OT: Almost 70% want baseball back in Montreal

[bcv]

I want it back, but I wouldn't buy tickets.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don't care, I hate Bball (both of them.)

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

How many of those 70% of quebecers, 8 million population, means 5.6 million want baseball back? How many will buy season tickets? If the expos can't sell 20-25 k season tickets with a 5 year guarantee, this will be a horrible idea.

 

[JohnLennon]

Some of us were the fans who went to a depleted stadium to watch our team regardless of where it was located or how bad the team was. I have a real hard time expecting any of these chumps who wouldn't watch back then to show up now and to continue showing up through thick and thin.


Forgive the bitterness, but I just can't see it.

I'm 22. This was 9 years ago, I was 13 years old and it was extremely difficult for me to get all the way to the Olympic Stadium without my parents. I went once or twice with friends, but that was very tough. I can't imagine the difference it would make if games were downtown as opposed to being held at the Big O, but I'm willing to bet it would make a massive difference- especially for those of us from the West Island.

I totally understand what you're saying though, and that also makes sense. The city was completely detached from the team near the end of it all.

I would really love to have baseball back in this city, downtown, in a good stadium. I have lots of friends who were 13 when they left, couldn't go to games, but are still huge baseball fans that would KILL to have them back. I'm sure this is more common than one would think.

 

[MXD]

I like baseball, but if we're just going to have a team who doesn't have a chance at competing occasionnaly and who could hope for a .400 record at best, I just wouldn't bother.

And, please, NO PUBLIC FUNDS.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

I like baseball, but if we're just going to have a team who doesn't have a chance at competing occasionnaly and who could hope for a .400 record at best, I just wouldn't bother.

And, please, NO PUBLIC FUNDS.

It doesn't matter what a team's record is. It only matters if the fans are willing to watch them regardless of success.

From a financial point of view obviously.

 

[MXD]

It doesn't matter what a team's record is. It only matters if the fans are willing to watch them regardless of success.

From a financial point of view obviously.

Well, if the team can only hope for a .400 record, chances are, there won't be that many fans.

 

[ArtPeur]

They must have interviewed diehard fans to get that 70%. I think that most people don't care much about baseball...

When I was a kid, I went to a few games and kinda liked it. But now, I really don't care about that sport.

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

I'm 22. This was 9 years ago, I was 13 years old and it was extremely difficult for me to get all the way to the Olympic Stadium without my parents. I went once or twice with friends, but that was very tough. I can't imagine the difference it would make if games were downtown as opposed to being held at the Big O, but I'm willing to bet it would make a massive difference- especially for those of us from the West Island.

I totally understand what you're saying though, and that also makes sense. The city was completely detached from the team near the end of it all.

I would really love to have baseball back in this city, downtown, in a good stadium. I have lots of friends who were 13 when they left, couldn't go to games, but are still huge baseball fans that would KILL to have them back. I'm sure this is more common than one would think.

Sorry but how is getting to pie-IX metro harder than getting to bonaventure or Lucien lallier. Sure it may be longer from the west-island, but once in the metro, I don't understand how it was harder.

 

[Price My Man Crush]

Quebecerswant to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal, according to results of a poll announced Tuesday.

The poll of 1,589 people taken by Leger Marketing showed 69 per cent were in favour of baseball's return to the city. Only 11 per cent were opposed, and those mostly due to what it may cost.

Where the **** these 1,589 people come from? Who are they? Are they all big sports fans? Because 70% is actually...A LOT of people. They don't give many information about the poll.

 

[Agnostic]

Useless survey. Ask people about much real out-of-wallet money they are willing to spend to buy tickets, build infrastructure etc. and you will find virtually no real support, and that's why there will never be mlb baseball in Montreal again.

 

[PuckNorris]

Sorry but how is getting to pie-IX metro harder than getting to bonaventure or Lucien lallier. Sure it may be longer from the west-island, but once in the metro, I don't understand how it was harder.

People in this city are such complainers. Montreal is extremely small compared to so many other major league cities. Commuting to the east end is nothing. I live in the east end and go downtown and to the west island regularly.

 

[bcv]

Where the **** these 1,589 people come from? Who are they? Are they all big sports fans? Because 70% is actually...A LOT of people. They don't give many information about the poll.

Random people.

 

[De Montreal]

Public funds should stay away from this for now and for a good time. But hell yes I want baseball back in Montréal.

No afternoon can be more well spent than a late afternoon game with a hot dog and a cold beer. I'd be ready to invest 100-200$ a season in tickets for sure. I believe the average price for one game is 30$ bucks.

I really like soccer and I don't care at all about the Alouettes. I just heard yesterday we were like 0-12 or something this year. Man this is a boring league.

 

[IcemanTBI]

Baseball can work in Montreal. The Expos have had a long history and there are many fans. The reason the Expos left was the 1994 strike and the crappy "big owe". Get a stadium built in downtown and I am sure it will work.

 

[De Montreal]

Baseball can work in Montreal. The Expos have had a long history and there are many fans. The reason the Expos left was the 1994 strike and the crappy "big owe". Get a stadium built in downtown and I am sure it will work.

Pretty much. You can say whatever you want about Montréal being a hockey city and not a sports city, look how popular soccer became in the past five years. It's growing exponentially. Pierceval-Molson stadium is full for playoff games.

With baseball and hockey seasons not overlapping, and with Montréal geographical situation (close to Toronto, Boston and New York) it could easily work.. they just need to be in the same league as the Jays.

There's a lot of tourists during summer in Montréal... with a stadium downtown, I'm sure they could attract decent crowd.

