New Stadium For Tampa

[TruBlueBrewCrew]

It’s also not smart to make it fully domed all the time IMO. LoanDepot park is retractable.

The heat is a lot, as can be the rain, but with mostly night games, this alleviates a little bit of the problem.

[JRX]

Don't they come up with a new plan almost every year? Just move the team already either to tampa proper or another city.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

How badly will they fleece the taxpayers?

It's Florida....the taxpayers are bending over backwards begging to be fleeced. Just like the voters in Miami were for the Marlins, and the voters in Atlanta were for the Braves third stadium in 30 years.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by mfw13

It's Florida....the taxpayers are bending over backwards begging to be fleeced. Just like the voters in Miami were for the Marlins, and the voters in Atlanta were for the Braves third stadium in 30 years.

Let's not leave out NY where there's no choice but to be fleeced to give Buffalo a new stadium because if there's one sport under financial hardship, its the NFL.

[80s Kid]

Great, now figure out Oakland so we can have some expansion.

[Mandy1320]

Originally Posted by mfw13

It's Florida....the taxpayers are bending over backwards begging to be fleeced. Just like the voters in Miami were for the Marlins, and the voters in Atlanta were for the Braves third stadium in 30 years.

I promise you that's the furthest thing from the truth especially when talking about the Rays.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by Raleigh504

Agreed and a lot of that is on the CBA (Salary floor & blackouts). However, with adding 2 teams, the new teams (depending on location) could make it worthwhile to eliminate the blackouts as well as the Bally sports bankruptcy could force an end to the blackouts. I think a lot of things could have MLB get rid of the blackouts.

Also 99% of the problems is really due to Rob. One of the worst commissioners in pro sports.

The reason for the blackouts is because MLB teams sign exclusive deals with regional sports networks, who in turn sign deals with service providers like cable and satellite companies. MLB players don't get a direct share of RSN money.

Edit: the regional blackouts are specifically because team's have exclusive territorial rights, which give them exclusive tv rights.

[ewokpelts]

Originally Posted by fulltritty

Plan outlined for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, redevelopment

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-redevelopment

I’ll believe it when the rays play a full season there n

[ewokpelts]

Originally Posted by Stech36

Interesting. While the stadium is terrible, I thought the location was the main reason for low attendance

I feel like this would be the same mistake the marlins made

If the rays get a facility where they Get the lions share of revenue, they’ll say it’s awesome.

The lease the devil Rays signed was not team friendly, but the founders agreed To it thinking they would have strong sales like the marlins early on.

[ewokpelts]

Originally Posted by Drew3000

MLB should be focusing on other issues (salary cap/floor, ending blackouts, Bally sports bankruptcy, how to get young fans engaged) then adding 2 new franchises to an already watered down talent pool

Expansion means $$$$$$$$$$$$$ for the other owners. They get the expansion fee and the new clubs forfeit national tv revenue for five years. And the media rights expand as a result.

[ewokpelts]

Originally Posted by endthecurse

The area around the stadium has gotten a lot better for pre- and post-game in the last couple of years. Ferg's is a hole, but it's massive and there's almost always a buzz. Green Bench is a solid brewery. Burnt Ends has good BBQ and a 'hidden' tiki bar on the top floor. Lots of other new restaurants and bars nearby -- and it looks like this development will add more. The stadium is terrible, though -- worst park in baseball, from the ~20 I've visited.

Never understood St. Pete, though -- especially because the stadium is a little too far from the downtown bars and restaurants. PITA to access from every direction, too (I live in Sarasota half the year).

ST Pete was desperate to get any team in the post buccaneers arena race for sports in the 80’s.

[ethanwa]

As someone who lives in Orlando, I think the Rays staying in St Pete is a TERRIBLE idea. They should have moved the team to Tampa.

[ethanwa]

Originally Posted by awz50

The stadium is not as bad as people say, its outdated but its not horrible

Oh it's terrible. It's on of the worst stadiums in baseball. I've been many times, as well as been to other stadiums in the MLB. It reminds me of the Kingdome in Seattle. Feels like I'm stepping back in time to the 1980's.

[hxcmilkshake]

Dark, with a giant orange in RF, and Wade Boggs' number retired !

That'll all be trivia one day

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Chiefnocahoma]

Went to Tampa/ st Pete a few years ago. Seems the Rays got the 87 acres to develop which would help that area out. There’s that BBQ place across the street. Also near by is the Dali museum and Rowdies stadium. Not a complete wasteland as some have commented.

[callou2131]

Originally Posted by mfw13

It's Florida....the taxpayers are bending over backwards begging to be fleeced. Just like the voters in Miami were for the Marlins, and the voters in Atlanta were for the Braves third stadium in 30 years.

That atlanta stadium is horrible. The battery is good, but the stadium and location suck.

[Silent George]

Originally Posted by callou2131

That atlanta stadium is horrible. The battery is good, but the stadium and location suck.

completely disagree. They planted that stadium right in the middle of all of their fans. Turner field was on the wrong side of Atlanta. You had to battle rush hour traffic every freaking game to get there. The stadium is decent. The battery has become a destination even with no games.

