Way more Cardinals and even Royals fans in Oklahoma than Rangers.

(06-26-2013 09:42 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  As much as I would like a team in Charlotte, the Braves have aggressively and successfully codified themselves as "The South's baseball team". They may not draw well in butt-in-seat attendance for the market they are in, but they do very well on TV and radio throughout the deep south.

The places it makes some sense for a franchise:
- Las Vegas
- Salt Lake City
- New Orleans
(gap)
- Portland
- Charlotte


The places it would make sense to leave:
- Anaheim
- Oakland
- Cleveland
(gap)
- Houston
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Miami

How is Houston a place that needs to be left? The Astros are merely in a down cycle and Houston is a major market. What they need to do is put the 'Stros back in the NL so that the region can have an NL and AL team. Plus Houston isn't Miami, people around here love the 'Stros but like I said, they're just in a down cycle.

(06-29-2013 03:34 PM)BucFyre Wrote:  If hockey can make it in Nashville I don't see why baseball couldn't.

Because there's only so much money to go around. For pro sports, there needs to be enough disposable income in the area and TV sets to drive in revenue. Some markets are big enough and have enough TV sets for multiple franchises (sometimes even in the same sport) but most don't.

Add in college sports in some cases and the competition grows that much more.

(06-29-2013 11:21 PM)chess Wrote:  You missed San Antonio or Austin as places to consider.

I don't think San Antonio can realistically support an MLB team at this time. First of all, the fact that it's the 7th largest city is misleading, as it is only in the mid-20's market-wise. The only markets of any size outside of the area that they could try and convert are Austin, Killeen/Temple and maybe Waco, which are already places that have given loyalty to the Astros and Rangers. Then, as I talked about above, San Antonio has a below average level of disposable income--last time I checked anyways-- for a city of its size (2 million in the area) and most of it is already going to the Spurs for pro sports.

I think the NFL is the best option for a new team and as a matter of fact in theory it'd be the best because football is king in Texas. The only problem is that the Spurs have been so good for so long that they'll always be the city's team. As for Austin, it's UT's town, so I don't think they'll support anything else although a baseball franchise could work in nearby Round Rock in about 10-15 years.

At this point, I don't think there are many viable markets left to hold a baseball team. Cities like New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Portland, Charlotte, etc. would be good choices if they were the only show in town, but the NFL, NBA, NHL, and even MLS in some cities already grab much of the available audience in their respective cities. Now a good stadium and competitive team can definitely shift the balance, but it's a risky proposition. Then you have the issue of TV markets. One team moving will free up some room but encroach on someone else's territory, which can get into pretty rough waters (Orioles vs. Nationals, 2004).

That being said, here are my top four candidate cities:
Montreal - Olympic Stadium is a dump, but Montreal was always a sleeping giant of a baseball city just waiting for something good to happen (1994 World Series?)
Portland - Booming in high-tech income, growing population, and no NFL to compete with.
Austin - No pro teams there yet, they get good support now for AAA team in nearby Round Rock, and it's a growing city that would also get a following in San Antonio.
Sacramento - Yes, the city does have a shortage of a corporate presence for a city its size because of the capitol being there, but if the Kings move then this leaps way in front of Austin and Las Vegas in the 'only team in town' category. AAA draws tops in the PCL right now too.

Teams that could easily move are:
Miami - For obvious reasons, but there could be a gigantic lawsuit looming because of the public financing involved with Marlins Park.
Oakland - Stadium situation is dire, but I think they'll stay in the Bay Area. San Jose's lawsuit against the MLB might speed things up.
Tampa - It would take a huge buyout to break their lease, but it could happen if they keep a winning team on the field and still draw no one.

Las Vegas in theory would be a good place to have a team, but gambling is a big deal for the MLB. Also another problem is that Vegas is a city of transplants with different regional ties which would make it hard to get people to become fans of a Vegas team. Miami and Tampa both have this problem too, as they've been trying to attract permanent fans in the cable TV age.