Fun little exercise

[Tram2Whitaker]

I am starting a new game (not an online game). I would like the democratic process to play itself out. So, I am holding an impromptu Owners' Meeting.

Subject: Expansion! I want everyone to assume the role of owner of one of the 29 real Major League Teams (since I will cast a vote as owner of the Detroit Tigers), and in your reply, cast your vote for the next 2 expansion franchises to begin play for the 2011 MLB season.

There are rules however. We will be expanding in North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, to a lesser extent Carribean Islands), only. For each nomination (you get 2), explain the benefits and market size/potential.

As acting owner of the Detroit Tigers, I will be nominating Portland Oregon. Portland is a large city of untapped potential, with a good corporate base. Also, It bridges the gap (1,600 miles) between major leagues most isolated market (Seattle), and the rest of the league.

For my second pick, I will nominate San Antonio. A serious contender for the Marlins proposed relocation in 2006 (and to a lesser extent the Saints proposed relocation of 2005), San Antonio proved that it has the fan loyalty/interest, to support a major league team. Austin, only an hour car ride away, adds almost an entire extra market. Between these two cities, I believe that this area of the country is being underutilized.

[damientheomen3]

As the Milwaukee Brewers, I second Portland. The city only has one sports team but the fans are very committed and I think that the team would draw a lot of interest.

My second nomination is a third New York team. Obviously the Yanks and Mets wouldn't allow that, but screw em. It's a huge market and the team would be extremely popular right off the bat. If we can't get a third New York team, however, I say we bring an MLB team to Mexico. Put the team in Mexico City. The Latin fans love their baseball and I'm sure they'd love to be a part of the largest baseball league in the world. It'll generate plenty of revenue.

[Chicagofan76]

I also nominate San Antonio , they will be called the Mustangs and play in Hartford Insurance Ballpark.....
San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the U.S. a population of 1.3 million
They would be located in the AL West giving them 5 teams

Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank — Infoplease.com


my 2nd nomination is for Nashville, TN and the team will be called the Legends and play in Johnny Cash Field. Nashville ranks as the 25th largest city in the U.S. at a population of 605,473 an increase of over 50,000 from 2000. It would add another team to the AL Central bringing the AL to 16 teams NL to its already existing 16 teams. They could possibly have fmous country singers in the stands every night and give some competition to the St Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves that have a stronghold in that market.

[Tram2Whitaker]

Originally Posted by Chicagofan76

I also nominate San Antonio , they will be called the Mustangs and play in Hartford Insurance Ballpark.....
San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the U.S. a population of 1.3 million
They would be located in the AL West giving them 5 teams

Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank — Infoplease.com


my 2nd nomination is for Nashville, TN and the team will be called the Legends and play in Johnny Cash Field. Nashville ranks as the 25th largest city in the U.S. at a population of 605,473 an increase of over 50,000 from 2000. It would add another team to the AL Central bringing the AL to 16 teams NL to its already existing 16 teams. They could possibly have fmous country singers in the stands every night and give some competition to the St Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves that have a stronghold in that market.

I thought the stadium in San Antonio was supposed to be a retractable roof...

[Chicagofan76]

i dont know i have San Antonio in my league my 12 teams r based off of the link from above that is the top 12 most populatied cities...as far as the stadium i just like the 1 i saw and thought it would be cool to have the teams i dont play all bake in the July Texas sun. i have North vs South North, CHI,NY,SF,SJ,DET,PHI South LA,SD,SA,HOU,DAL,WAS

[TribeFanInNC]

I will nominate a third NY team and Charlotte, NC.

Charlotte is in the top 35 metro areas in the US. It is also bigger than Nashville and growing faster than Nashville. The Appalachian and Carolinas regions has no natural rooting interest and would fill a regional hole with the nearest teams (ATL, WSH, CIN) several hours away. Also the South is under represented in baseball as a whole.

A third NY team is a natural fit. A return to Brooklyn would probably fuel a lot of passion for baseball in the area.