I have a pretty intimate knowledge of the inner workings of this deal through my former career. And the media liked to attack the Braves for moving out of their nice stadium.

But it wasn't the stadium. The Braves have a pretty crappy TV deal, and worked for years to try and make the stadium itself a destination. They begged the city for help with the surrounding area, begged for a Marta stop. They got nothing. And the stadium became a scary place to be outside of. And here's the directions from the nearest MARTA station:

It takes about 25 minutes to walk to the Georgia State Stadium from the Georgia State MARTA station. Take the Piedmont Avenue exit out of the station, turn left on Piedmont and walk until you reach the stadium. Bring a bike with you on MARTA for a faster commute.

The fans were all in Cobb county. Georgia fans of all sports love distractions, like the battery. The immediate stadium area wouldn't get any funding. Fans had to drive through Atlanta to get to the stadium on the other side. Then they had to leave their cars for hours on end in a crappy part of town. Or they had to walk almost two miles from the nearest MARTA station.

Or they could stay at home and watch on TV.

Meanwhile here's an article from 4 days ago: from BizJounrals:

The Braves' most valuable player isn't on the roster. The team is days away from starting spring training in Florida, but The Battery Atlanta has been buzzing for months.

The move from Turner Field, in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, created some heartache for Intown fans. But it's been profitable, with Liberty reporting $69 million worth of income from baseball and Battery-related activities during the first two quarters of last year, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Battery revenues primarily come from rental income, parking and sponsorships, according to Liberty.
"We beat even our own expectations," Schiller said.
The Battery, pitched as the “South’s preeminent lifestyle destination,” sits at the intersection of I-75 and I-285 in the Cumberland Galleria commercial district. What was an area of disparate office and residential offerings now has a “town square that galvanizes this part of the community," Schiller said.
Schiller is also quick to counter the common narrative that the Braves moved to the suburbs. He argues that the 14-mile shift to Cumberland was a move to density.
"It’s not like we picked a greenfield that was completely away from everything else," he said. "Turner Field was surrounded by big, empty parking lots."
As of May 2022, Liberty Media’s investment in its new development was over $1 billion, with another $700 million in the pipeline planned by 2025. Tenants have invested another $100 million, according to Liberty. The Braves have $912 million in contracts committed to players and coaches, according to SEC filings.
The area provides a net total impact of $18.9 million annually, according to a report from the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce. A “halo effect” has boosted property values in the area by $4.5 billion, the chamber report found.

I can assure you, the Braves are thrilled with their move.

[NHRonin]

Originally Posted by Silent George

As a central Fla resident:

The location (for driving) is absolutely terrible
The location (for leisure) is absolutely terrible.
The stadium for watching is ok
The stadium for enjoying the stadium sucks
The stadium for field conditions has to be the worst in baseball. That turf…
and of course, as an aside, the tv blackouts are absurd.

The rays literally have a better spring training site in Tampa, which is why attendance is pretty comparable for fake baseball.

The drive makes it untenable for me to visit regularly. Anyone who commutes to a normal 7PM game is forced to deal with Tampa rush hour traffic from 95% of wherever you’re coming from. And they’re at the very end of a host of busy interstates.

And I’m not joking when I tell you that, at least a few years ago, the closest leisurely thing to do around the stadium was a holocaust memorial. There’s nothing resembling a Battery or Wrigleyville or Ballpark Village.

Fixing all of the bottom items would be good, and make everything more enjoyable. But I still can’t justify actually getting there.

I always felt they’d be better off moving to Orlando. More tourist money.

[ethanwa]

Originally Posted by NHRonin

I always felt they’d be better off moving to Orlando. More tourist money.

As someone who lives in Orlando, the attendance would be terrible honestly. Our market is just too small (much smaller than Tampa/St Pete). I'm a huge baseball fan (moved here from Seattle 10 years ago) and after being here for a while, I can say that MLB baseball would not work any better here.

Tourists have plenty to do already... not much time for a baseball game after the beach/Disney/Universal/food/etc.

[Coach Ditka]

Originally Posted by TruBlueBrewCrew

It’s also not smart to make it fully domed all the time IMO. LoanDepot park is retractable.

The heat is a lot, as can be the rain, but with mostly night games, this alleviates a little bit of the problem.

Definitely disappointed to hear they plan to replace their current depressing dome with another dome. I know retractable roofs are more expensive but it this new stadium will resemble the Trop in any way, shape, or form, why bother? I've been to 23/30 current stadiums with this being 1 of the 7 still to hit ... & I have no desire to go.

[iluvfish2]

If anyone here's of Boggs seat coming up for Sale please let me know!

[rms13]

new stadium for Rays will probably be in Vegas

[Nester99]

Originally Posted by rms13

new stadium for Rays will probably be in Vegas

Montreal !

[rms13]

Originally Posted by Nester99

Montreal !

Montreal definitely has better baseball fans than Tampa which is pretty sad. But I don't know if MLB has any desire to have another team in Canada now

[awz50]

Originally Posted by rms13

new stadium for Rays will probably be in Vegas

Gross.

Let them have the A's