Posted on 09/12/2013 7:00:36 AM PDT by raccoonradio
The key is not just market size or who has other big 4 franchises (MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL), but who has evidence of supporting baseball. RD (plus throw in Charlotte because it isn't that far away) and Indianapolis both beat Nashville in spades when it comes to the total picture.
Los Angeles lacks an NFL franchise for no reason other than they don't support NFL even if they are a huge market and have all of the other three.
RDU isn’t going to happen. The Durham Bulls’ stadium (Durham Bulls Athletic Park, charmingly known as “the DBAP”) only seats around 10,000 and has virtually no room for expansion because it’s built in the middle of downtown with buildings and streets on all sides, limited parking, and limited amenities in the area. It’s a very nice AAA ballpark but nowhere near a Major League facility. Plus, if an MLB team was seriously looking at RDU, Raleigh/Wake County—where 2/3 of the people live—would flex its muscle and the stadium would be put out there where the population is and the politicians are.
}:-)4
It occurs to me that if RDU was serious about getting a MLB team, they would (I think) consider seriously the prospect of putting a baseball stadium over near the RBC Center and/or Carter-Finley Stadium. Lots of open ground out there near that part of the State Fairgrounds IIRC, and good road access, much better than downtown Durham around the DBAP.
}:-)4
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