For reference: Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Cryomaniac]

As the Florida Marlins, I nominate Las Vegas, Nevada and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I think Vegas is the one city that is sorely missing a major franchise in any sport, and it probably has the market to support it. San Juan would give MLB a base in the Caribbean, and is probably a decent market.

[GEP]

On behalf of the Minnesota Twins, I also cast my vote for Portland. It should create a nice rivalry with Seattle, it's a top-25 market with only one major league sports team, the Northwest is fairly lacking in MLB representation in general, and it allows us to fill out the understrength AL West.

I like the Mexico City idea, but with the current level of drug violence taking place in the country, I don't think we could get that past the union right now. I think there would be too many concerns about player safety. So, I'd like to table that idea for now, but keep it at the forefront of the markets for consideration in the next round of expansion (if any).

I'm also not in favor of a third New York team; while it is a huge market, we don't want to overly fragment it. Furthermore, while I'm sure the team would do just fine in revenue for itself, I don't think it would add much to the league as a whole. I think the number of potential fans in New York who would follow the game if only they had a team of their own to support is, roughly, zero. It's fan base would be entirely made up of former Mets and, probably to a lesser extent, Yankees fans. I have no objection to cannibalizing Mets and Yankees fans, but the goal of expansion is to draw new fans to the game, and it's hard to see how this does that. If we must do it, we should at least base it in Newark and call it the New Jersey Toxic Waste or whatever, and try to draw in some new fans from central and south Jersey with a team of "their own". But, unless all we're looking for is to make a quick buck off the initial franchise fee, I don't see this as being much benefit to the league.

Instead, my vote for the second franchise is San Juan, Puerto Rico. It follows the Mexico City logic of putting a major league team in Latin America, attracting a Hispanic fan base, not just locally, but throughout Latin America and among Hispanic fans in the U.S. The San Juan MSA has a population of 2.6 million, which 21st among U.S. cities, between Baltimore and Denver (and higher than other expansion candidates such as San Antonio, Charlotte, Las Vegas, or even Portland). Furthermore, it's likely to attract additional new fans to road games in cities with large Hispanic populations such as Dallas, LA, Phoenix, and Washington. Finally, while considered part of Latin America, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, governed by U.S. law, and whose citizens are U.S. citizens, thus avoiding some of the nationalist, legal, and safety issues that expansion to Mexico would entail. We might even be able to scam some money out of pro-statehood groups for "promoting closer cultural ties with the mainland" to help fund the expansion.

[damientheomen3]

Originally Posted by Cryomaniac

As the Florida Marlins, I nominate Las Vegas, Nevada and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I think Vegas is the one city that is sorely missing a major franchise in any sport, and it probably has the market to support it. San Juan would give MLB a base in the Caribbean, and is probably a decent market.

Again, on behalf of the Brewers, I'd like to point out that Las Vegas has been losing money for quite some time now and I don't believe that it would be able to afford having a team.

The drug argument about Mexico City was something I hadn't thought of, and San Juan would make sense, although it wouldn't really have as much Latin influence as putting a team in Mexico would.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by damientheomen3

Again, on behalf of the Brewers, I'd like to point out that Las Vegas has been losing money for quite some time now and I don't believe that it would be able to afford having a team.

I think there's an argument that a major sports franchise might help Vegas to recover. As long as there was private investment I think it's viable.

[ShaneCarson]

As the Pittsburgh Pirates I nominate...

Portland, Oregon. As everyone has said, it'll create a natural rivalry with the Mariners, has a great corporate base with Nike and it's only sports team has a great fanbase.

As my second nomination, I nominate Hartford, Connecticut. Having their hockey franchise stolen from under their noses, Hartford is a great traditional sports market and could help break up some of New York and Boston's market size. Their fanbase for the Whalers continues to grow to this day and you could right a very large wrong and have a huge following from day one.

[Tram2Whitaker]

For those who've voted for another New York franchise, let me run something by you....

Would it be OK, for a Newark, New Jersey team, or would you insist it be in the City. Furthermore, which borrough would you prefer. I think Manhattan would be ideal, but the Brooklyn argument is persuasive.

