OT: 5th Boston Pro Sports Team
- Thread starter BigGoalBrad
- Start date
Over the volcano
Registered User
McGarnagle
Yes.
- Aug 5, 2017
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I think an NL baseball team could work if they had a new stadium and competitive pricing. Everything else wouldn't though.
Like if the Tampa Bay Rays got moved to Boston, played in a waterfront stadium like McCourt wanted to build when he was bidding on the Sox, then they got transferred to the NL East and Miami or Washington went to the AL, I think it could work. If they were in the same division or had direct competition with each other, the Sox would run them out of business.
Like if the Tampa Bay Rays got moved to Boston, played in a waterfront stadium like McCourt wanted to build when he was bidding on the Sox, then they got transferred to the NL East and Miami or Washington went to the AL, I think it could work. If they were in the same division or had direct competition with each other, the Sox would run them out of business.
Some 15 years ago MLB looked at potential landing sites for the Expos.
They felt Northern New Jersey was the prime location followed by Connecticut somewhere between New Haven and Springfield. Washington was iffy because of Baltimore.
They felt Northern New Jersey was the prime location followed by Connecticut somewhere between New Haven and Springfield. Washington was iffy because of Baltimore.
Glove Malfunction
Ference is my binky
San Francisco is an outlier here, but the other three are all more than double the population, if you consider the "urban area" of each. You can even include the DC/Baltimore area, which has 6 teams. I don't think Boston is the next logical choice for expansion, even considering the passion and dedication of the sports fans here.
The New England Free Jacks are going to start competing in the MLR (Rugby) from 2020. I know this cause there are a few Irish men (and even a fellow Corkman) going to be playing for them.
As a lifelong rugby fan, the Free Jacks get my vote.
New England Free Jacks - Official Website
As a lifelong rugby fan, the Free Jacks get my vote.
New England Free Jacks - Official Website
mikelvl
Registered User
I’d say a National League baseball team would be the only Major League team with any shot to survive in Boston alongside the existing Big Four. I don’t think they could be viable long term, but I think an NL team would survive the longest.
LSCII
Cup driven
LSCII
Cup driven
LSCII
Cup driven
If any sport had a shot at breaking through professionally, it would be lacrosse or rugby. Lacrosse because a ton of kids are playing now instead of baseball, and rugby because it's the fastest growing sport in the USA right now. Even then though, it's still years and years off from being statistically relevant enough to compete against the real pro sports teams.
No.
I’d recommend checking out what any stadium looks like when a team is .500 or below.
Just a couple of years ago you could buy Sox tickets at the gate for less than $20.
Plus the population issue that has already been brought up.
Don’t confuse a peak for the norm.
I’d recommend checking out what any stadium looks like when a team is .500 or below.
Just a couple of years ago you could buy Sox tickets at the gate for less than $20.
Plus the population issue that has already been brought up.
Don’t confuse a peak for the norm.
I’ll never see either catch in my lifetime. Maybe my kids, but in reality it’s “big” at colleges and yet no one attends college games.
Don't know much about lacrosse but agree with you on rugby. It is a pretty tough game to get into unless you have been following since childhood as there are a lot of rules and it can be kinda slow paced, especially in poor weather conditions. Rugby has been trying for decades now to grow its profile and to be fair it is having some success. I didn't realize it is the fastest growing sport in the US. This makes me happy.
I imagine rugby will try and follow the path soccer took in the US and try and entice one or two "big" name players coming towards the end of their careers to try and help raise MLR's profile. It's mostly Japan those players go to now but I can see the US teams competing for their signatures in the next 10-15 years.
KrejciMVP
Registered User
LSCII
Cup driven
So you're saying we can expect a 100 year old Mal Meninga or a 125 year old Wayne Shelford to sign with New England?
It's been a big college sport here for a while and it's really growing fast youth wise now as well. If they want to make a professional league out of it, 7s may be the way to get millennials attention, given it's so fast. I love union, but like you said, it's rules heavy and hard to follow if you've never played.
