https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/c5iu4s/rays_splitseason_propoal_raises_questions_for/
Rays’ Split-Season Propoal Raises Questions for Rowdies Fans (OC)
I'm going to save most of my comments for tomorrow night's show, but I'll just say this - we don't have to be at Al Lang forever, but if we're moving, it needs to be an upgrade, and it needs to be built with soccer in mind, not "how can we squeeze soccer into a baseball setting"
This is brilliantly said. Al Lang is amazing right now...any shift in that should only be for the better.
WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK I have so much to catch up on uggghhh
So I finished listening to the press conference.
It is rather galling to hear someone at the press conference refer to local baseball fans as being "selfish" for wanting to have a MLB team "all to themselves", which is insulting and absurd and makes me want to [redacted] the person who said that.
The only selfish people here are billionaires who expect taxpayers to pay for their stadiums arguing "civic pride" when it is convenient for them, on the one hand, and then turning around and saying "but we can do whatever we want because this is a private business" on the other hand, when THAT is convenient for them.
I also find it amusing how the Rays/Sternberg's Narrative keeps changing.
With the Ybor City stadium they weren't going to use ETFE because growing grass (IN FLORIDA!!!) would be too expensive, so they were going to use a different kind of clear plastic roof, and artificial turf.
But now that they are pitching a split-city, two-stadium proposal, suddenly roofless stadiums with natural grass are a must-have!
They will literally say whatever is convenient for them in the moment and don't expect anyone to call them out on it.
This is why I don't believe Sternberg's absolute declaration that this proposal is neither 1.) a first step to moving the team to Montreal, nor 2.) a negotiating ploy to get a new TBA stadium deal one.
When they tell you it isn't 1.) or 2.), it almost certainly IS either 1.) or 2.) or both, because the chances of BOTH city's governments, and BOTH city's tax payers, and MLB, and the players union, all agreeing to this deal seems to me to be astronomically unlikely (but what do I know, I'm not even a baseball fan).
Also I've read Mike Pendleton's and Jake Nutting's linked article, and agree in general with it.
The biggest concerns for me are the continued uncertainty that this places the Rowdies long term future in.
I don't think it is likely that the Rays will move to the Al Lang site, given the difficulties they experienced last time - they would need voter approval, and this latest stunt that the Rays have pulled is (I believe) burning a lot of bridges in the TBA for them, and ruining whatever goodwill they have left with St. Pete voters, not to mention that the Al Lang site is too small and would need to be expanded into the harbor - all very expensive and time consuming, and the Rays are pitching this half-season stadium as being a cheaper and quicker option.
I don't like the idea of sharing a facility with the Rays, either. Even with only half a MLB season, there would be scheduling conflicts, and making the field suitable for soccer would not be easy. To make it work would actually require the Rays spending a lot more on a properly designed multi-sport facility, and I just don't see them spending that kind of extra money, if they are really serious with what they claim their plans are.
Basically I don't believe anything I'm hearing from the Rays right now about this proposal, but time will tell whether I am right or not.
I just want this fiasco to be over with, and quickly, no matter what happens, so we can get a better idea of the Rowdies long term situation.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2019/06/25/rays-split-season-proposal-raises-questions-for-rowdies-fans/4414
Rays’ Split-Season Proposal Raises Questions For Rowdies Fans
What do we know? Well, not much…or at least not what we most want to know.
With the Rays/Montreal press conference now in the rear-view mirror, more questions were raised than were answered.
Loosely we know this much: Rays and Rowdies Owners Stuart Sternberg and company believe 81 home games of baseball is unsustainable here. They don’t see much optimism in a full season future in St. Petersburg or even across the bridge in Tampa. They see a split season with Montreal as the only way to keep regular season baseball here in the Bay area to some degree. And there are a lot of details they haven’t quite worked out.
The Rowdies weren’t specifically named by any of the Rays brass in Tuesday’s press conference, but there were some bits of information directly from Sternberg himself in this potential framework that would certainly impact the Rowdies’ future.
