OT: Could an MLB Team in Buffalo be Successful?

[My Cozen Dylan]

Like I said in the Buffalo Sports Network thread, I haven't been up there for more than a week in a long time so I'm not sure what the attitude is for this.

Being a Rays fan is so painful because it's no fun to go to the games (or even see the empty stands on TV). Being a Buffalonian at heart I couldn't help but think...

I think a guy like Tom Golisano (just an example, don't kill me) could/should purchase the Tampa Bay Rays and move them to Buffalo, and I honestly think they could EASILY hit 25,000 per game (definitely more but that is still a huge improvement from Tampa).

I know Coca-Cola Field is expandable to 40,000 or so, I think it would work.

What do you guys think?

(Oh, and also what about MLS playing in the Ralph?)

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[Beerz]

Could it be successful? Maybe.

But you'll never see a MLB team in Buffalo.

 

[Afino]

......no

 

[My Cozen Dylan]

Could it be successful? Maybe.

But you'll never see a MLB team in Buffalo.

Never say never.

 

[Afino]

no one's going to bring a MLB team to Buffalo. Case closed.

Sometimes I forget even the Bisons exist.

 

[Myllz]

No, and nobody would bring MLB to Buffalo in the first place.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

No, and nobody would bring MLB to Buffalo in the first place.

To be fair, they were close but lost out to Miami/Denver back in 1991.

 

[Girgensons28]

No Buffalo team can be successful.

Go O's.

 

[Myllz]

To be fair, they were close but lost out to Miami/Denver back in 1991.

2014 Buffalo and 1991 Buffalo are two different things. Population in the Buffalo area by itself is down 100,000 since 1991.

 

[Paxon]

My gut says no but I'm hardly qualified. Even if it could I can't imagine a team coming here when there are much bigger cities out there. Not that it necessarily says one thing or the other, but does anyone know how the Bisons do financially relative to other Triple A teams? I always assumed they do fairly well.

I think one trouble with it is you can't expect to have season ticket holders from Southern Ontario can you? Can't imagine many would cross the border almost every day, which is much less of an issue with 41 Sabres games or 8 Bills games. The Canadian portion of our metro area is important to keeping us comparable to some of the other smaller markets in sports.

 

[Blitz]

I cant even imagine what it would cost a Buffalo ownership group to convince the Yanks and Mets to allow this to happen... Consider the raw deal the Nats got when they moved into Baltimore's territory and then multiply it handsomely... IMO, no team in Buffalo could be profitable enough to offset the expenses incurred.

 

[ZZamboni]

If the Buffalo area population starts to increase instead of decrease, yes. As of now and the near future, no.

 

[EichHart]

I think an NBA team would be very successful here. An MLB team? Nope. Everyone here is either a Yankee or Red Sox fan.

 

[VaporTrail]

As much as I would like to see an MLB team here I would say no unless Buffalo has a major population increase (which could happen down the line).

Unsure of the MLS at the Ralph...Not sure how many soccer fans we have in the area...Sounds cool though ! I like watching the games sometimes on tv..Fans definitely get into it !

 

[Kublakhan]

I cant stand basketball and baseball, But I think an NBA team would do much better here than a baseball team..

I hope neither ever come and or come back...

I just hope TPegs makes Buffalo a Hockey Mecca, We have what it takes.. The fanbase, US Business laws and 10 Min. from the homeland.. I can see it...

 

[Djp]

Can buffalo support a baseball team? It's possible but it would be hard. The city isn't large enough and the economy isn't strong enough to find enough people to buy tickets.

If the city metro population and economy grows over the next 10 yrs it could support a team.

Buffalo would have more success with an NBA team. Season attendance you expect would only be about 40% of what baseball would need.

 

[Jim Bob]

I have a feeling it would be more successful than the Rays in Tampa and the Marlins in Miami if they were to get a new stadium.

 

[MayDay]

Probably not anytime in the near future.

Buffalo could support an MLB team on its own, but not in addition to two other major pro teams.

Maybe if the population grows substantially over the next several decades.

 

[MayDay]

I cant even imagine what it would cost a Buffalo ownership group to convince the Yanks and Mets to allow this to happen... Consider the raw deal the Nats got when they moved into Baltimore's territory and then multiply it handsomely... IMO, no team in Buffalo could be profitable enough to offset the expenses incurred.

Why would buffalo have to pay off the Yankees and Mets?

The Jays, Pirates, and Indians are all far closer to Buffalo than those NYC teams.

 

[TehDoak]

I think an NBA team would be very successful here. An MLB team? Nope. Everyone here is either a Yankee or Red Sox fan.

Not enough $$ in the economy to be split between a NBA/NHL team. Not to mention the fierce loyalty to the Sabres the region has.

A MLB team? I mean...maybe. I think you need a stronger regional population to be honest. Pittsburgh supports 3 teams, but their region is literally twice the size of Buffalo/Niagara

You won't get Canadian fans because of the blue jays already being in Toronto. You'd get decent draws for the Red Sox/Yankees games.

But overall, I'd say no, just not enough bodies in the area to make it feasible.

 

[Deleted member 27798]

Yes. KC & PIT have proved for many years that no matter how few people show up, you can still be profitable.

Will we ever see a MLB team in Buffalo? NO

PS If that blank check waving(remember that moment in time) fraud Bob Rich had a backbone, we would have a team today, and his bank account would have hundreds of millions more in it.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Yes. KC & PIT have proved for many years that no matter how few people show up, you can still be profitable.

Will we ever see a MLB team in Buffalo? NO

PS If that blank check waving(remember that moment in time) fraud Bob Rich had a backbone, we would have a team today, and his bank account would have hundreds of millions more in it.

This is the correct answer. MLB teams exist to provide opponents for the NYY and BOS. To a lessor extent LAD and STL.

There's no reason for Buffalo to get a team because other markets exist which offer more upside.

 

[ZeroPT*]

I still think an NBA team could work in Buffalo. I'm not very well versed in baseball do I wouldn't know but they could definitely get a basketball team.

 

[sabrefan27]

It would have to be a combined Buffalo/Rochester team and market. Not sure of the logistics, but that gives you 2 million+ to draw from. It would be hard, but probably more successful than the Marlins/Rays at least.

 

[ZZamboni]

I still think an NBA team could work in Buffalo. I'm not very well versed in baseball do I wouldn't know but they could definitely get a basketball team.

The Colleges draw nice crowds. But for an NBA team to be successful, like an MLB team, I think the population needs to increase and not continue to decrease.

Lower business taxes in WNY
Attract more business with good to excellent hourly wages/salaries
More people employed
More disposable income
More of the youth will stay in the area/more will move into the area
Population increases

MLB and/or NBA can be successful