So you're saying we can expect a 100 year old Mal Meninga or a 125 year old Wayne Shelford to sign with New England?
It's been a big college sport here for a while and it's really growing fast youth wise now as well. If they want to make a professional league out of it, 7s may be the way to get millennials attention, given it's so fast. I love union, but like you said, it's rules heavy and hard to follow if you've never played.
I think 7's is what has peaked the interest stateside and it is an ideal gateway into the 15 man game.
Japan is the big emerging market in rugby over the last 10 years or so and many players finish up their careers there for one last payday. If MLR gains a bit of traction over the coming years then they could hopefully tempt a few guys over from Europe in a similar fashion to how Japan has with southern hemisphere players.
World rugby is constantly tweaking the rules to try and make the game more free flowing and palatable to the casual observer. Only time will tell if they can get the balance right.
I'll be keeping an eye on the Free Jacks anyway next season and on MLR in general. It'll be interesting to see how it works out.
Over the volcano
Registered User
FWIW There is major league lacrosse right in Boston and they draw less than 4K a game - the Revs pull in 5x that in West bumble borough.
Gator Mike
Registered User
LSCII
Cup driven
Yeah, and last year they averaged 18k. 21st in MLS. So sure a one off game with 25K is good, but they don't do that regularly.
McGarnagle
Yes.
- Aug 5, 2017
- 28,968
- 38,802
In all fairness, the Revs have begun a serious rebuild recently and the Krafts even seem to be investing in them again. The team was at Dave Lewis Bruins levels for a few years, but they cleared out their front office and coach about a month or two ago and brought in Bruce Arena, then they bought a promising Argentine forward on the transfer market, and have been absolutely on fire since. Points in ten straight games IIRC.
The Revs are turning things around and attendance will go up accordingly.
LSCII
Cup driven
Maybe, but I think a lot of fans may hold it against the Krafts for how badly they gutted that team over the years. It's been a joke how they've run it in after a decent run earlier. Since 2010, 6th, 9th, 9th, 3rd, 2nd, 5th. 7th, 7th, 8th, with this year tbd. And it's not even the finishing record, but the way they traded star players for lesser talents. There's a reason they were considered the worst owners in all of the MLS for a while.
And as this is about what team could become the 5th big franchise, I simply don't see it being the Revs.
talkinaway
Registered User
MLB would be the obvious pick to me - long term, baseball is king in Boston. Talk to anyone over 50 - those who have disposable income and a memory - and they'll tell you that even in the 86 year lull the Red Sox had, they were still pulling in a decent fan base most of the time. Yes, we've all been entranced with the Shiny New Thing down in Foxboro for the last 15 years, but as soon as Brady and Edelman are gone and the Patriots start stinking, I think a lot of Patriots viewership is going to be schadenfreude from other teams.
We're a baseball city. That said, the question is - is it baseball, or is it the Red Sox? I can see it being a hard sell to fans. If Werner had some big Jacobian slip-up around the time the second Boston team were introduced...maybe. Definitely enough fans to spread between the two teams, and it'd be nice to have a professional franchise where you don't have to donate plasma to take the family out for a Saturday game.
The question is will fans try the new team? The NL/AL split and relative schedule sequestration makes split loyalty easier in baseball than any other league besides football.
We're a baseball city. That said, the question is - is it baseball, or is it the Red Sox? I can see it being a hard sell to fans. If Werner had some big Jacobian slip-up around the time the second Boston team were introduced...maybe. Definitely enough fans to spread between the two teams, and it'd be nice to have a professional franchise where you don't have to donate plasma to take the family out for a Saturday game.
The question is will fans try the new team? The NL/AL split and relative schedule sequestration makes split loyalty easier in baseball than any other league besides football.
LSCII
Cup driven
LSCII
Cup driven
In all probability, it won't even be a real sports team, but rather an eSports team. Which makes me want to drive my car into a brick wall to think about, but my kids love watching other people play video games. For like hours and hours. It's maddening.
