This does not seem to be necessarily bringing the Rays to Orlando, but rather through expansion.
Miami and TB have the worst attendance in the league, although stadium placement is an issue. I don't know a lot about MLB, but I don't see Orlando making sense.
Baseball is an old man sport and summer is our rainy season, so it'd be an indoor stadium, which casuals wouldn't understand.
I don't know anything about the MLB owners. Would they be more likely to acknowledge their own collective failings, or put it onto the market/millennials?Only way it makes sense is if Rays move to Montreal or its the Rays that gets moved to Orlando. Otherwise it makes no sense.
I am not gonna bash Florida as baseball market because I think they have been dealt a bad hand for the most part (garbage ownership for Marlins, terrible stadium location for Rays). Think if Orlando gets the stadium location right they should do well. They support Magic and Orlando City well.
The Chargers moved from SD to LA and didn't catch on (and the SD fanbase didn't follow). The mitigating factor was that the Rams were also starting in LA, but I don't think that most Rays fans will find a move to Orlando acceptable.I'm down with the Rays actually moving to Orlando. Not like I can't see them there or watch the games. That's not a hard follow for me to make. It can't possibly be any worse than Mayor ******** Foster stonewalling the Rays for God knows how many years not letting them explore anything in Tampa while everyone and their grandparents knew that Pinellas County nevermind St. Pete wouldn't finance the new ballpark even if the Rays looked there.
Tear down the Trop and for crying out loud build something nice in its place like another Amalie Arena
The Chargers moved from SD to LA and didn't catch on (and the SD fanbase didn't follow). The mitigating factor was that the Rams were also starting in LA, but I don't think that most Rays fans will find a move to Orlando acceptable.
Teams are a matter of civic pride. When they move like that, they become someone else's civic pride.I can't understand why. The distance and relationship between LA/SD is nothing like Orlando/Tampa Bay.
Teams are a matter of civic pride. When they move like that, they become someone else's civic pride.
San Diego has also always been second fiddle to LA, so there is a one-way rivalry there.
relevant:
No, I'll Never 'Get Over' The Chargers Moving To Los Angeles
The SD to LA rivalry isn't so much about sports as it is being the consistently overlooked southern California city. SD is 17th largest metro area in the country. TB is 18th at nearly the same size. It's not a podunk little market.It is
But in terms of Orlando/Tampa, they're not so much sister cities in my eyes as much as two cities that at least share more in common than LA/SD do. I-4 not only connects us, but the two cities at worst share the Bucs and Lightning as a crossover (I know Orlando supports them at least somewhat no differently than Tampa likes the Magic, they have to) and the cities at least have a crapload of theme parks in common. There's absolutely ZERO sports rivalry unless you want to consider Predators/Storm from the Arena Football days. Los Angeles touts itself like a New York City west with all the glitz, glamor and movie stars where everyone only gives a flying **** about the Lakers. San Diego is traditionally more blue-collar and grassrooted into its military history. Or so that has long been my understanding and confirmed by nearly every Californian I've spoken to. It couldn't be any more different. My neighbor who lived in CA for a while says the only thing Oakland and San Francisco have in common is that you can get lost in the slums and get shot and it's merely separated by a bridge and in the 1970's you could find meth in both places. Going from one city to the next in CA is like going to another state sometimes.
But to really wrap this up, if the Rays went to Orlando it would, in essence, save the team from being relocated out of state and still close enough to the fans who loved them. The Chargers fans got screwed over by the greedy conglomerate of the NFL and the Spanos family so a city that only really cared about the Raiders can get not one.... but TWO teams while the Raiders went to Vegas. It is completely unforgivable.
But really if anyone is gonna get THAT mad about the Rays going to Orlando then I'd say to lighten up because if I can watch the Magic games on Sun Sports then SURELY the Rays will be on there too. For ****s sake, it's not like you went to games anyway. You stayed home and watched them on TV. Now it's suddenly not okay because it's not in Tropicana Field? Gimme a break.
Well, okay then.
OrlandoDreamers.com
This is a Hail Mary play. There's no owner, but there's a presumptive logo and name. What owner would want to step into that?
edit: Orlando Dreamers: Magic co-founder dreams of bringing professional baseball to town
I can't find the full press conference anywhere, but it seems like it's just Pat Williams (who is a very legit former basketball executive) behind it.No way in hell MLB puts a 3rd team in Florida considering attendance numbers in Miami and Tampa. But how about that name and logo, holy crap they’re horrific. Not sure which is worse, how does someone approve these?
To be fair he had nobody to throw to today besides perriman (lol). No evans or godwin. Also, brate cost us the game with that drop.Jameis Winston sucks.
Don’t give up on him he’ll be a fantastic player. They gotta do a better job of getting him better involved.Also, OJ howard ****ing SUCKS!!!