.C./Baltimore/Philly. But it strikes me that the consistent choice of Chicago, Cleveland, and AC are the result of a flawed system not unlike the taxicab medallions in NYC. The long-time dealers in the Northeast, with their top priorities, are always going to vote for a location within a one day drive. And I'm guessing those valuable dealer priorities rarely change, but rather get passed down one way or another. For example, no way H&S loses its high priority just because Bill Huggins passes away. I don't know if there is actually an active marketplace for these coveted dealer slots at the Nationals, but I wouldn't be surprised. So instead of more dealers from the south, west, and southwest--West Coast, Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Florida, etc.--having a say in where the Nationals will be held as the country's population and economy move there, the "legacy" dealers from the Northeast continue to be in control and will always be as long as this system remains in place.