Nashville as MLB Expansion/Relocation Market

[subkyle]

I really respect what the Governor is saying there. I think the MLB needs to hear us/feel us wanting them here. I do wander a bit too if he wouldn’t be opposed to helping with $$ to lure them here. 

[NashRugger]

On 10/21/2020 at 2:13 AM, subkyle said:

I really respect what the Governor is saying there. I think the MLB needs to hear us/feel us wanting them here. I do wander a bit too if he wouldn’t be opposed to helping with $$ to lure them here. 

That would probably not sit well with a good number of folks, both in/out of his own party.

Personally, hell no. Find a way to finance it 100% yourself or go somewhere else. Pro sports teams that are worth billions need to stop asking for state/county/municipal handouts. *looks at Texas Rangers & Atlanta Braves as examples*

[subkyle]

36 minutes ago, NashRugger said:

That would probably not sit well with a good number of folks, both in/out of his own party.

Personally, hell no. Find a way to finance it 100% yourself or go somewhere else. Pro sports teams that are worth billions need to stop asking for state/county/municipal handouts. *looks at Texas Rangers & Atlanta Braves as examples*

I don’t disagree with your assessment, but I do think there is a time and place for local governments to help lure entities that can help the local community in one way or another. Were you ok with giving Bridgestone, Amazon and the Nashville Predators big tax breaks to have them here? I’m not sure that a MLB team will help the city like some of these entities, but it’s worthy of consideration I think. I think the Preds and Titans are worth everything they got, just not sure about baseball 

[MLBrumby]

^^ Especially in that particular area of town, where there are a lot of lower income citizens who may either find a job or be inspired to learn a skill that would land them a job there. 

[NashRugger]

3 hours ago, subkyle said:

I don’t disagree with your assessment, but I do think there is a time and place for local governments to help lure entities that can help the local community in one way or another. Were you ok with giving Bridgestone, Amazon and the Nashville Predators big tax breaks to have them here? I’m not sure that a MLB team will help the city like some of these entities, but it’s worthy of consideration I think. I think the Preds and Titans are worth everything they got, just not sure about baseball 

Certain cases, such as the Predators is a double score with a venue that is one of the most successful for concerts/shows, obviously prior to Covid. We got a NHL team and a year-round utilized venue, that pays big dividends, unlike a MLB ballpark. 

MLB is proven to be pretty top heavy with successful franchises versus the rest and most ballparks sit empty for half the year and aren't used for anything outside of a rare major concert or other event, such as Busch Stadium in St. Louis with int'l soccer matches. Sure, it garners attention and potentially more tax dollars, but I just don't see it being fiscally worthwhile, and especially not wise now, to throw $ at big professional sports entities. 

Companies on the other hand, it's a tricky endeavor, but I think with how many cities have been chopped at the knees with revenue cratering and companies realigning strategies during and post-COVID, it'd be difficult to swing. Bridgestone was worth it keeping them within Davidson County versus fleeing to that bland & boring suburban utopia of Williamson County. Also, with Amazon, it's clear that the benefits with them will certainly pay off, particularly if they're forced to divest being labeled a monopoly. That could be a huge win for Nashville. 

Again, NHL & NFL are different from MLB in what they truly do bring to the table. 

[markhollin]

Bear in mind that average attendance in baseball is 28,300 per game (2019), and there is an 81 home game schedule per season.  If a Nashville franchise were to be just average in attendance, that would work out to 2,292,300 attendance from April-Sept. just for the regular season.  Compare that to the Titans 690,000 for 10 games (8 regular season and 2 pre-season---and I am being very generous with the preseason attendance), and the Predators 701,000 for 41 regular season games. 

Here are grosses from ticket sales:

Titans: 10 games at 69,000 each x $72 avg. ticket = $49.7 million

Preds: 41 games at 17,100 each x $105 avg. ticket price = $73.6 million

Baseball team:  81 games at 28,300 x $33 avg. ticket price = $75.6 million

And there is all the ancillary spending around game attendance (food, drink, souvenirs, parking, etc.) that add to the overall take both inside and outside the arena. 

A baseball stadium could probably be utilized for another 8-10 large events per year (concerts, monster trucks, convention gatherings), and could also have tours  of the baseball facilities  whenever the team isn't playing.  A well-run ballpark can be a consistent money maker. 

