Impossible to believe but the Orioles could be relocated
Judge upholds arbitration ruling that Orioles owe Nationals about $100 million in MASN TV rights dispute
Public angst bubbled up last week when a unverified report surfaced that the club was in extensive talks to sell the franchise or move it to Nashville, Tennessee.
Though a high-ranking club official characterized talk of a potential sale as “rank speculation” and renewed rumors about Nashville as “nonsense,” it doesn’t take much to keep the rumor mill churning in a town that has never gotten over the snowy night in 1984 when the beloved Colts skipped town and relocated to Indianapolis.
There is no reason to believe an unfavorable ruling in the MASN dispute would send the Orioles packing. Any move or sale would have to be approved by MLB, which is highly unlikely to allow the Orioles to jump to a city that might be a promising expansion candidate. Major league owners would share the approximately $1 billion expansion fee for placing a new team in one of those cities.
Orioles officials maintain the outcome of the MASN dispute would not endanger the team’s ability to survive in Baltimore, but continue to insist the advantageous MASN revenue split is critical to their ability to field a competitive team.
Judge upholds arbitration ruling that Orioles owe Nationals about $100 million in MASN TV rights dispute
Public angst bubbled up last week when a unverified report surfaced that the club was in extensive talks to sell the franchise or move it to Nashville, Tennessee.
Though a high-ranking club official characterized talk of a potential sale as “rank speculation” and renewed rumors about Nashville as “nonsense,” it doesn’t take much to keep the rumor mill churning in a town that has never gotten over the snowy night in 1984 when the beloved Colts skipped town and relocated to Indianapolis.
There is no reason to believe an unfavorable ruling in the MASN dispute would send the Orioles packing. Any move or sale would have to be approved by MLB, which is highly unlikely to allow the Orioles to jump to a city that might be a promising expansion candidate. Major league owners would share the approximately $1 billion expansion fee for placing a new team in one of those cities.
Orioles officials maintain the outcome of the MASN dispute would not endanger the team’s ability to survive in Baltimore, but continue to insist the advantageous MASN revenue split is critical to their ability to field a competitive team.