Also, one of the reason the Expos werent popular in the last years is because of poor media coverage. I believe TV contract were too expensive and RDS could only afford to broadcast a few games. Now TVA Sports is eager for quality airing... both channels could broadcast fifty fifty. Maybe not every game but enough to interest people into it.

I'd be so thrilled. I already am and it's not happening before 5-10 years but I'm already excited.

 

[RC51]

never never want baseball back.
MLB are a bunch of money grabbing liars. MLB does not have a salary cap so NO level playing field. the Yankees as an example can buy any player at any price and no limit at all. When you figure out what this means you realize that 90% of all MLB teams are really farm teams to feed the US top teams. SO as fans pay tickets their teams have virtually no chance to win the WS. it's NOT FAIR. when we had the Expos and complained to MLB about the unfairness, MLB promised to fix the problem but please keep buying tickets as you wait for the BIG changes. The Expos are dead. Nothing has changed. LIES. LIES, LIES just to keep people buying tickets. NOW people want to build a 500mil stadium, finance the whole thing with my money, FOR WHAT? MLB still LIES, Still has an unfair game. Anybody voting for this has NO BRAINS.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Pretty much. You can say whatever you want about Montréal being a hockey city and not a sports city, look how popular soccer became in the past five years. It's growing exponentially. Pierceval-Molson stadium is full for playoff games.

With baseball and hockey seasons not overlapping, and with Montréal geographical situation (close to Toronto, Boston and New York) it could easily work.. they just need to be in the same league as the Jays.

There's a lot of tourists during summer in Montréal... with a stadium downtown, I'm sure they could attract decent crowd.

Also, one of the reason the Expos werent popular in the last years is because of poor media coverage. I believe TV contract were too expensive and RDS could only afford to broadcast a few games. Now TVA Sports is eager for quality airing... both channels could broadcast fifty fifty. Maybe not every game but enough to interest people into it.

I'd be so thrilled. I already am and it's not happening before 5-10 years but I'm already excited.

since when ?

 

[LeMAD]

Baseball can work in Montreal. The Expos have had a long history and there are many fans. The reason the Expos left was the 1994 strike and the crappy "big owe". Get a stadium built in downtown and I am sure it will work.

With no TV or merchanside revenue, we would need to have 30000+ fans in the stadium every, and that probably wouldn't be enough to be able to compete with big market teams (since in baseball everything is about money).

And 30000+ won't happen downtown or not.

 

[Monctonscout]

Thought this was interesting, and a lot higher then I'd assume. Would have figured after the Loria/Selig fiasco, it'd barely be at 50%, if not less.

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=432657

Wanting baseball here and supporting it are two different things.

The team moved because of a lack of fan support at the gates not because people in general did not want a team.

There are a lot of baseball fans in the Montreal area, unfortunately only a hard core group of about 5,000 are willing to fork out the money to go to every game. The others come a few times a year.

 

[1UP]

With no TV or merchanside revenue, we would need to have 30000+ fans in the stadium every, and that probably wouldn't be enough to be able to compete with big market teams (since in baseball everything is about money).

And 30000+ won't happen downtown or not.

With 2 TV Stations vying for the rights, and the new way wealth is distributed in the MLB, attendance isn't THAT important anymore. I think the MLB is aware of this, and would enjoy more TV and AD revenue from an 8 million people province that's largely untapped, and that's why Cromartie is getting good vibes with MLB management.

Note, MLB management. Selig, I don't know.

But a new stadium is required, like for the Nordiques, except the O was always a bad baseball field. That's the big problem right there. Not many billion dollars flying around in QC right now.

 

[General Fanager]

Baseball will return to Montreal someday, this I believe.

Most of us will probably be old as ****, if not dead when it finally happens though.

Baseball isnt coming back.

People wanting it back and people paying for tickets are 2 totally different things.

I hope I am wrong though, I really enjoyed the Expos....

 

[Price is Wright]

Can't be any worse than the Jays...

 

[Adriatic]

Pretty much. You can say whatever you want about Montréal being a hockey city and not a sports city, look how popular soccer became in the past five years. It's growing exponentially. Pierceval-Molson stadium is full for playoff games.

With baseball and hockey seasons not overlapping, and with Montréal geographical situation (close to Toronto, Boston and New York) it could easily work.. they just need to be in the same league as the Jays.

There's a lot of tourists during summer in Montréal... with a stadium downtown, I'm sure they could attract decent crowd.

Also, one of the reason the Expos werent popular in the last years is because of poor media coverage. I believe TV contract were too expensive and RDS could only afford to broadcast a few games. Now TVA Sports is eager for quality airing... both channels could broadcast fifty fifty. Maybe not every game but enough to interest people into it.

I'd be so thrilled. I already am and it's not happening before 5-10 years but I'm already excited.

Alouettes don't even sell out the smallest stadium in CFL and they are a winning franchise. Impact had bad attendance last year, had to slash prices and they still give away a lot of their tickets. A few losing seasons and Impact won't attract cats. Habs couldn't sell out Bell Center in downtown Montreal when they were going through tough times. Baseball is great idea for the first year when the novelty is still fresh or until the team starts losing.

 

[Runner77]

I don't get the part where the Als and Impact garner more interest than an MLB team, for some. Where is the merit of watching semi-pro sports where the best talent is in other leagues?

As for the Expos, it'd be nice but it's going a Mark Cuban type owner, someone who is really all in -- which you'll never find in Montreal, everyone says they'll be in but no one is willing to invest long-term.