Nashville as MLB Expansion/Relocation Market

[samsonh]

6 minutes ago, MagicPotato said:

There's complaints saying that Nashville doesn't have the population to handle a MLB expansion, but I disagree. Nashville may not quite have the population figures, however the major benefit of Nashville is how centrally located it is. Nashville is a 3-5 drive to 3 franchise cities Atlanta, St.Louis, and the Cincinnati  Reds. That's not including the influential market areas involving those 3 locations. 

The biggest issue is how small the TV market is. They would forever be an uncompetitive team just for that reason. 

[MagicPotato]

6 minutes ago, samsonh said:

The biggest issue is how small the TV market is. They would forever be an uncompetitive team just for that reason. 

That's true, I was thinking of game attendance from a visitor teams aspect. However, the Cleveland Guardians have a fairly small market and is surrounded by a bunch of franchises too. So it's still possible for it to work in Nashville.

[Luvemtall]

The neysayers said Nashville couldn’t support Hockey, they said Nashville couldn’t support Soccer, say how’s it possible that Nashville has Indy Car it’s not big enough. Well I think they will all be crying when ( NOT IF) they hear …. PLAY BALL !!! WELCOME TO NASHVILLE STARS BASEBALL!!

[jjbradleyBrooklyn]

18 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

The neysayers said Nashville couldn’t support Hockey, they said Nashville couldn’t support Soccer, say how’s it possible that Nashville has Indy Car it’s not big enough. Well I think they will all be crying when ( NOT IF) they hear …. PLAY BALL !!! WELCOME TO NASHVILLE STARS BASEBALL!!

So true. The neysayers and negative folks will always be that way, I feel like. I think Nashville is positioning itself to get MLB. By 2030, I'd be  very surprised if the city does not yet have a team.

[samsonh]

2 hours ago, jjbradleyBrooklyn said:

So true. The neysayers and negative folks will always be that way, I feel like. I think Nashville is positioning itself to get MLB. By 2030, I'd be  very surprised if the city does not yet have a team.

I am just surprised people want it that badly. MLB is slowly shrinking. They struggle to get attention from younger fans. The games are too long and not exciting. Many markets that are Nashville's size or larger are getting crushed on attendance.  Sure, Nashville will have fans come from other cities come to games, but that is not a recipe for lasting success. 

[titanhog]

4 hours ago, samsonh said:

I am just surprised people want it that badly. MLB is slowly shrinking. They struggle to get attention from younger fans. The games are too long and not exciting. Many markets that are Nashville's size or larger are getting crushed on attendance.  Sure, Nashville will have fans come from other cities come to games, but that is not a recipe for lasting success. 

Sports ebb and flow.  I don’t believe the MLB will shrink down to nothing…just like I don’t think NASCAR will shrink down to nothing.  It seems a lot of the younger kids and immigrants from Latin America love soccer…so that will rise for awhile…but who knows for sure which sports are going to be king in 20 years?  I’d love to have an MLB team…just because it still feels like the most pure sport there is (which may be why it’s kinda boring).

[Rick Dalton]

NASCAR being outclassed by formula one 

Edited July 2, 2022 by natethegreat

[samsonh]

4 hours ago, titanhog said:

Sports ebb and flow.  I don’t believe the MLB will shrink down to nothing…just like I don’t think NASCAR will shrink down to nothing.  It seems a lot of the younger kids and immigrants from Latin America love soccer…so that will rise for awhile…but who knows for sure which sports are going to be king in 20 years?  I’d love to have an MLB team…just because it still feels like the most pure sport there is (which may be why it’s kinda boring).

I don’t disagree. It’s facing a lot of competition and needs to adapt, and hasn’t yet. Maybe in the next few years some of these potential rule changes will change its perception.

[markhollin]

Nashville is rated #1 most likely city out of 10 cities most likely to get a Major League Baseball expansion team according to Bookies.com:

https://bookies.com/mlb/picks/next-mlb-expansion-city-odds

[lmc123]

1 hour ago, markhollin said:

Nashville is rated #1 most likely city out of 10 cities most likely to get a Major League Baseball expansion team according to Bookies.com:

https://bookies.com/mlb/picks/next-mlb-expansion-city-odds

But where would it go???

[nashvylle]

2 minutes ago, lmc123 said:

But where would it go???

TSU campus from everything I have read lately. 

[samsonh]

So MLB will seek roughly $2 billion as an expansion fee, then they will need to figure out how to build a $2 billion stadium. This is a ways off at best. 

