Nashville as MLB Expansion/Relocation Market

[urbanplanet17]

16 hours ago, East Side Urbanite said:

Maybe I haven't seen on this board or in media reports, but two things:

1. The smallest (in terms of MSA populations) U.S. city with four of the big five (NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL) is Denver with about 3 million people. The Nashville MSA is 2 million and we have three of the big five. Do we have the population so support a fourth? Relatively speaking, no city in U.S. history has  ever had such a disproportionate number of franchises related to its overall population. Is Nashville "that special" so as to be the exception that can successfully be the first do do so? I don't think so.

2. And related to the first question: If we got MLB, could that hurt corporate support for all four? There are only so many corporate dollars to go around to three pro franchises, much less four.

The question is not do we want MLB? I like baseball (big Cubs fan) and would like to have a franchise in the.  But at this point in our city's evolution? I'm not so sure. Seems potentially harmful.

 

 

Detroit was the closest, which was able to support the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB  when its MSA had less than 3 million people.

That said, unlike Nashville, Detroit was home to 3 of the largest and fastest growing corporations in the world at the time too. A good corporate presence is also critical for sponsorship purposes and having a fan base with enough disposable income to support so many teams.

With that being said, an argument could be made that Charlotte would be a more likely candidate for a MLB team than Nashville.

Edited August 5, 2020 by urbanplanet17

[MidTenn1]

Baseball draws fans from  a large area and the teams have regional followings. If Nashville had an American League team, it would fill a large area with no AL teams. If the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox  or even the Minnesota Twins come to town, there's no doubt those fans would love to come to Nashville. If there are fans of American League teams living in the south, they would likely flock to Nashville to catch some games.

Nashville is a destination City  and coming here to watch your team play would be an awesome trip.

[markhollin]

^ ^ ^ And if Nashville were to end up in the American League East (still a chance that Tampa Bay Rays will need to relocate), then there would be upwards of 18 home games per season with the Yankees and Red Sox.  Those would be guaranteed sellouts.  

[e-dub]

Even though I MUCH prefer the NL game, I think an AL team here would be the better "for business".

[titanhog]

Justin Timberlake joining the group to help bring MLB to Nashville.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2020/09/09/justin-timberlake-mlb-nashville/5751814002/

Ten-time Grammy award winner Justin Timberlake cast his lot Wednesday with Music City Baseball, the group gaining momentum in its effort to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to Nashville.

The team's name will be the Nashville Stars and it's difficult to imagine a bigger star than Timberlake joining the mix.

The multi-faceted entertainer is a Memphis native and avid sports fan who became a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012.

 

"I am thrilled to be involved in the movement to bring Major League Baseball to the great state of Tennessee,” Timberlake said in a statement. “I believe in Music City Baseball’s vision of linking baseball and music in a unique way to unite and entertain people and I am excited to help generate awareness throughout the community as we share our vision for bringing MLB to Music City.”

[shanky]

Unless they are willing to put their own money up for a stadium (which they're not) I don't see this happening in this economic climate

[MLBrumby]

Agreed ^^, especially after the prolonged give-and-take and near-killing of the MLS stadium negotiations. Wasn't that the TOP promise and reason why people elected John Cooper? 

[nashvylle]

MLB2Nashville states they want to build the stadium without any public funds... If they stick true to that, they have a great chance. 

[Tyrone Wiggum]

Ya'll are cute.  A-Rod AND J-Lo can't get a team, but JT can?  And Nashville can? Lulz.

As I've said in the Charlotte speculation thread: MLB doesn't wanna be in half a dozen markets it's currently in; it sure as hell isn't gonna decamp from KC, Cleveland, Cincy,  Oakland,  Miami,  or South Side for the 36th largest metro area in the country, which already has two major league franchises.

Charlotte will have more than 3 million people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Portland will have 2.7mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Nashville might have 2.3mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB in 2050.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Tyrone Wiggum

[titanhog]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

Ya'll are cute.  A-Rod AND J-Lo can't get a team, but JT can?  And Nashville can? Lulz.

As I've said in the Charlotte speculation thread: MLB doesn't wanna be in half a dozen markets it's currently in; it sure as hell isn't gonna decamp from KC, Cleveland, Cincy,  Oakland,  Miami,  or South Side for the 36th largest metro area in the country, which already has two major league franchises.

Charlotte will have more than 3 million people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Portland will have 2.7mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Nashville might have 2.3mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB in 2050.

Guess we'll see.  And yes...we ARE cute. 

[nashvylle]

26 minutes ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

Ya'll are cute.  A-Rod AND J-Lo can't get a team, but JT can?  And Nashville can? Lulz.

As I've said in the Charlotte speculation thread: MLB doesn't wanna be in half a dozen markets it's currently in; it sure as hell isn't gonna decamp from KC, Cleveland, Cincy,  Oakland,  Miami,  or South Side for the 36th largest metro area in the country, which already has two major league franchises.

Charlotte will have more than 3 million people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Portland will have 2.7mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Nashville might have 2.3mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB in 2050.

JT is a minority investor. Not lead. 

you're cute too!