According to Sternberg, there is no path forward for full-season MLB in Tampa Bay. A hypothetical split season would start here in Spring and last for 35 games with June to October being played entirely in Montreal.
Sternberg stated early into the Q&A portion of the press conference that their preferred direction is a new 30,000 seat outdoor stadium (no dome) that would host both baseball and soccer, optimally opening in 2024.
When asked about the idea of a refurbished or expanded Al Lang stadium being a part of this split-season proposal, Sternberg said it is an “absolute possibility,” as is a new stadium on the Tropicana Field site or elsewhere in Tampa Bay (Again, it seems as if they’ve barely started to dig into many of the details of this project.)
This obviously leaves Rowdies fans with a lot to wonder. Could the Rowdies possibly leave Downtown St. Petersburg? What would a multi-purpose baseball/soccer stadium look like? How would the sightlines be? Will we have to go back to playing on a sodded over pitch? Is that 30,000 capacity is just for USL Championship play? Have they even begun to start the legwork of reigniting the failed MLS2StPete bid?
To that first question on the Rowdies possibly leaving Downtown St. Pete. Bill Edwards’ parting gift to fans on his way out was the provision in the sale that the Rays commit to keeping the Rowdies in St Pete at Al Lang for five years even thought the club’s use agreement to manage the city-owned venue is set to expire at the end of 2020. (Rays President and Rowdies Vice-Chairman Brian Auld told The Unused Substitutes in a recent interview that they plan on renewing the agreement in the near future.) That would mean they’re obligated to keep the club where it is through the 2023 season. Of course, Sternberg did mention their aim to have their new shared stadium up and running in 2024. Read into that what you will.
Let’s try to look a little on the brighter side of the situation. While all of this is an understandably tough pill to swallow for Rays faithful, it might not all be worst case scenario for the Rowdies.
The Rays moving from an 81 game home schedule to a 35 game home schedule would open up a ton of inventory for the Rowdies. There would only be a slight overlap of seasons from April to May, before the Rays head up north. Provided ownership hasn’t burned bridges along the way, soccer and baseball could occupy the stadium for a majority of the year and complement each other instead of competing with each other for dates and the wallets of fans.
From a stadium perspective, if the Rowdies are going to continue to grow, something was going to have to give when it came to Al Lang anyway. The Rowdies have less capacity than every single team in front of them in the USL Championship attendance rankings (except Phoenix). There is only one suite to sell to any corporate entities looking to attend. Even in minor-league sports, suites are a huge driver for local sponsorships. A brand new multi-purpose stadium (with a reported price tag of $500M-$600M) would surpass the cost of all soccer-centric venues built here in the US to date, but comes with a lot of complications. On the plus side, new additions like a standing supporters section or canopies could be built, and perhaps smart engineering could remedy sightlines for both sports.
The pitch itself would present the biggest challenge, one that makes most bristle at the mere suggestion. Louisville City is currently constructing a new stadium to get out of its current baseball venue. Las Vegas Lights FC is already looking to get out of its former baseball stadium, even after retrofitting it to be more soccer friendly. There are a litany of examples of baseball and soccer struggling to coexist in the same venue. You’d be hard-pressed to think of a situation where it works in a sustainable way, and no one wants to be stuck in a NYCFC/Yankee stadium situation longterm. If Sternberg and his staff truly believe it can work, they need to make the case that they’ve thought it through and why it would be a positive for Rowdies fans, who have come to think of Al Lang as their home after the significant overhaul in the Edwards era.
After today’s press conference, we still know too little to be outright concerned, but we have just enough to be anxious. None of this would signal an end to the Rowdies. By most accounts the ownership transition to this point has been more good than bad. The speculation that the Rays purchased the Rowdies just to get a second bite at Al Lang was rampant when the sale was announced, but just about every move since then has indicated the Rays view the Rowdies as their own valuable asset, with their own unique potential. Today, though, the Rowdies and their fans have been thrown straight into this Rays quagmire. More than anything it’s just a profound bummer after years of progress and steady growth to be mired in someone else’s drama.
