D-Rays Owner: M.L.B. no Longer Believes in Tampa Bay Area

[isestrex]

Las Vegas, Portland, and San Antonio make the most obvious sense. Mexico City or Puerto Rico (in the USA, remember) would be bold and interesting.

Puerto Rico would be very interesting, I hadn't thought of that. Especially given their recent politics regarding statehood, I think they would be very interested in a baseball team.

[SeaBird]

.

Rays owner Stu Sternberg stated that, "At this point, Major League Baseball no longer believes in the Tampa Bay area."

A) http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-knobler/21610391/rays-owner-mlb-no-longer-believes-in-tampa-bay-area

B) http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/tampa-bay-rays-major-league-baseball-no-longer-believes-in-the-tampa-bay/1272064

However, Sternberg also stated that if the team can begin exploring new stadium sites soon, he thought that could generate enough new corporate support and fan excitement to convince other owners that baseball "can be here for another 50 or 100 years.''

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/tampa-bay-rays-major-league-baseball-no-longer-believes-in-the-tampa-bay/1272064

.

The team is under a contractual agreement that binds them to the Trop until 2027. Mayor Foster has shown no interest whatsoever in allowing them to get out of the lease.

I think looking for a new stadium site is a waste of time until the lease issue is resolved. Unless they expect construction of the new stadium to take about 14 years or so.

[Frobby]

It would be nice if Tampa had a team.

Resident Tampa Bay citizens disagree with you. They don't seem to enjoy having a team at all.

I imagine that's because they don't have a team...St Petersburg does.

That's a very lame excuse. The distance from downtown Tampa to Tropicana Field is about the same as the distance from downtown Dallas to Arlington, TX.

Here's a team that has been in the playoff race five years in a row, making it three times, and they are drawing 1.5 mm fans. There's simply no way to justify a huge public expenditure on a new stadium, with that little support.

[Aglets]

That's a very lame excuse. The distance from downtown Tampa to Tropicana Field is about the same as the distance from downtown Dallas to Arlington, TX.

Here's a team that has been in the playoff race five years in a row, making it three times, and they are drawing 1.5 mm fans. There's simply no way to justify a huge public expenditure on a new stadium, with that little support.

The Marlins drew 1.3-1.5 M fans for a number of years yet still managed to pull it off. Now you could certainly say that what they did was not justified, and I would happen to agree with you, but nonetheless they pulled it off. And they had a big uptick in fans (2.2 M) in 2012. Although I'm sure we are all waiting with bated breath to see how far that falls this year.

[SeaBird]

The Marlins drew 1.3-1.5 M fans for a number of years yet still managed to pull it off. Now you could certainly say that what they did was not justified, and I would happen to agree with you, but nonetheless they pulled it off. And they had a big uptick in fans (2.2 M) in 2012. Although I'm sure we are all waiting with bated breath to see how far that falls this year.

Of course Miami's attendance will fall. The team's owner replaced the major league team that used to play there with a minor league team.

[Can_of_corn]

The Marlins drew 1.3-1.5 M fans for a number of years yet still managed to pull it off. Now you could certainly say that what they did was not justified, and I would happen to agree with you, but nonetheless they pulled it off. And they had a big uptick in fans (2.2 M) in 2012. Although I'm sure we are all waiting with bated breath to see how far that falls this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if some folks end up in jail over the Marlins' deal.

Also the Marlins didn't have to deal with the iron clad lease the Rays signed. As far as St Pete is concerned a stadium in Tampa is as attractive an option as one in Arkansas.

[crissfan172]

That's a very lame excuse. The distance from downtown Tampa to Tropicana Field is about the same as the distance from downtown Dallas to Arlington, TX.

Here's a team that has been in the playoff race five years in a row, making it three times, and they are drawing 1.5 mm fans. There's simply no way to justify a huge public expenditure on a new stadium, with that little support.

It's not the distance, it's the traffic you hit while crossing the bridge. That is, of course, according to a Rays fan I've talked to.

[MikeAD]

I spent the last couple of years in Tampa. The game attending fanbase would surge if the stadium was in Tampa and not St. Pete. There isn't really public transportation and you have to drive out there and then sit INSIDE and watch baseball. Its a disaster in ever way. The area won't support a losing team, but they will turn out for a winning team (or a couple years of mediocre teams) if the stadium was more reachable.

[Stotle]

It's not the distance, it's the traffic you hit while crossing the bridge. That is, of course, according to a Rays fan I've talked to.

I had to drive it on a scouting trip last spring -- it's pretty terrible.

[Can_of_corn]

It's not the distance, it's the traffic you hit while crossing the bridge. That is, of course, according to a Rays fan I've talked to.

It does suck.

I spent the last couple of years in Tampa. The game attending fanbase would surge if the stadium was in Tampa and not St. Pete. There isn't really public transportation and you have to drive out there and then sit INSIDE and watch baseball. Its a disaster in ever way. The area won't support a losing team, but they will turn out for a winning team (or a couple years of mediocre teams) if the stadium was more reachable.

I think surge is an overly strong term. I think attendance would be adequate if they had a decent stadium in Tampa. I don't think they would crack the upper third of the league once the novelty wore off.

There are issues with the fanbase down here that go beyond a lack of public transportation.

[Can_of_corn]

Deadspin piece on the Marlin's park

http://deadspin.com/5978964/the-real-cost-to-miami-for-marlins-park-is-in-the-billions

[OFFNY]

.

Here is a thread that I started last year about Buffalo building it, but the majors never came:

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/123323-Buffalo-Built-it-but-the-Major-Leagues-Never-Came

Here is my post, with the two accompanying articles from said post:

Buffalo Built it, but They Never Came

In 1988, I remember reading an article in USA Today about the AAA-Buffalo Bisons' brand new stadium, and how it was designed in many ways to be suitable for a major league team. In fact, that was Buffalo's plan all along.

That season, the first-ever AAA All-Star Game took place at Pilot Field (the name of the stadium at that time.) The Bisons regularly drew over a million each season (even more impressive when taking into consideration that AAA-baseball has only a 142-144 game schedule, unlike the major leagues' 162-game schedule), and were seemingly on their way to being awarded a major league franchise.

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/30/magazine/rich-makes-his-pitch.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm O(July, 1989)

But it never happened. Denver and Miami were awarded expansion franchises in 1991, the Rockies and the Marlins began play in 1993, and to this day, the Buffalo Bisons remain a AAA team.

Tonight, Buffalo hosts the 25th AAA All-Star Game, beginning at 7 P.M. The major league dreams have died, but the love of baseball is still there. I hope they have a great game, and a great time.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/07/they-built-it-mlb-never-came/2509/ O(July, 2012)

[incubus]

Has there ever been a team "saved" by a new stadium?

One could argue, the Orioles might have been.

[Can_of_corn]

One could argue, the Orioles might have been.

I think you would lose the argument.

[weams]

I imagine that's because they don't have a team...St Petersburg does.

Sure they do. The Yankees.