[markhollin]

Eddie George is added to the advisory team.

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2020/10/29/eddie-george-major-league-baseball-nashville-stars-titans/6039625002/?fbclid=IwAR1UovZcQtnZMz_1k51vqz7CfKORcTVcUoxD43PZ8q8UStOAGATAFbtFUhU

[nashvylle]

Praying the stadium location is somewhere within the inner loop. We cannot have this investment in Williamson County. 

[ruraljuror]

2 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

Praying the stadium location is somewhere within the inner loop. We cannot have this investment in Williamson County. 

I think there's very little risk that there will be an MLB stadium built in Williamson County or anywhere else more than a few miles from the core at most. 

As I understand it, the biggest questions about Nashville's viability as an MLB city have to do with market size and concerns about filling seats, and as I understand it the answer to those questions that's being provided is 'Look how well the Titans and Predators can draw the opposing teams' fans to town - therefore a baseball team will likely also draw opposing fans to town and might do even better among pop-in tourists generally since the MLB season perfectly overlaps with the peak tourist season.' 

Pure speculation on my part, of course, but I think the team being in the core is a core part of the team being. 

[PaulChinetti]

How do the Braves do, isn't there stadium like 20 minutes outside of downtown now?

[nashvylle]

2 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

How do the Braves do, isn't there stadium like 20 minutes outside of downtown now?

Atlanta is a completely different city (IE their downtown core is not a tourist draw like ours) and their stadium deal is heavily favored to the team owners (and not taxpayers). I am t wasnot sure how their stadium does with attendance, but the stadium was built in the suburbs due to season ticket holders' safety concerns (from what I have read, but be wrong). 

Edited October 29, 2020 by nashvylle

[jmtunafish]

1 hour ago, nashvylle said:

Atlanta is a completely different city (IE their downtown core is not a tourist draw like ours) and their stadium deal is heavily favored to the team owners (and not taxpayers). I am t wasnot sure how their stadium does with attendance, but the stadium was built in the suburbs due to season ticket holders' safety concerns (from what I have read, but be wrong). 

In addition, downtown Atlanta is nowhere near being the middle of the metro area.  With 6 million people, the Atlanta metro is very top-heavy.  Its new location is much more convenient to the bulk of the area's population, particularly the population with money.  Downtown Nashville, on the other hand, is very centrally located to the entire area, particularly if we were to include Clarksville.  As others have said, I think a lot more visitors would go to a game in downtown Nashville vs, say, CoolSprings or Mt Juliet.

Plus, Atlanta's new stadium is not in some far-flung suburb.  It's actually right outside the city limits in the Cumberland area which itself is the size of some cities' downtowns.

Edited October 29, 2020 by jmtunafish

[L'burgnative]

Like I said before. I'd be willing to come up an hour and a half for multiple games a year in Nashville as opposed to driving three and a half hours for a team I hate worse than the freaking Yankee's in Atlanta!  The South is under severed with MLB.  If the Brave's want to cock block Charlotte or Nashville from getting an MLB team then they can kiss my rear end even more, it's shining and out there.  THEY ARE NOT MY REGIONAL TEAM and  I HATE the brave's almost as much as this Bama fan hates UT football (I Hate UT more than Alabama Poly Tech Institute because Y'all are worth hating more than the freaking barn (auburn) and they aren't worth crap to cf history like they think they are).  The two must cities deserving of MLB is Charlotte and Nashville because for the reason I said above, south is under served and Atlanta doesn't own our markets.  In the South you have brave's, Ray's and the Marlins, if you want to count Texas than Astro's and Rangers too and that's it!  If Nashville could ever pull the A's out of Oakland I'd be done with my beloved Detroit Tigers.  An expansion team or the Ray's I still remain a Tiger fan but still good for multiple games a year and routing for Nashville when they're not playing Detroit.  Other than college football or SEC football in person there is nothing like MLB to go to a game in person!  NFL sucks! NCAA basketball sucks! NBA basketball, wish to see a Celtics game in the Garden one day.  NHL I don't get it like soccer but looks fun to see unlike soccer but wish NSC all the best! I'm not against MLS and was rooting for MLS to Nashville, it's just it's as boring  or sleep worthy as PGA...