It doesn’t help that no one seemed overly concerned about what it all means for Rowdies fans today. With a host of new stadium possibilities, and the suggestion of a shared stadium confirmed as a possiblity, potential local moves in the conversation, and not a whisper of the team’s name at the podium today, Rowdies fans would sleep a whole lot better if we knew someone was thinking about our future.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/c58m5a/rays_stadiumrowdies_anxiety_press_conference/
Rays Stadium/Rowdies Anxiety Press Conference Discussion Thread
Discussion Thread
Whatever happens in the long term will impact up in some way. If the Rays were to leave or split with Montreal that would have an impact. If a new stadium is built in Tampa, that could have an impact. If there is a multi-purpose stadium proposed (and it came to fruition) that would definitely have an impact.
At any rate, this presser isn't about us, but it could be about us, so here's a place to vent, freak out, or say whatever you want...
Al Lang Stadium is "absolutely a possibility" for the Rays.
& if it's not Al Lang: The new stadium they have in mind for this split-season proposal would also host “soccer games.”
If they move to Montreal will we have chants in French in homage to our new found heritage /s
"Allez, allez, allez" takes on a whole new meaning...
Is any of this really worth any conversation on our part? I mean over and above just mental masturbation?
Hard telling. Depends on how real any of this is. Per today, so far we at least know that their preferred plan is to build a new open air stadium that would also house soccer. And that full-season 81 game baseball is out of the question (in their minds).
Both would impact us for sure...but don't know really where this goes.
EDIT: Al Lang is a possibility.
Haven't watched the stream yet, but based on what is reported, I have a hard time believing that Sternberg or MLB thinks this is a real possibility. No one is going to pay for a new stadium that will only host half of the MLB home games and share with another city, nor are two cities going to both agree to this. This is either a foot out the door prior to moving to Montreal, or a negotiating tactic towards getting a new stadium in the TBA. Either way it means more uncertainty which doesn't help the Rowdies.
Best case scenario: Rays move to Hillsborough and Rowdies get magnificent MLS type facility at old Trop site. Worst case scenario: Stu screws Rays and Rowdies fans by messing up Al Lang and they Rays end up in Montreal.
Yeah...pretty much...
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RCUxdjIJ1s
Rays Talk Split Season
Tampa Bay Times YouTube
Streamed live 9 hours ago
Tampa Bay Rays officials discuss MLB's decision to allow them the ability to play part of their regular season in Montreal.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/tampabayrays/comments/c5766m/montreal_press_conference_megathread/
Montreal Press Conference Megathread
Please post all French shit here.
Thanks.
(Conference is at 1 pm)
Edit: Guys please speak english
This idiot owner just described Tropicana field. He blamed the Expos’ attendance problems on an antiquated, inconvenient, and overall lacking stadium with the a dome.
THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST REASONS YOUR TEAM STRUGGLES WITH ATTENDANCE, DUMBFUCK.
SELL THIS TEAM. GET THE FUCK OUT.
He's assuming he would have the same fan base and the same amount of people that attend 81 games here would all go to 35 games here. Ain't gonna happen.
He's doing nothing but pissing off the fans he does have. Not to mention fucking over Port Charlotte.
That is his plan. They went cashless, which keeps some fans away....they closed off the 300 level, which were great seats at a low price. That drive many more fans away. When I had season tickets was on the 300 level in line with first base line. $11 dollars a ticket.
He's planning to move us to the city that set the record for least attendance in an entire season. This is not a well thought-out plan.
Th Paid shill owns the following businesses:
Parkshore Grill
400 Beach Seafood & Tap House
Hangar Restaurant / Flight Lounge
The Pub Waterfront Restaurant
Aqua Prime Restaurant
Cafe Gala @ TheDali Museum
Waterfront Vacation Rentals
Joyces Place Gulf Front Triplex
The Pub Waterfront Apartments
The Boathouse Apartment
Aqua Prime Residence
feel free to avoid those going forward
Sell the fucking team you cheap fuck
"Hard-pressed to see it happen in Tampa and St. Pete."