Edited September 9, 2020 by nashvylle

[MLBrumby]

“Ya’ll are cute”?  “Gonna”?

Do you want anyone to take you seriously? 
 

 

[samsonh]

27 minutes ago, MLBrumby said:

“Ya’ll are cute”?  “Gonna”?

Do you want anyone to take you seriously? 
 

 

He's right though. This stadium will have to be privately funded and there is no  one involved currently who  has the capital to even begin this. Plus his demographic comments are dead on. MLB is shrinking  and the Nashville Metro area will not generate enough local tv money to make this team competitive.  

[nashvylle]

3 minutes ago, samsonh said:

He's right though. This stadium will have to be privately funded and there is no  one involved currently who  has the capital to even begin this. Plus his demographic comments are dead on. MLB is shrinking  and the Nashville Metro area will not generate enough local tv money to make this team competitive.  

TV contracts and ownership are most important for a league to be successful, I agree. But I still do not know why MLS did not award Detroit or Phoenix a MLS team, given they demographics they have over Nashville, Charlotte, St. Louis, Sacramento. So who knows. 

[MLBrumby]

1 hour ago, samsonh said:

He's right though. This stadium will have to be privately funded and there is no  one involved currently who  has the capital to even begin this. Plus his demographic comments are dead on. MLB is shrinking  and the Nashville Metro area will not generate enough local tv money to make this team competitive.  

My response was in regard to the snark and arrogance and the (pet peeve) use of lingo like "gonna" "ima" etc., which would immediately result in a reprimand in our firm if used in an email, memo, etc.  As our managing partner mentioned once when an intern (a male second-year LS student) actually typed 'gonna' in a memo, "Did we hire a twelve year old girl to write this?" 

I don't think anyone would argue against the points made, although Nashville's projected population growth has been vastly undercounted over the past four decades.  It will grow by closer to 500k over the next decade as it's recently hit a 'sweet spot', which is recognized by people who study population growth in Sunbelt urban areas. There are two points like that among second-tier cities... a labor market of 1M and a MSA population of 2M. At some point, it's likely that Clarksville will be added to the MSA, which alone will add a quarter million more people. Nobody here is arguing Charlotte's size vis-a-vis the other cities both with MLB and seeking a team. But as noted above, it's about more than just population. If that alone were the key, Austin would be getting one without a challenge from any other city among its so-called peers (even with two other MLB teams), which it's pretty much leaving in the dust. That brings us to a key point, which is where a new market may cannibalize existing markets. To wit: The Braves would not want to give up South Carolina as a prime market without a huge fight.  Nobody would argue against the well-publicized fact that MLB is also wanting to shrink (at least NO MORE EXPANSION teams), but that doesn't rule out the real possibility that existing teams would move to new markets. Several of those teams were listed above. News Flash! Money Talks VERY LOUDLY among pro team owners, and Nashville will have no problem finding big financial backers from entertainment. I understood that Lopez and Rodriguez couldn't find a partner to raise in excess of a billion dollars, not that MLB wouldn't sell to them. Plus, they were trying to buy a NY team on top of that. No doubt, aside from population Nashville is widely considered the most appealing market (due to demographics, age, racial composition, wealth, tourism) among its peers for MLB. One of those keys is the aforementioned problem of new teams cannibalizing existing markets. Only two contiguous states to Tennessee have MLB teams, and Nashville is much more of a Reds market than it is for the Braves.  

That said, I actually think Nashville is not yet ready (in size and market appeal)  and yes, MLB needs to decide if they're going to go into contraction or actually reassign teams to different markets. There are already enough pro teams for the city to digest.  As noted above, Nashville will not give any more handouts to a team, and MLB would never move to Nashville and set up in a suburban area. They would want to be downtown. I also have no doubt that Nashville will be ready by 2030, and apparently these high powered principals (there will be others too) think there's a good chance of it too. More power to them however, and if they ever do get a MLB team, it will have been helped tremendously by serious efforts like this one. 

 

[Hushpuppy321]

1 hour ago, nashvylle said:

TV contracts and ownership are most important for a league to be successful, I agree. But I still do not know why MLS did not award Detroit or Phoenix a MLS team, given they demographics they have over Nashville, Charlotte, St. Louis, Sacramento. So who knows. 

I think MLS was Seduced by David Tepper being a Billionare Owner of one of their Francises.  Add in the other positives from Charlotte and we have a winner.  CLT always tends to have outsized benefits from its Corporate presence as well.  

On 8/5/2020 at 5:10 PM, e-dub said:

Even though I MUCH prefer the NL game, I think an AL team here would be the better "for business".

Why would AL be better for business than NL?

[nashvylle]

5 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

I think MLS was Seduced by David Tepper being a Billionare Owner of one of their Francises.  Add in the other positives from Charlotte and we have a winner.  CLT always tends to have outsized benefits from its Corporate presence as well.  

Exactly. If Nashville gets a David Tepper like owner (IE a Frist), the demographics become second. 

[Hushpuppy321]

1 minute ago, nashvylle said:

Exactly. If Nashville gets a David Tepper like owner (IE a Frist), the demographics become second. 

