MLB, Selig, and Rays want Tampa area to build new ballpark

[Coladar]

Mexico City has a combination of heat, altitude (over 7,000 feet above sea level), and air pollution (worse than pretty much anywhere in the USA). You'd need a retractable roof there. Same is true in Vegas due to the desert, but if any sports league is skittish about gambling, it's MLB.

I recall some time back prior to the Expos moving there was talk of Charlotte and there was some pretty hard evidence that the city's corporate market was already stretched out between the Panthers and the then-soon-to-return NBA (the discussions of the Expos' move occurred during the brief time between the Hornets' departure and the expansion Bobcats' arrival). There was some very serious doubt about whether the area could support a third team, especially one that plays more games than the other two combined. It's one of several reasons why the Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh instead of Charlotte (although that was several years prior to the Expos' situation becoming truly dire).

Back in the early 1980s there was a study showing that San Antonio was too small to support a pro football team (the USFL put one there anyway with predictably horrific results....some of the players still haven't been paid in full!). The area has changed a lot since then and they had a CFL team for one year in the mid-1990s that drew respectable crowds, but baseball is a bit of a different animal due to the number of games.

I did a quick Google after posting as this admittedly has been a subject that, while I was an expert on a decade ago, haven't spent a minutes thought about since a fateful November 2004 day.

Mexico City was at least in the top ten, but only #8. Their primary issue was GDP of the city paling in comparison to US cities. Likewise, they mention the overwhelmingly large population, never mind drawing from an entire nation of a considerable baseball fanbase.

A retractable stadium is a non-issue nowadays. Costly, sure, but doable. I think you combine the immense, staggering size of Mexico City with the draw of being a national team for a large nation... It's a surefire win all across the board. Plus, you further expand and draw interest from an entire region of Central America. Attendance is an issue, to be sure, but so is merchandising and increasing MLB's appeal and interest to untapped markets, regions and entire nations. Mexico City offers that which no other city can even claim as a possibility.

Realizing there are considerable technicalities and possible hurdles, I'd still bet a good sum on Mexico City offering an almost unprecedented level of success/sizeable fanbase for any team moving there over  any other US city/region, excluding possibly NC/SC.

[Coladar]

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2013/6/21/4452550/the-next-mlb-city-the-top-10

Article, btw. Fairly recent analysis of potential MLB cities, written barely a month ago.

[HalfSmokes]

I did a quick Google after posting as this admittedly has been a subject that, while I was an expert on a decade ago, haven't spent a minutes thought about since a fateful November 2004 day.

Mexico City was at least in the top ten, but only #8. Their primary issue was GDP of the city paling in comparison to US cities. Likewise, they mention the overwhelmingly large population, never mind drawing from an entire nation of a considerable baseball fanbase.

A retractable stadium is a non-issue nowadays. Costly, sure, but doable. I think you combine the immense, staggering size of Mexico City with the draw of being a national team for a large nation... It's a surefire win all across the board. Plus, you further expand and draw interest from an entire region of Central America. Attendance is an issue, to be sure, but so is merchandising and increasing MLB's appeal and interest to untapped markets, regions and entire nations. Mexico City offers that which no other city can even claim as a possibility.

Realizing there are considerable technicalities and possible hurdles, I'd still bet a good sum on Mexico City offering an almost unprecedented level of success/sizeable fanbase for any team moving there over  any other US city/region, excluding possibly NC/SC.

The whole lack of a government capable of maintaining law and order could be a bit of a hurdle

[GburgNatsFan]

The whole lack of a government capable of maintaining law and order could be a bit of a hurdle

Didn't stop them from putting teams in Florida.

[Coladar]

.

The whole lack of a government capable of maintaining law and order could be a bit of a hurdle

Thus my initial post mentioning -

Mexico City seems appealing on a surface level though. Crime/danger and travel time/safe transportation of players into Mexico being two of the major hurdles.

It's an issue, undoubtedly, but not an impossible one. Mexico has shown themselves more than capable to make the various tourist havens as safe as anywhere else by and large, so they clearly have the capability to deal with the cartels, gangs and rebellious souls somehow.

While I'm unaware if that somehow is via proper security via a strong police presence, bribes or simply threats of retaliation/under the table deals, the risk factor isn't necessarily a deal breaker.

