Orlando Dreamers MLB Stadium Proposal

[mccgavin]

I'm guessing the only way Orlando gets a MLB team is if a buyer moves Tampa's team there. Two of the three lowest MLB attendance teams are in Florida. Tampa, even with its winning records, doesn't draw. Miami, with its huge market, doesn't draw either. No way MLB gives Orlando an expansion team.

It really comes down to the circumstances. MLB have stated they want an expansion team in the East and in the West by the end of the decade. While places like Nashville or a city in North Carolina seem like a better option on paper for the East, there hasn't been much of a push from any of them yet. The Mayor of Nashville has outright said he will not grant public funding for baseball stadium due to current Predators stadium renovations.

As of now, the Dreamers are among the most active groups that have a good amount of funding and resources to back them, only behind Salt Lake City and Portland (which are West). If the Dreamers are able to receive their funding request, and no other East city is able to match their proposal, I think they have a pretty good shot of being granted a team. It is also quite a different market than Miami or St. Petersburg, and I think an Orlando team could potentially have the potential to find success, especially with a boost from visiting tourists.

 

[Mad Dog]

Having a successful MLB team is tougher than most sports. There's not only twice as many home dates to fill than the next nearest sports game wise, they also play in larger venues than basketball or hockey. That's a lot of seats to fill and there's only so much money to go around for TV rights/penetration. They're kind of squeezed in there with Miami to the south, Tampa very close to the west, and Atlanta to the north. Chances are that one, or both of the Florida teams will object to a team that close to their markets. I would guess getting an expansion franchise is very improbable. Best bet is to steal the Tampa team.

 

[Legacy]

People also tend to forget the “Orlando metropolitan area” includes Lake, Seminole, and Osceola counties. So projected attendance based on that total is kinda deceptive. It’s possible people will drive from Lake Mary for a game… but will 45,000 (or even 30,000) worth of people drive all the way for that? Considering the average attendance for the entire league is less than 30,000?…

The other teams in the area don’t really garner a lot of optimism. The Orlando Magic averages 17,500 a game (Kia Center capacity 18,800). Orlando City averages 20,500 a game (stadium capacity 24,500). The immediate population used for those numbers is 300,000 (the city proper), which is probably more accurate. Now, sure, those numbers are still an improvement over Tampa and Miami, but not much of an improvement. And that’s with fewer games. Because the issue isn’t population. It’s access.

 

[MAC]

People also tend to forget the “Orlando metropolitan area” includes Lake, Seminole, and Osceola counties. So projected attendance based on that total is kinda deceptive. It’s possible people will drive from Lake Mary for a game… but will 45,000 (or even 30,000) worth of people drive all the way for that? Considering the average attendance for the entire league is less than 30,000?…

The other teams in the area don’t really garner a lot of optimism. The Orlando Magic averages 17,500 a game (Kia Center capacity 18,800). Orlando City averages 20,500 a game (stadium capacity 24,500). The immediate population used for those numbers is 300,000 (the city proper), which is probably more accurate. Now, sure, those numbers are still an improvement over Tampa and Miami, but not much of an improvement. And that’s with fewer games. Because the issue isn’t population. It’s access.

Yeah, I don't see many from Lake, Seminole, Osceola counties coming to Orlando to see many MLB games.

Clermont (largest city in Lake) and Sanford (largest city in Seminole) are 40 minutes away on a good day. Sanford would have to travel I-4 during rush hour to see a game.

Kissimmee (largest city in Osceola) is about 30 minutes on a good day and that's driving down John Young Parkway.

It's a ton of work to get across the metro area because of lack of access (as you mention) and traffic.