Edited November 20, 2020 by L'burgnative

[NashRugger]

So... after reading that ramble, I guess you're for it? 

[L'burgnative]

^^^ Yeah I rambled but the jest of it is I hate the Brave's, they're not the local team like they think they are.  People talking here that MLB is boring and I completely disagree with that.  And if you are a UT fan I paid y'all a complement saying I hate UT more then Alabama Poly Tech aka auburn while describing how bad I hate the brave's.  To your question yes I'm for MLB to Nashville.

[MidTenn1]

Theo Epstein to Nashville would be huge. 

Quote

It appears Theo Epstein is taking a bit of break after departing the Chicago Cubs.

The 46-year-old has stepped down as the Cubs’ president of baseball operations following nine years in the role.

Now, Epstein plans to take a year off before a potential return to the league with an ownership group or expansion franchise, assuming Nashville stays in the running, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

With Epstein's reputation and respect throughout major league baseball, I'm not sure how Nashville would not get a team. From 'SB Nation'."

Quote

After helping the Boston Red Sox win two championships (as their GM) and bust the 86-year-old Curse of the Bambino, Epstein took over the Cubs in 2011. He then led Chicago to break their own Curse of the Billy Goat and ultimately win their first World Series in 108 years. And he’s still only 46 years old.

The TENNESSEE LOOKOUT also reports on the Epstein rumor, but contributes another rumor about Bill Haslam joining the Nashville Stars group...

Quote

However, there’s another name circulating the courthouse rumor mill as a possible leader of a legitimate MLB expansion effort in Nashville: former Gov. Bill Haslam.

Because of his wealth and political clout, Haslam wouldn’t need to partner with Loar and Music City Baseball. Haslam is the kind of billionaire with a capital B necessary to lead a professional sports ownership group.

If these two rumors come to fruition, I think the effort to attract an expansion team could get real serious.

Edited November 24, 2020 by PHofKS
Wrong Lookout link, sorry

[titanhog]

^^Yes...if we keep pulling in big name guys like this, you'd think they're only coming on board because something seems imminent.  I can't imagine Epstein getting involved unless we're actually getting a team. Will be interesting to watch and see if he jumps on board.

[timmay143]

Wow!  If Esptein does come on board, that's a pretty big weight to add to the scale.

[musiczealot]

Epstein and Haslam would bring this thing home, I think.  They need someone in the ownership group that has big pockets - Haslam fills that void (and then some).  Epstein would set the stage for this to become a world class organization.

[Mike G]

Isn't Dave Dombrowski also involved? Interesting we'd get the last two Boston GMs here...

[MidTenn1]

6 minutes ago, Mike G said:

Isn't Dave Dombrowski also involved? Interesting we'd get the last two Boston GMs here...

True. He signed on in July.

 

[Bos2Nash]

On 11/24/2020 at 8:54 PM, Mike G said:

Isn't Dave Dombrowski also involved? Interesting we'd get the last two Boston GMs here...

2 out of the last 3 actually. Ben Cherington was in between the two of them and is now the GM of the Pirates.

I'd be interested to see how ideologies play out between Dombrowski and Epstien. Epstien is brilliant with farm system and player development while Dombrowski is brillant at spending money and trading the farm. With an expansion team I think both spending money and development are crucial to success, but still getting the team off the ground.

[titanhog]

So…am I correct in assuming the reason we’re getting so much interest from some high-level people is that this may be their only chance to get in on the ground floor of an MLB team as partial owners?

[MLBrumby]

Just now, titanhog said:

So…am I correct in assuming the reason we’re getting so much interest from some high-level people is that this may be their only chance to get in on the ground floor of an MLB team as partial owners?

It's very rare to be sure. Nashville has proven itself to be a very good midsize pro-team market.  To borrow an analogy from another sport, Nash punches above its weight. 

[markhollin]

13 hours ago, titanhog said:

So…am I correct in assuming the reason we’re getting so much interest from some high-level people is that this may be their only chance to get in on the ground floor of an MLB team as partial owners?

That is part of the equation for sure.  If MLB expands, it will be 2 more teams making for 16 in each league.  That is a sweet spot as far as scheduling, etc. goes.  Going to 33 teams and up causes all kinds of issues.  So, there are realistically only 2 slots available for investors to get on the ground floor looking ahead several decades.