[PillowTalk4]

43 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

TSU campus from everything I have read lately. 

I only see this happening at TSU if somehow student housing is included in the plan.  Otherwise a baseball stadium will take up valuable land needed by the university itself.  Not a structure that will be used a limited number of months out of the year. 

TSU will have another student housing crisis this year and probably for another two to four years until multiple new residential buildings are built.  Even then, they will still face a housing shortage.  Obviously, most schools can't house every single student wanting to stay on campus, but with limited campus housing and limited off-campus housing nearby and/or affordable, TSU (and I assume other schools in Nashville) will continue to face a housing crisis.

With very limited affordable apartments near the TSU campus it's going to be a challenge for years to come if enrollment climbs as is expected.  Even if TSU offers housing vouchers as some schools are doing to help with off-campus housing, the rent, even for multiple students renting a small home in the TSU area or a two bedroom apartment in The Nations or further west may still be cost prohibitive.  TSU students used to rent along the Charlotte Pike corridor from White Bridge Road westward.  I don't know if that area is still affordable or has availability like it used to given the rising cost to rent.  Now, TSU students are renting in Antioch because it's cheaper.  But they obviously hate the commute and it takes away from participating in campus events.  

[Luvemtall]

If the organization behind Nashville Stars Baseball hold’s true to the plan . that they want to build not only a stadium but a whole complex, including a entertainment district, residential and office space. Then I wouldn’t rule out a surrounding county. They wouldn’t need to be confined to be as close to the bulls&&& of lower Broadway if they have their own entertainment area ( why let the honky tonks make all the money) or the higher cost of land in Downtown. I would not be one bit surprised, if it gets serious to the point that it’s a go to see Rutherford, Sumner, or Wilson Counties a viable option. Not all professional sports teams are in the center of the city they are named for. 

[Rick Dalton]

It should obviously be on the East Bank

[nashvylle]

5 minutes ago, Luvemtall said:

I would not be one bit surprised, if it gets serious to the point that it’s a go to see Rutherford, Sumner, or Wilson Counties a viable option. Not all professional sports teams are in the center of the city they are named for. 

That'd be a seriously bad decision. TSU could work over time, but people don't fly into Nashville to then drive an hour for a game. 

[Luvemtall]

4 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

That'd be a seriously bad decision. TSU could work over time, but people don't fly into Nashville to then drive an hour for a game. 

Yeah that’s true, but a good example is Wilson County is actually closer to the airport then TSU or Downtown. Mt Juliet is only 10 minutes from airport and Lebanon is 20 minutes. 

[nashvylle]

Just now, Luvemtall said:

Yeah that’s true, but a good example is Wilson County is actually closer to the airport then TSU or Downtown. Mt Juliet is only 10 minutes from airport and Lebanon is 20 minutes. 

Good point, but people don't come to Nashville for the airport. If the stadium is not downtown, the distance should be from downtown/where tourists would stay.

They come for the touristy attractions, and at TSU they could stay in downtown for the weekend and take a 10 minute uber to the game etc. 

[Luvemtall]

There’s 100+ acres ready to go at the I-40 I-840 Interchange in Lebanon that is less then 20 minutes to the airport and only 25 minutes to Murfreesboro. They could have easy access from all directions 

[PaulChinetti]

People fly into ATL and drive 20 miles to Braves' games, LAX is 20 miles from Dodgers' stadium.

So it's not like it's unheard of. 

20 miles around Nashville gives you a lot of options. 

Now do I agree should it be anywhere but downtown, no, not at all.  Unless, there is a dedicated transit option for the stadium. Not just, get on the interstate and have fun!

[Luvemtall]

Thanks Paul. I’m  all for keeping it Downtown, but as you stated 20 miles out is not unheard of. I’m just trying to think in terms of land availability and cost and logistics to get easier in and out opportunities 

[PaulChinetti]

24 minutes ago, Luvemtall said:

Thanks Paul. I’m  all for keeping it Downtown, but as you stated 20 miles out is not unheard of. I’m just trying to think in terms of land availability and cost and logistics to get easier in and out opportunities 

Yeah without a dedicated train of some kind to the stadium. I would want it in the core too. 

[smeagolsfree]

The other catch here too is if they want a whole new mixed use community surrounding the Ballpark, with entertainment and such, folks need to be within spitting distance of the other attractions. It will be hard to fill office space there, and it is already hard to keep restaurants on that side of town for various reasons. A lot of it has to do with spending power. When there is no game there will be no customers. Unfortunately there are racial aspects that are involved. I have to say that and the big boy companies including grocery stores, chain restaurants factor these things in. That is why there are food deserts, restaurant deserts so to speak with nothing healthy, just fast food.