BITCH YOU AIN'T TRYING
He is shooting down every question that asks about keeping the team in this area full-time.
This is fucked.
From Pransky: Sternberg says he has talked to MTL investor Bronfman about concept of sharing the #Rays between two cities. With his disclosure that he wants to split the games as early as 2024, THAT WOULD APPEAR TO BE CLEAR VIOLATION OF TEAM'S CONTRACT WITH ST. PETE PROHIBITING THESE TALKS.
Go the fuck back to New York. You're not one of us and never will be.
Did he just say that he says 81 games in Tampa Bay is "highly unlikely?"??????????
Yeah, that one was a shot to the gut.
It says he's not willing to listen to new stadium discussions that keep this team here all season.
I find it hard to believe that he's serious about this two-city split. Even in his voice you could hear how bullshitty it sounded.
whose this fucking bootlicker so I can boycott his garbage businesses?
Edit - only was able "Parkshore Grill" on beach dr, and that place sucks anyways
Love all the planted shills in the crowd. What a joke.
LOL THAT REPORTER ASKING THE REAL QUESITONS
Hopefully, Vinik and Co. are getting together.
Oh my god, he's serious, or at least he's pretending really well.
This cockamamie plan is something he will use to pretend that "hey, we tried to make it work in Tampa Bay."
This carpet-bagger needs to sell to local owners, or negotiate on a new stadium in good faith.
I think we need to protest by becoming Marlins fan-
On second thought, that be more of a punishment.
Stu can go fuck himself. I wouldn't mind as much if he straight up moved the team, but we're actually going to have to suffer through this dual cities garbage. Everyone knows that the dual city crap is just an excuse to move the team. Why not rip the bandaid off and just do it?
Stu is so passive aggressive with this crap. For God sakes, sell the team!
Rays are creating a narrative... and it aligns with what their previous/current policies and Ybor presentation. Basically, don't lose us as a community asset. We do all this etc. and are forward thinking.
Stu bombed the questions. They’ve literally done nothing but bring up the idea of a two city team and expect it to start in 2024
I am going to tell my gf to be open minded about dating her for the first part of the year and the last part of the year i'll be with my other one. I mean she can always facetime me whenever she wants and don't forget the summer send off sex, that will always be special.
I don't understand how ANYONE can think this is a good idea.
Yesss finally the sell the team question but STU said he has no intentions OH fuck off
"I have no intention of selling the team."
Dude, you're not going to get your way.
"I have no intention of selling the team."
I'm pretty sure Loria said the same thing about the Marlins 10 years ago, where he now, I wonder? 🤔
Lol, if Montreal failed and did worse than St. Pete, this plan is fucked.
HE JUST DESCRIBED THE TROP
Lol the level of vitriol was more than he thought
MAYBE BECAUSE HE JUST FUCKING MOVED HERE AND DOES NOT KNOW HIS COMMUNITY
wow. “highly unlikely” we will get a full stadium here. we. are. done.
Well that was even worse than I anticipated !
All that talk about how an awesome 81 game stadium here will never work has gotten me in the dumps.
I need a beer..
I cant stand this dude. Are there any solid proof Montreal wants a team? A city screws up a team and they want another one. Makes no sense. Stu wants us to be open minded. Hell no
Alright so what’s going on here?
1. Stu is an absolute idiot and actually thinks a 2 city solution is possible.
2. This is him trying to get Montreal to build a stadium for him while he waits for the lease to run out and without him explicitly talking to them and violating the deal he has with ST. Pete.
3. This entire thing has been him trying to play hardball with the Tampa Bay Area and been a ploy to get leverage for the negotiations that’ll probably happen this off season.
My vote was/is for option 3, but after that display I think a strong case can be made for 1.