Also, to recap... so far we have

Detroit..... Portland/San Antonio
Milwuakee.. Portland/New York
Chi Sox..... San Antonio/Nashville
Cleveland...Charlotte/New York
Florida....... San Juan/Las Vegas
Minnesota... San Juan/Portland
Pittsburgh... Portland/Hartford
Cincinnati.... Portland/ OK City
Atlanta...... Portland/Vancouver
St. Louis.... OK City/Indianapolis
Colorado.... Indianapolis/Wichita
Kansas City. Charlotte/ Mex City

18 teams need to weigh in.

I am particularly interested in what New York has to say. Mets? Yankees?

[bubba22plus]

As the Cincinnati Reds vote, my first selection would be Portland, Oregon for the same reasons as above posters specified.

My second choice is a new one (for this thread), a city with a growing sports reputation: Oklahoma City. They proved they could support a Sports team when the Supersonics moved there in the NBA. Plus, Oklahoma City has had a popular minor league team for years. Plus they host the Big 12 Baseball Championship.

[jagreen]

The Atlanta Braves will nominate Vancouver (Canada). Great city and gives Seattle and eventually Portland (second nomination) a rival.

[GEP]

Originally Posted by jagreen

The Atlanta Braves will nominate Vancouver (Canada). Great city and gives Seattle and eventually Portland (second nomination) a rival.

Yeah, I was going to make Vancouver my second nomination before Milwaukee's mention of Mexico City got me thinking in the direction of San Juan. Be nice to have more than one team in Canada again, and Vancouver seems like the best shot at making it work. This would be my third choice, if San Juan or Portland didn't pan out.

[MikeyB]

As the St.Louis Cardinals, I second the OKC nomination and nominate the city of Indianapolis. The 34th largest metro area in the US, Indy has an incredibly rich sports and baseball history.

[WillieMaysHayes]

Indy or Wichita...

They don't have the flair of other big league cities, but they would draw all of the midwest and be kinda sentimental to the league.

Make a ballpark named the field of dreams lol

[Chicagofan76]

Originally Posted by Tram2Whitaker

For those who've voted for another New York franchise, let me run something by you....

Would it be OK, for a Newark, New Jersey team, or would you insist it be in the City. Furthermore, which borrough would you prefer. I think Manhattan would be ideal, but the Brooklyn argument is persuasive.

Not that I am against another New York team but Polo Grounds was less the 5 mins from Yankee Stadium, and Ebbebts Field was less then 10 miles from those 2. New Jersey or Hartford would make more sense.

As far as a San Juan team it provides logistical problems across the board.
Any West coast team having to fly to San Juan would rack up some major frequent flyer miles. San Juan having to go to the West coast would have the same problem. San Juan as a whole doesnt speak English, teams without a mgr who speaks spanish or a traveling secretary will have issues with the language barrier (sorry Ozzie).

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by damientheomen3

As the Milwaukee Brewers, I second Portland. The city only has one sports team but the fans are very committed and I think that the team would draw a lot of interest.

My second nomination is a third New York team. Obviously the Yanks and Mets wouldn't allow that, but screw em. It's a huge market and the team would be extremely popular right off the bat. If we can't get a third New York team, however, I say we bring an MLB team to Mexico. Put the team in Mexico City. The Latin fans love their baseball and I'm sure they'd love to be a part of the largest baseball league in the world. It'll generate plenty of revenue.

Originally Posted by TribeFanInNC

I will nominate a third NY team and Charlotte, NC.

Charlotte is in the top 35 metro areas in the US. It is also bigger than Nashville and growing faster than Nashville. The Appalachian and Carolinas regions has no natural rooting interest and would fill a regional hole with the nearest teams (ATL, WSH, CIN) several hours away. Also the South is under represented in baseball as a whole.

A third NY team is a natural fit. A return to Brooklyn would probably fuel a lot of passion for baseball in the area.

For reference: Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For my picks I second Mexico City and Charlotte.

Note: ANd since I have to an owner of a specific team in this, either KC or Tor (2nd)

[Tram2Whitaker]

williemayshayes, you didn't say what team you represented. However, since Cleveland has already voted, and your profile says Denver, I'm going to say you're voting for Colorado, and KC for LHB.