Major league Baseball in North Carolina (team, stadium, cities, Sacramento)

[aardvarks]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

Might as well move the Rays there....I'm sure they couldn't draw any worse in NC than they do in Tampa Bay. I think a team in NC would probably do better in Raleigh-Durham than in Charlotte. Charlotte is a little closer to Braves territory, and also Charlotte's AAA team is usually at or near the bottom of the IL in attendance.

But really, if the Rays were to move, I think a northern city would support them better. An AL team in the Philadelphia market might work, Philly is the largest metro with only 1 MLB team. Buffalo also might work, they have drawn well for AAA baseball, even drawing over 1 million fans in a season before, which is unheard of in the minors.

There's always the option of moving them to Montreal and bringing back the Expos!

a little bit of a mis-leading stat in that the Charlotte Knights actually play over the boarder in Fort Mill SC about 20 miles south of uptown Charlotte.

I live in the NE corner of the Charlotte metro and for me to see the Knights is a 40 mile drive.

there has been talk of moving the Knights to Uptown Charlotte and if they did the attendance would skyrocket.

[Ridgerunner]

Originally Posted by aardvarks

there has been talk of moving the Knights to Uptown Charlotte and if they did the attendance would skyrocket.

I think so, too.

The Austin metro is slightly smaller than Charlotte, but AA and AAA franchises have had tremendous success at an "out-of-town" location. Of course, it helps that they have been Rangers affiliates.

[The Cash Register]

I agree, Charlotte and/or Raleigh deserves a professional team, but I'm also a fan of alternative sports leagues - someone should get some money and develop secondary football, baseball, and basketball leagues and capture the non-NFL/NBA/MLB markets.

[Ridgerunner]

Originally Posted by The Cash Register

I agree, Charlotte and/or Raleigh deserves a professional team, but I'm also a fan of alternative sports leagues - someone should get some money and develop secondary football, baseball, and basketball leagues and capture the non-NFL/NBA/MLB markets.

I think MLB has overexpanded and that for the future health of the game it should look at contraction rather than expansion. But I am in favor of moving certain franchises to markets that could be more supportive.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner

I think MLB has overexpanded and that for the future health of the game it should look at contraction rather than expansion. But I am in favor of moving certain franchises to markets that could be more supportive.

I'm of the same opinion.

[oceanman76]

The lack of attendance for the for the TB Rays is a little misleading. There are more factors than simply apathetic fans. Out of the 100 largest metros in the U.S., Tampa Bay has the third worst economy with an underemployment rate of around 20%. People here simply cant afford to go to many games. The local tv ratings for Rays games however, have skyrocketed the last few years.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by PDD

When is major league baseball coming to NC? With all the Northerners moving to NC it is about time for a National league team here.
The Braves don't count they are in Georgia not NC.

International League: Attendance
Team Yesterday Total Openings Average
Lehigh Valley 628,925 68 9248
Louisville 601,372 69 8715
Columbus 591,884 68 8704
Pawtucket 578,930 70 8270
Indianapolis 580,082 71 8170
Toledo 549,438 69 7962
Buffalo 521,530 67 7784
Durham 462,682 71 6516
Rochester 448,024 69 6493
Syracuse 374,680 64 5854
Norfolk 397,889 70 5684
Gwinnett 351,565 69 5095
Scranton/WB 298,098 65 4586
Charlotte 279,107 68 4104

No Charlotte won't get a MLB team their's Attendences is horrible.
P.S. The Tulsa Drillers of Single A Minor League Baseball had over 400,000 Attendances this season.
Drillers Set Attendance Record, Announce Front Office Changes | Tulsa Drillers News

[Ridgerunner]

Can you give us some figures for the PCL? I think Albuquerque and Round Rock (Austin) might be the leaders.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner

Can you give us some figures for the PCL? I think Albuquerque and Round Rock (Austin) might be the leaders.

SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS ATTENDANCE – 2000-2010
Year Total Attend. Avg./Date Year Total Attend. Avg./Date Year Total Attend. Avg./Date
2000 861,808* 12,312*
2004 751,156* 10,433^
2008 700,168* 9,725
2001 901,214* 12,517*
2005 755,750* 10,497#
2009 657,095^ 9,126
2002 817,317* 11,512*
2006 728,227# 10,257#
2010 657,910* 9,138^
2003 766,326* 10,643#
2007 710,235* 10,003
Best in Minor Leagues # -
Led U.S./Canadian teams among U.S./Canadian The Albuquerque Isotopes had their 8 straight year above 500,000

Colorado Springs drew a team record-high 328,003 best attendance ever, missing a new high by less than 1,400. The renovation of Cheney Stadium, originally built in 100 days in 1960, will be completed for the 2011 season.straight decline, and its lowest total (462,041 since 1999. They drew 887,976 in 2000 Round Rock drew 596,985, which was the best total in the Minors, but ended a 10 year streak of 625,000 Iowa topped 500,000 for the 7 time in the last 9 years. Portland had its final season in the P.C.L. PGE Park is being converted to soccer use only. Attendance fell to
75,248, the 4th biggest drop in the Minors in 2010. Portland’s all-time attendance record is 454,197, set in 2002. This team moves temporarily to Tucson, which was in this league from 1969 through 2008, and in the]independent Golden Baseball League in 2009 and 2010. Tucson’s P.C.L. record-high was 317,347 in 1991.
5 teams topped 500,000 in 2010, a mark reached by 4 teams in 2009, 6 teams in 2008, and 7 teams in 2007.
]Omaha played its final season at Rosenblatt Stadium in 2010, and drew 406,276, their highest total since 2000.The last game there drew 23,795. The Royals had the top increase in the league. Record season attendance at Rosenblatt was 449,753 in 1997. Omaha has topped 300,000 for 22 straight years. In 2011, the team gets a new name (Storm Chasers) and moves to a new ballpark in suburban Sarpy. Werner Park will have 6,512
fixed seats. Its full capacity will be 9,000, making it the smallest Class AAA facility. A separate, larger, new
park, in Omaha, for the College Baseball World Series, which was also played at Rosenblatt, opens in 2011. Fresno had its 9 straight year above 480,000.

Oklahoma City had its lowest total since 1997.

Salt Lake City posted its best total since 2000.

New Orleans had it highest attendance since 2002.

Las Vegas’ attendance has never been below 290,000, or above 390,000, since they joined the P.C.L. in 1983.

A historic note: In 1946, the San Francisco Seals of the P.C.L. drew a then-Minor League record 670,563.

That season mark was not topped until 1983, when Louisville drew more than one million.

Buffalo holds the current Minor League season attendance record of 1,188,972, set in 1991.

The Pacific Coast League has the best Attendances in Minor League Baseball.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by oceanman76

The lack of attendance for the for the TB Rays is a little misleading. There are more factors than simply apathetic fans.

I thought it was more about the snowbird factor.
That these BB fans also go north after spring training.

The local tv ratings for Rays games however, have skyrocketed the last few years.

hmm.
---

My transplanted Orioles fan observation about NC (aside from the absolute fire for college sports) is that between the availability of rather good minor league play and cable/satellite the BB jones is easily sated now. The locals don't seem to have much jones at all.

Go Birds!