Whichever one it is it’s been done so poorly that everybody involved comes off like a slimy idiot.
nah he made it clear he thinks baseball doesn't work no matter the stadium and its location. I vote for option 2, but leave the city blank. he passively aggressively announced to every city that wants a team, they have 7 years to 'wow' him.
A bunch of millionaires sucking each other's dicks while we stand in the corner and weep
There are rumbles in the Tampa Business community. Just remember, the Giants were sold to a local owner to avoid being be sent to Tampa Bay.
This man expects TWO new stadiums on top of the split?
Stu, wtf? The whole point for this adventure is the Rays not having a better stadium in a better location.
talk about putting a flamethrower on this, this guy is cold blooded. build us a new stadium, get less games, and everyone gets more. this is done on purpose because I don't see how anyone will support this team from here on out. this is done this way purposely to move and that's it...
Another plant in the crowd. Cool.
Bomb dropped: To confront that reality, our idea and for Tampa Bay and Montreal to share the Ray. It's not a staged exit, it's not an exit to Montreal.
This dude is truly delusional.
what a farce, who is the shill
Someone ask him if he's fucking serious. "Are you serious with this or are you just laying the path to relocation?
"Will you just sell to local owners once this cockamamie plan falls through?"
As someone who never lived in neither Tampa Bay and Montreal, I don't like the idea. It is always harder to be hardcore fan of a team changing that much.
Some perspective from X-Rays Spex: "No longer can baseball in South Florida be assured," Loria said. It is now clear to us that there will be no baseball stadium in the city of Miami. So we must begin to explore other options." - from a 2005 AP article
The problem is, Miami did get their stadium and completely fucked it up. Maybe if we had gone first I would have more hope.
Yeah they really screwed us over.
Remember that time baseball failed in Montreal ? Granted something has to happen for this team to remain in the Tampa Bay area, the trop isn't an option going forward. By the way if this ever happened we are the laughing stock of all sports. what a circus outfit we'd be split over 2 metro areas in different fuckin countries. If it happens, go Marlins
Oh you didn't hear? Baseball only failed in Montreal because they played in a closed dome, antiquated stadium that wasn't ideally located. Once you put it in a good place, they'll come. No worries, mate.
Tampa really knows how to curb stomp local sports fans.
Is it cool if I post my own tangentially related Rowdies anxieties here?
S'il vous plaît?
I can't wait to hear Steinberg be flatter than a 20-year-old bottle of Crystal Pepsi with his answers.
This is all just a joke right?
so use Al lang stadium in the spring?
WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING I CANT WATCH
This sucks.
Just so you guys know, investing in stadiums are arguably one of the worst types of investments a community can make. They focus all economic activity in one area instead of spreading it out among other areas of the region.
oh it's ROOFless. Good thing it never rains in Florida
Flood Twitter and other platforms with #SaveTheRays or #SaveOurRays.
How is Steinbrenner viewing this? He lives in Tampa and has said before Tampa could support a team.
This idiot stands here and acts like things will change because he wants it to in both Tampa Bay and Montreal. I hope it fails both places and he is forced to sell the team.
of course the owners love it, I want 2 stadiums as well
whose this Jim scumbag
Help us Glazer family. Save us like you did the Bucs 20 years ago.
*vinik
Sadly Malcolm is gone and his sons have not been very good.
The Debartolos wanted to buy the Bucs a while ago. Perhaps they can try their hands at baseball?
Oh and let's not forget, to hurt us more. They will bring spring training to tampa and not Port Charlotte
Kreisman response: "If Mr. Sternberg wishes to formally explore this concept with me and his desire to privately and fully fund a new stadium in the City of St. Petersburg, I am willing to listen. The City of St. Petersburg will not participate in the funding of a new stadium for a part-time team.We remain receptive to partnering with the Tampa Bay Rays to redevelop the Tropicana Field site and build a new stadium for a full-time team. St. Pete’s future has never been brighter and every business and baseball team in America should want to be a part of it. Finally, I believe progress moves at the speed of trust. If Mr. Sternberg is serious about this idea or any other, it will require the reestablishment of a good working relationship with my office."
