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pilotaggie wrote: ↑

May 11th, 2021, 4:53 pm

We can't afford another stadium. I love baseball games but Vegas needs to pass on MLB right now.

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3rdGenAggie wrote:

pilotaggie wrote: ↑

May 11th, 2021, 4:53 pm

We can't afford another stadium. I love baseball games but Vegas needs to pass on MLB right now.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

It would have to be a dome as well. No way they're playing a July afternoon game in Vegas outside.

Mr. Sneelock wrote: ↑

May 12th, 2021, 10:25 am

I would love to see a MLB team in SLC. While I recognize that it may be down the list a bit, I actually think SLC would be a very good MLB city. Utah is the fastest growing state in the country, and that isn't expected to slow down anytime soon. It is also one of the best states for businesses. Business sponsorships would be critical. The Jazz don't have a corporate sponsorship problem and I don't anticipate that an MLB team would either. Utah fans love their teams and are a loyal bunch. We support the Jazz with pretty much every game sold out, and attendance doesn't wane much when the team is mediocre. We don't have a lot that would compete with MLB. While MLB teams have larger stadiums (about 35-45K) and more games, I really think that Utah could support that. I don't see Sunday play as a significant issue anymore. It may have been 20-30 years ago, but I don't think it is really anymore. Also, in MLB, most of the teams don't sell out regularly. Minnesota was the median attendance team in 2019, averaging 28K per game. Several teams averaged under 20K per game. The A's averaged right at about 20K per game. I believe SLC could support at least that, and as it continues to grow, so would attendance.

Salt Lake City is the #30 ranked media market in the United States. There are a handful of larger markets that do not have teams (Orlando, Sacramento, Portland, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Nashville), but I am not convinced any of them are demonstrably better than Salt Lake. Incidentally, there are a handful that are smaller and DO have teams (Kansas City, Cincinnati, Milwaukee).

Let's look at some of the contenders:
1. Las Vegas - Smaller than SLC (#40 media market), but is a destination city. Growing fast, and pretty business friendly. Lots of visitors and tourists. Probably the frontrunner. One problem is that they don't have a long history of professional sports, so it remains to be seen how the city supports its teams longer term. Also, MLB is VERY averse to gambling.
2. Orlando - It is a big city, but doesn't make much sense to me. Florida already has two teams that get very tepid support. The Rays have threatened to move, and the Marlins have the lowest attendance of any team despite winning two World Series and having a newer ballpark. Tampa is second lowest. Why would Orlando be any different?
3. Charlotte - It is a big enough city, but does MLB really want another East Coast team? This is a factor for Orlando, too.
4. San Antonio is the #31 ranked market, and is very similar in size to Salt Lake. While it is definitely not tied to Houston or Dallas, I have to wonder how those two teams would feel about another team in Texas. I don't see how it is demonstrably better than SLC.

I would like to know why any of these are demonstrably better than SLC. Obviously I am biased, but I am still not convinced that SLC shouldn't get serious consideration.

travelingagg wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2021, 6:46 am

Vegas is not smaller than SLC. At 2.3 million residents in Clark County, it’s closer to the size of the entire Wasatch Front than to SLC or even SL County. I.e., there are way more people within a 30-minute or less drive to go to games.

Mr. Sneelock wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2021, 10:02 am

travelingagg wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2021, 6:46 am

Vegas is not smaller than SLC. At 2.3 million residents in Clark County, it’s closer to the size of the entire Wasatch Front than to SLC or even SL County. I.e., there are way more people within a 30-minute or less drive to go to games.

Clark County is more densely populated than Salt Lake County, but the Clark County metro area is absolutely not larger than the Wasatch Front metro area. Once you get outside of Clark County, there are very few people. There may be more people in the combined surrounding counties than in Salt Lake County proper. According to the 2020 census, there are roughly 2.85 Million people living between Logan and Payson.

ViAggie wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2021, 10:55 am

Any stadium is going to cost taxpayer dollars, no stadium ever gets built sans huge tax breaks. In fact most stadiums never pencil out, never recoup their costs. That's why professional stadiums are considered a "benefit" like a public park or public museum.