In his Baseball days, Tom Brady was a left-handed-batting catcher with power. His skills impressed MLB scouts, and he was drafted in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos. The Expos projected Brady as a potential All-Star and offered him money typical of that offered to a late second-round or early third-round pick.
A Franchise that drafted Tom Brady as a catcher, had Hall of Fame player like Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Vladimir Guerrero, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, the great late Gary Carter just to name a few, can certainly bring something good back to Baseball right? You can’t underestimate a Canadien Market, especially one that size with a fan base dying to see some baseball for more than 25 years now.
The Toronto Raptors also proved to the World of sports last year that it can be good to have a country rallying behind one team in the playoffs.
If MLB follows through on its plan to expand from 30 to 32 teams, then the former home of the Nationals’ franchise will be one of the few cities that could be chosen for one of the new ballclubs.
if the United States descends into no mask, no problem quarantine, after the death of many of its citizens, taking a franchise half out of the country while building a new ballpark in Tampa Bay might be a difficult political sell.
Are we going to see professional sports franchises fold as a result of this shutdown and his response was that it was more likely we’d see teams sold than fold, given that some business owners like to think Mickey Arison, who owns Carnival Cruise Lines and the Miami Heat might need a quick infusion in his cashflow because of damage to their non-sports businesses.
As someone with a vested emotional interest in baseball returning to Montreal: Can easily remember every Henry ”Oh Henri” Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero home runs I saw with my dad as a kid. Are you for or against what looks likes going to be today’s reality of the split-city concept?
It has become stupid at this point for anyone to think that paid attendance has become less important to teams than network TV deals, advanced media arms, corporate sponsorships and focusing on alliances with the expanding world of legalized gambling
Neil Paine of Forbes;
Major League Baseball teams still rely on gate receipts for 30 per-cent of their revenue. That’s still a sizable whack of money, and as Samson said: the reliance on gate receipts compared to other revenue streams varies from team to team.
The Marlins couldn’t draw flies, so they relied on the network and regional TV. But clubs like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and the like? Sell-out crowds are a huge revenue asset.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has spoken numerous times about the league’s interest in expanding, Often saying on sports network that moving to 32 teams would be “great for our sport.” He went on to list six possible locations Portland, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Nashville, Montreal, Vancouver or Mexico could be a smart move for the short term.
Montreal, the former home of the Expos, is the only city on the list that has already hosted an MLB team before. Don’t forget that the league forced the sale of the Expos in 2004 and moved the club to D.C. the following year, returning baseball to the nation’s capital for the first time since 1971.
Expansion is a topic that likely won’t be touched until the coronavirus pandemic is in the rearview mirror and negotiations for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement are at the forefront of the sport’s attention, that list still remains an important one to keep an eye on.
David Samson, the former president of the Florida Marlins, has been part of a franchise swap, built a stadium and won a World Series, and saw a $25-million or thereabouts investment by his stepfather, Jeffrey Loria, turn into a $1.1-billion sale of the Marlins in less than two decades. He now hosts a podcast called Nothing Personal.
In 2004, Montreal lost one of the most popular Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Expos, as they relocated and became the Washington Nationals. Fifteen years later, there is a realistic hope that the Expos can return.
Baseball is still loved in the hearts of Montreal fans today. For the last six years, The Toronto Blue Jays have played a two-game exhibition series in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
In March, fans celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Expos franchise by attending the Jays’ series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Thousands of fans showed their Expos support by sporting team apparel and memorabilia. Evidently, there is an audience for live baseball; as Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said, “Montreal is a city with great baseball history and tradition.”
While there is increasing hope for a potential Expos return future, there still remain challenges.
Today’s league, superstar players like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are receiving multi-million dollar deals, which could leave a Montreal franchise with high taxes in Quebec and the less advantageous Canadian currency, at a future disadvantage from attracting top-talent to come to their city over other larger markets.
Yet, baseball enthusiasts in Montreal are not discouraged from wanting to bring back their beloved franchise to their wonderful city.
The city also needs to be certain it can withstand the many obstacles in building a stadium. Although they could play in the old Olympic Stadium for the short term.
The return of the Expos is gaining traction from the MLB and fan’s support has never been more anxious in Montreal, but it is still Early I know.
Stephen Bronfman, son of former Expos owner Charles Bronfman, is taking a prominent role in attempting to bring the team back to the city. Bronfman understands that this is a “lifetime project” but he has informed the public that steps in the right direction with the city and the league has been made. We “don’t have to say we need to be ready, we are ready,” he said to fans.