I liked Bill Foster's response a few days back even more:
"This is the Rays' way to mitigate damages to the city while they transition to a permanent home in Montreal... the Rays want a wife and a mistress, and believe that everyone should be fine with that. That's not how this works. It's time to show the Rays the door right now... they don't deserve St Pete."
So it's come to this then.
edit: guys please speak English
This shouldn’t be funny but it’s absolutely hilarious
Plz announce selling team to vinik
This is totally insane! I'm in a glass case of emotions!
I have to hand it to him, this makes the glazers holding the bay at gunpoint seem fair.
I’m just here to say fuck Stu Sternberg
Eat a dick, Stu
Proposing spring traning+some regular season games. Says baseball meant to be played outside, for baseball, soccer, and other events. Which means Rowdies.
Reaffirmed his decision basically. Doesn’t plan to stay here long term if the split season fails. Won’t sell team.
I caught the "not selling" thing. What a fucking asshole.
If the split season fails, he doesn't plan to keep the team in TB, but he won't sell the team. Does this have any logic behind it? What am I missing here?
Yeah, it does. It’s logic anyone wants to hear. It’s logical for him to try and take as much as we can whether we like it or not unfortunately.
The team, in his words, is an asset to him which he doesn’t want to stop making money off of. He is greedy and wants to new stadiums. If the split season idea fails to come into fruition, and he doesn’t get what he wants from St Pete or Tampa, the next logical move would be to find somewhere else out of our area that will benefit him the most.
I can’t help but think he is just forcing the hand of others around him to help his bid for a new Stadium. ...right?
There are 1 million ways to interpret it. Here are the two most common.
1. It's 100% a move for leverage and to get the play moving with St.Pete/Tampa.
2. He's setting up a narrative for an eventual sell/move outside of the Tampa Bay area.
I’d go with #2
GET STU TO FUCK THE LITTLE BAM
Let's talk about the immediate question that Sternberg posed...
..splitting the team.
Does anyone here even remotely think this will happen? I am 99.99% sure there is not a single person that does, but I'd be curious to see if I'm wrong.
Anyone have any ideas of how to pick a new team if/when we lose the Rays?
I’ve never wanted to consider this question but it’s becoming more and more of a realistic possibility. In the end I may be too demoralized to ever follow a team again. This is torturous.
If we lose this team, MLB is dead to me. I will never watch another game the rest of my life, nor pay one iota of attention to it. I will essentially pretend it doesn't exist
I just don’t think I can root for another team. I mean, I can try? But I know that passion will be far gone. I just love the Rays too much..
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/c5b57f/our_current_level_compared_to_mls/
Our current level compared to MLS
So I watched Sporting Kansas v Crew and I gotta say, with as inept and terrible as both of those teams played, this current Rowdies team must have a few of the top flight clubs in their back pocket if it came down to it. All the more reason our USOC exit stings that much more..
Man it hurts. I'd bet we could have had a run like New Mexico. Those MLS teams don't always take it seriously and even if they did, I think our defense would keep us in the game...
I agree. It also makes me more infuriated because how many teams in that round had to fly across the country? Why didn’t we play Florida Soccer Soldiers? How many teams had to play after a severe rain delay? We were set up to fail.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/c5ckmd/pride_scarfs_for_saturday/
Pride Scarfs for Saturday
So, I'm an Ottawa fury fan(Got 2 tickets in top of 300, so I'll be getting two Rowdies Pride scarves). The first Pride scarf I'm holding for a friend, but the second one I can giveaway, so I guess the first person to DM me can have it at gameday, we could probably meet on the concourse at halftime
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/JustinWTSP/status/1143578887168958464
Justin Granit WTSP
Verified account
@JustinWTSP
So this is how the Rays press conference ends. Angry fan screaming about the team moving #Rays #RaysUp
10:57 AM - 25 Jun 2019
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/charliefrago/status/1143546532257550338?s=21
Charlie Frago
Verified account
@CharlieFrago
.@JaneCastor met with Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Administrator Mike Merrill + stadium deal lawyer Irwin Raij this AM. @TB_Times
8:48 AM - 25 Jun 2019
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/rays/watch-live-rays-top-brass-discuss-teams-future-splitting-home-games-with-montreal-20190625/?returnUrl=http://www.tampabay.com/rays/watch-live-rays-top-brass-discuss-teams-future-splitting-home-games-with-montreal-20190625/?clearUserState=true
WATCH: Rays top brass discusses team's future, splitting home games with Montreal
Replay a live stream of today's news conference right here.