[HalfSmokes]

It's an issue, undoubtedly, but not an impossible one. Mexico has shown themselves more than capable to make the various tourist havens as safe as anywhere else by and large, so they clearly have the capability to deal with the cartels, gangs and rebellious souls somehow.

While I'm unaware if that somehow is via proper security via a strong police presence, bribes or simply threats of retaliation/under the table deals, the risk factor isn't necessarily a deal breaker.

You mean like the severed heads to at were popping up in Acapulco?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Aside from the security, Mexico City has air pollution problems that are somewhat intractable.  Lots of sun, stronger than LA or Houston, ringed by mountains like LA, but without Cali motor vehicle standards or factory controls.  It's poorer than LA, but an old car pollutes maybe 50 - 100 times more than a Cali car.  I'm also guessing things like dumps and suburbios probably release a ton of volatiles, too (Different from houston, but same effect).  I don't know if they get any breezes that clear things out.  Also, I don't know if environmental controls in the side bars to NAFTA has had an impact on Mexico City if it seen as a local issue not impacting trade.

Outside of some parts of China and India, it is probably the worst air in the world.

OK, someone correct me.

[OldChelsea]

Aside from the security, Mexico City has air pollution problems that are somewhat intractable.  Lots of sun, stronger than LA or Houston, ringed by mountains like LA, but without Cali motor vehicle standards or factory controls.[...]

...and no outlet to the sea either - when he says 'ringed by mountains' he means completely ringed, a near-perfect bowl for storing up the air pollution.

[sph274]

i think the rays in brooklyn would be the best thing ever

[welch]

i think the rays in brooklyn would be the best thing ever

+1.

This is a big town. IT can handle two major league teams. The Mets don't really play major league ball. The market dwarfs Tampa. Althpough I'd want the Devil Rays to buildl their own stadium. Pay for it themselves. Would fit nicely over the Atlantic Avenue railyards, like the Nets stadium. Do it.

[Vega]

Charlotte. This region needs a team other than the Barves.

[HalfSmokes]

 

Althpough I'd want the Devil Rays to buildl their own stadium. Pay for it themselves.

[OldChelsea]

Charlotte. This region needs a team other than the Barves.

At the time the Expos began to pull up stakes in 2004. some writers actually rated Charlotte a credible destination - the then-CEO of Charlotte-based Bank of America, Hugh McColl, was responsible for much of the financing of many of the new baseball grounds that had gone up over the prior decade, and could have had plenty of IOU's to call in had he been thus motivated.

[comish4lif]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130815&content_id=57093096&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Essence: Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays dislike the stadioum they play in. They want Tampa or St Petersburg or any nearby town to build them a new stadium. The team has a contract requiring them to play in the current stadium until 2027. Stadium is ugly and is all of 23 years old. Selig believes this is intolerable.

Since the Devil Rays are a profit-making company, why don't the Devil Rays build their own stadium?

Oh, and why did Selig and his friends put expansion teams in Miami and Tampa 20 years ago while leaving DC without a team?

Why doesn't MLB pay for a new stadium out of its pocket change?

[welch]

Let the team pay for a ballpark since they use it. They take the profit.

Of course, Tampa is not a great baseball town, and neither is Miami. Move the team to Brooklyn.

[GburgNatsFan]

Let the team pay for a ballpark since they use it. They take the profit.

Of course, Tampa is not a great baseball town, and neither is Miami. Move the team to Brooklyn.

Every borough needs a team.

[TigerFan]

Every borough needs a team.

And then they could have their own division.

[HalfSmokes]

Staten Island Guido's?

[GburgNatsFan]

And then they could have their own division.

The AL NYC.

[Mattionals]

I'd say Brooklyn > Charlotte > Portland > Nashville > Anywhere else.

[houston-nat]

I'd say Brooklyn > Charlotte > Portland > Nashville > Anywhere else.

Brooklyn Hipsters' mascot will be a lumberjack with plastic glasses.

[Copecwby20]

Brooklyn Hipsters' mascot will be a lumberjack with plastic glasses.

And the stadium will only sell PBR for beer.

[Vega]

No more NY teams.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Tokyo

[OldChelsea]

Riga.