I hate to bring that issue up as I try not to be racist, but these big companies are, even if they say they are not their policies say something different.

If you look at the racial breakup and the spending power of city neighborhoods you will not find trendier businesses in the poorer areas of town. Look how long it took East Nashville to get a Publix. The household income was not where they wanted it until recently. That also comes into play with poor white cities. There may have been chain restaurants in some of these places, but they are closing in droves.

Moving on. There are no hotels there and likely will be any or enough to handle the needs. People will not stay in that area when the action is on Broadway. Buchanan Street is OK, but it is not what you would call a 12 S yet.

I am sure the Stars owners have good intentions but are blinded by their ambitions and someone with some common sense needs to give them a dose of reality. If they plan on gentrifying that entire area being a minority owned team, they will end up with a fight on their hands. That area is already suffering a ton of that already and when a bunch of out of towners come in and try to change a neighborhood like this, it may end up backfiring pretty badly.

The problem again is the area has a bad reputation, without a good Ingres/egress system. If it is on campus the TSU police get to handle. What happens when you. Have a  Hockey, Soccer, NFL and Baseball game or some other big event at Bridgestone or the stadium that is not sports related.

It is easier to handle crowds in a concentrated area. Now we are in multiple parts of the city. Hey let’s throw in a Vandy game to boot.

That is just a piss poor location on so many levels. 

[lmc123]

2 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

The other catch here too is if they want a whole new mixed use community surrounding the Ballpark, with entertainment and such, folks need to be within spitting distance of the other attractions. It will be hard to fill office space there, and it is already hard to keep restaurants on that side of town for various reasons. A lot of it has to do with spending power. When there is no game there will be no customers. Unfortunately there are racial aspects that are involved. I have to say that and the big boy companies including grocery stores, chain restaurants factor these things in. That is why there are food deserts, restaurant deserts so to speak with nothing healthy, just fast food.

I hate to bring that issue up as I try not to be racist, but these big companies are, even if they say they are not their policies say something different.

If you look at the racial breakup and the spending power of city neighborhoods you will not find trendier businesses in the poorer areas of town. Look how long it took East Nashville to get a Publix. The household income was not where they wanted it until recently. That also comes into play with poor white cities. There may have been chain restaurants in some of these places, but they are closing in droves.

Moving on. There are no hotels there and likely will be any or enough to handle the needs. People will not stay in that area when the action is on Broadway. Buchanan Street is OK, but it is not what you would call a 12 S yet.

I am sure the Stars owners have good intentions but are blinded by their ambitions and someone with some common sense needs to give them a dose of reality. If they plan on gentrifying that entire area being a minority owned team, they will end up with a fight on their hands. That area is already suffering a ton of that already and when a bunch of out of towners come in and try to change a neighborhood like this, it may end up backfiring pretty badly.

The problem again is the area has a bad reputation, without a good Ingres/egress system. If it is on campus the TSU police get to handle. What happens when you. Have a  Hockey, Soccer, NFL and Baseball game or some other big event at Bridgestone or the stadium that is not sports related.

It is easier to handle crowds in a concentrated area. Now we are in multiple parts of the city. Hey let’s throw in a Vandy game to boot.

That is just a piss poor location on so many levels. 

Totally fair statement. I also think the Nashville Stars group has a diversity and inclusion committee and once they determine that the TSU site is no longer financially feasible they can move on to another site. I've heard East Bank is the main priority but the Titans aren't having it. Now that Icahn is solely a property owner with selling PSC, could the group convince him? If it isn't East Bank I think it'll head to Franklin near the Mack Hatcher extension or perhaps somewhere in Wilson County off I40/840.

[Nashvillain]

This thread certainly is eye opening. 

In terms of getting in and out, I'm not a traffic engineer but it seems as though there are at least as many options to get here and get out as there are at Geodis. There's 40 and 440. There's DB Todd, 28th/31st Ave., Rosa Parks, Clarksville Pike, Buena Vista/Trinity Ln, Walter Davis to Centennial BLVD., Briley PKWY. I don't know, doesn't seem all that bad. 

Would be cool if Metro actually got its thumb out of its a$$ and planned for transit TO A DESTINATION. Maybe Rookzie can dust off his Jefferson Street corridor transit plan and make some alterations and shop it to NDOT, local council member, and the ownership group trying to get this thing built