Rays Talk Split Season | undefineds
ST. PETERSBURG — Leadership from the Tampa Bay Rays franchise are holding a 1 p.m. news conference today to discuss the team's future and the possibility of splitting home games between St....
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-expansion-examining-6-possible-locations-to-add-teams/
MLB Expansion: Examining 6 Possible Locations To Add Teams
If you squint hard enough and look out over the horizon, somewhere out there you’ll see Major League Baseball with 32 teams.
The league, which last expanded in 1998, has some tidying up to do, but for Commissioner Rob Manfred, he envisions a team in the Pacific and Eastern time zones. “Baseball is a growth industry,” Manfred said. “Eventually, we’d like to get to 32 teams.”
There are some good reasons for Manfred’s view on growth. MLB now sees gross revenues in excess of $10 billion, and with two new clubs the owners would likely garner $2 billion or more in expansion fees, not to mention new media rights revenues. With expansion would come regional realignment, and by then the universal DH would either be added or already implemented, given the union’s desire to bring the designated hitter to the National League.
As noted, baseball has some tidying up to do. For going on two decades, MLB has wanted the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays to wrap up new ballparks, where the expectation is attendance and revenues would increase. And while the specter of relocation is always hanging over the two franchises, Manfred has made it clear to me and others that the focus is on keeping the A’s and Rays in their markets. Until then, expansion is on the league’s mind, but not at the forefront. “While we encourage markets to look into positioning themselves for the possible opportunity to host an MLB club, we aren’t discussing expansion at this time,” Manfred said.
Still, the conversation continues to percolate. In July 2018, Manfred said on FS1’s First Things First, “Portland, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Nashville in the United States, certainly Montreal, maybe Vancouver, in Canada” could be potential expansion markets. “We think there’s places in Mexico we could go over the long haul.”
While the MLB Players Association could nix Mexico over travel concerns in the near term, it’s worth looking at the other markets to see where they are at in terms of making a run at expansion. In doing so, we’ll look at some metrics MLB has used in the past, namely when the Montreal Expos were up for relocation.
Those metrics are the combined statistical area (CSA) population that looks at not just the market but its surrounding cities; the designated market area (DMA), which Nielsen uses to measure the television universe in the market; some top businesses that could factor for sponsorships, suite sales, or blocks of season tickets; what major professional sports teams are already in the market, which can dilute everything from attendance to sponsorships; what other MLB team or teams claim that market as part of their broadcast territory, or would be impacted by the size of an expansion club that radiates out, and finally; does the market have one or more individuals leading the charge to bring MLB to their market?
Some aspects to note: Nielsen DMA does not measure Canada so the projected television household projections are unavailable. For population ranking, Montreal and Vancouver have been compared with the 2017 U.S. Census estimate CSA ranking.
Also, while every market examined has at least one current MLB club that claims it as part of their broadcast territory, Manfred has made it clear that unlike what occurred in 2005 with the Expos’ relocation to Washington, D.C., and the creation of regional sports network MASN to indemnify the Baltimore Orioles over TV territory encroachment, such action will not take place with expansion.
“We will follow the (MLB) Constitution And By-Laws, which has nothing regarding broadcast territories within it,” Manfred said. “The owners will vote based on that.”
Still, it’s clear that how an expansion market chews up broadcast territory could affect how owners vote. For any market to be approved it requires 75 percent of the league’s owners to vote in favor.