I agree with you on the face of that.  Only difference is that MLS is aggressively expanding and has a Rosey growth outlook over the next Decade.  MLB is having a hard time so Nashville and Charlotte’s only hope is if a Team Relocates.

Nashville definitely has a head start since no one (meaning ownership group) in Charlotte is even speaking about an MLB Team.  For some reason though I keep reading articles about Charlotte being on a short list of cities.  Unless Tepper and/or Bruton Smith do something I think MLB in CLT will be a pie in the sky thought.

[nashvylle]

4 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

I agree with you on the face of that.  Only difference is that MLS is aggressively expanding and has a Rosey growth outlook over the next Decade.  MLB is having a hard time so Nashville and Charlotte’s only hope is if a Team Relocates.

Nashville definitely has a head start since no one (meaning ownership group) in Charlotte is even speaking about an MLB Team.  For some reason though I keep reading articles about Charlotte being on a short list of cities.  Unless Tepper and/or Bruton Smith do something I think MLB in CLT will be a pie in the sky thought.

Right, good point. And MLB2Nashville says their goal to bring MLB is via either expansion or relocation. 

No one seemed to give neither Nashville nor Charlotte a chance for MLS until Ingram / Tepper came along. 

JT is momentum, definitely not the lead investor needed. 

[e-dub]

25 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Why would AL be better for business than NL?

I'm thinking when the Yankees and Red Sox come to visit, those would be guaranteed sellouts. I think the Tigers would sell very well, here, too. I also think that Nashville being so far away from any existing AL team would probably drive ticket sales.

[bnacincy]

3 hours ago, titanhog said:

Guess we'll see.  And yes...we ARE cute. 

I'm not.... but I am skeptical of Nashville's ability to support MLB at this point. Maybe in 20 years but not now. 

Up here the Reds were hurtin' with empty seats....I think the Sounds probably had more fans in the seats than the Reds for some of their homegames.

So it's hard for me to see MLB expanding. I could be wrong though, Nashville is such a destination city pre covid that if it got back to 2019 levels and then blew past it that could be a factor going forward.

[Andy20]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

Ya'll are cute.  A-Rod AND J-Lo can't get a team, but JT can?  And Nashville can? Lulz.

As I've said in the Charlotte speculation thread: MLB doesn't wanna be in half a dozen markets it's currently in; it sure as hell isn't gonna decamp from KC, Cleveland, Cincy,  Oakland,  Miami,  or South Side for the 36th largest metro area in the country, which already has two major league franchises.

Charlotte will have more than 3 million people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Portland will have 2.7mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB.  Nashville might have 2.3mm people in 2030 and STILL won't have MLB in 2050.

This Charlotte native is clearly salty his city will get passed up by another major league after the MLS picked Nashville. I have lived in Nashville and Charlotte and personally want the best for both cities. I do not appreciate your condescending views which I can only assume are completely uninformed speculation of the future growth of Nashville. Major investors from New York City are building multiple high-rises in the gulch this year and stated (during the pandemic) that they believe Nashville will experience exponential growth similar to Atlanta's growth in the past. While this is only one view, I tend to side with a company who is willing to invest close to half a billion dollars in our city rather than someone with limited knowledge of Nashville.

I, as well as, I can only assume many of us, enjoy hearing views from posters from other cities, but there is no reason for this snarky comment that adds nothing to the board. No one, not even the investor groups or the MLB know what the future holds after this pandemic, but we do know Nashville has shown we can support multiple professional sports teams. If the investors are willing to pay to build the stadium, then I think adding another entertainment option for locals and tourists would be a great fit downtown.

[MLBrumby]

You know NOTHING! But I appreciate that we all have gotten under your skin. So to speak... or maybe in the language you understand, we're gonna 'buse you... figuratively, of course.  You can look ahead in your senior HS text books to see what that means. Here's another freebie... never argue with a lawyer unless you know how s/he might respond. Now... um, wiggum... please wiggle away. You're really detracting from the value of these fora. 

6 minutes ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

I know you have dunning kruger.  I know you probably got a job because of daddy.  I know that if I say the word "sinecure" you're not gonna know the meaning without google, and that you think American Psycho is a patriot story.  I'll "run along," a-ok, but, wow, you're in a bulge bracket or white shoe place? I think no.

Cue up Twilight Zone theme. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by MLBrumby

[markhollin]

OK, folks.  If you want to degrade to churlish name calling and one-up-manship, do so directly to each other via personal messages.

 

[markhollin]

Gov. Lee weighs-in on possibility of MLB franchise in Nashville:

“The main thing we can do is remind them that we would really like them to be here,” Lee said. “Whether it’s a big company or whether it is a major league sports team, they want to know if communities will support them and if they want them to be here. I don’t just mean financial support. But financial support is something that will be considered down the road if that’s something they ask for. That hasn’t even been on anybody’s radar, but we would love for them to be here. "

"We will work together with them … I certainly know who is engaged in that process in our city and our state. We’ll be excited about that prospect as well. Nashville, Tennessee, frankly, is a great place for pro sports teams. We’ve proven that time and time again. Baseball would be great.”

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/10/20/governor-bill-lee-nashville-push-mlb-team.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_34&cx_artPos=2#cxrecs_s