We profile each of the markets in the order Manfred mentioned them:
Portland
Las Vegas
Charlotte
Nashville
Montreal
Vancouver
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https://twitter.com/RalphsMob/status/1143697791597912064
Ralph's Mob
@RalphsMob
🚨🚨Joint response to Rays press conference today 🚨🚨 #COYR
6:49 PM - 25 Jun 2019 from Pinellas Park, FL
Ralph's Mob & Skyway Casuals - Tampa Bay Rowdies Supporters
Press Release
June 25th, 2019
For Immediate Release
RE: Tampa Bay Rays stadium search
During today's press conference, Stuart Sternberg answered a reporter's question regarding the potential use of Al Lang Stadium as a possible location for a new 25,000 seat open air stadium. As Tampa Bay Rowdies supporters groups, we strongly reject this proposed change. We invest our time, money and effort into supporting the Rowdies and we seem to be an afterthought in this whole matter. The Rowdies brand has been around since the fall of 1974 and was the first professional sports team in the bay area. The new ownership group took over only a few months ago and now we find ourselves inserted into this quagmire unwillingly. We believe that the community is with us and the proof is in the overwhelming support the Tampa Bay Rowdies received during the last voter referendum (87% approval in 2018). It was a statement about what the citizens of St. Petersburg feel is in the best interest of the city. History also shows us that in 2008, a previous proposal to build a 30,000 seat open-air baseball stadium at the Al Lang site failed. We reject the concept of a shared venue based on the incompatibility of field size and seating compromises that must be taken to accomodate both.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are currently in first place in the USL Championship and have seen attendance growth for 6 of the past 8 seasons. The growth of soccer in the US is on the climb and we feel that re-purposing Al Lang Stadium would do a great disservice to the citizens of St. Petersburg and fans of the Tampa Bay Rowdies around the region.
Ralph's Mob and Skyway Casuals are supporters groups for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Both Organizations are members of the Independent Supporters Council.
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Ralph's Mob
🚨🚨Joint response w/ Skyway Casuals to Rays press conference today 🚨🚨 #COYR Rick Kriseman Tampa Bay Rowdies Independent Supporters Council @raysbaseball
Ralph's Mob & Skyway Casuals - Tampa Bay Rowdies Supporters
Press Release
June 25th, 2019
For Immediate Release
RE: Tampa Bay Rays stadium search
During today's press conference, Stuart Sternberg answered a reporter's question regarding the potential use of Al Lang Stadium as a possible location for a new 25,000 seat open air stadium. As Tampa Bay Rowdies supporters groups, we strongly reject this proposed change. We invest our time, money and effort into supporting the Rowdies and we seem to be an afterthought in this whole matter. The Rowdies brand has been around since the fall of 1974 and was the first professional sports team in the bay area. The new ownership group took over only a few months ago and now we find ourselves inserted into this quagmire unwillingly. We believe that the community is with us and the proof is in the overwhelming support the Tampa Bay Rowdies received during the last voter referendum (87% approval in 2018). It was a statement about what the citizens of St. Petersburg feel is in the best interest of the city. History also shows us that in 2008, a previous proposal to build a 30,000 seat open-air baseball stadium at the Al Lang site failed. We reject the concept of a shared venue based on the incompatibility of field size and seating compromises that must be taken to accomodate both.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are currently in first place in the USL Championship and have seen attendance growth for 6 of the past 8 seasons. The growth of soccer in the US is on the climb and we feel that re-purposing Al Lang Stadium would do a great disservice to the citizens of St. Petersburg and fans of the Tampa Bay Rowdies around the region.
Ralph's Mob and Skyway Casuals are supporters groups for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Both Organizations are members of the Independent Supporters Council.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1143598578931249154
WFLA NEWS
Verified account
@WFLA
'YOU'RE ALL TRAITORS!' This Rays fan was not pleased with today's news about the team possibly splitting games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. After the news conference, he called out the team's owners, calling them incompetent. http://bit.ly/2J4Niwt #RaysUp
3:15 PM - 25 Jun 2019
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