Orioles Should Move to Nashville (strategy, Nationals, Pirates, watch)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well, if you are using media market size, then I guess, Kansas City (34), Cincinnati (36) and Milwaukee (37) will all be losing their MLB teams before Baltimore!
Even before the Expos moved south, many people that lived in DC and NOVA, grew up and rooted for Baltimore and I'm sure a bunch still like the Orioles along with the Nationals.
And here's another thing you are overlooking, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) is owned by the Baltimore Orioles (90%) and the Washington Nationals (10%) and is carried over every cable network in Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia.
I used to live in DC and there were very few Oriole fans, it was Nats, then Yankees-Red Sox-Cubs. I remember in the last few years before the Nats came they stopped giving us Orioles for national broadcasts on FOX because the ratings were lower for those in the DC market than when showing other teams. The Nats also now own 23% of MASN and their share goes up a point a year. Moreover, that deal eventually expires and the Orioles are not financially viable without the subsidy from DC area cable subscribers who couldn't care less about them.
re: KC, Milwaukee, etc they have a sphere of influence throughout a much larger region. The Oriole fanbase is basically Hagerstown to Ocean City and almost entirely in Maryland. Moreover, the wealthiest and largest MD county, Montgomery, is mostly Nats territory. Additionally, metro Baltimore, not just Balt City, is now losing population. And on top of all that, many people don't want to go anywhere near Camden Yards because of the insane crime rates just to the west of the ballpark, or the squeegee kids that greet them coming off of the freeway.
The Orioles are not some historic team like the Cardinals or Reds. They've only been there since '54 and it's in the best interest of baseball to move them and Nashville, which is 4-5 hours from any other team, would be an ideal spot.
I'd hate to see the Orioles leave Baltimore but I really don't understand the fascination with Nashville.
SLC, San Antonio, or even Portland would be more logical.
Regardless of where they play, a winning team is the best way to build and hold a fanbase. Moving isn't always the magic formula for that.
I'd hate to see the Orioles leave Baltimore but I really don't understand the fascination with Nashville.
SLC, San Antonio, or even Portland would be more logical.
Regardless of where they play, a winning team is the best way to build and hold a fanbase. Moving isn't always the magic formula for that.
With Nashville, the divisions could remain the same. SLC, San Antonio or Portland the American league would have to be restructured.
With Nashville, the divisions could remain the same. SLC, San Antonio or Portland the American league would have to be restructured.
That hasn't stopped them in the past. Brewers and Astros even switched leagues in recent times.
Who has the best chance of a solid fan base with steady support should be top priority.
That hasn't stopped them in the past. Brewers and Astros even switched leagues in recent times.
Who has the best chance of a solid fan base with steady support should be top priority.
Gepography didn't stop MLB from placing Cincinnati and Atlanta in the NL West for many years, though I think that was a lot about the Cubs wanting to maintain rivalries with the Cards and Mets (i.e. New York, Chicago's economic rival for decades before the rise of Los Angeles). The divisional alignments since 1994 have been saner.
Baltimore in 1954 got the relocated St Louis Browns
(In 1995 they got the NFL's Cleveland Browns)
As for the Orioles franchise, probably moving to Charlotte or Nashville or possibly San Antonio would make the most sense from overall metro / geographic reach.
Did you live in DC when DC didn't have an MLB team? Fow many O's fans did DC have when Baltimore had a team and Washington didn't?
If I may answer.
I grew up in DC then. I was born in 1965 and do not remember the Senators at all. Although born in DC, we first lived in NY and those were my earliest memories. However, I do not remember the Mets either. I returned to DC right as the Senators left.
Anyway, for people my age, the Orioles were (and to a large extent remain) our team. It seemed completely normal in that we did not feel like they were some provisional team to keep us happy until the day baseball returned. They were the local team
The Os were on Channel 20 which was then a strictly local DC station. We were about 45 minutes away from Memorial Stadium, but that is closer than many fans of other teams.
And the Orioles were pretty good throughout this time.
There were times when it seemed DC would get a team, but it always fell through. Eventually came 2005 and the rest is history.
The Aftermath:
Some fans have switched completely to the Nats, mostly due to Angelos. The same happened with the Skins fans switching to the Ravens due to Snyder.
Some have switched to the Nats just due to geography. Some due to age. If you were born in around 2000, you have always had the Nats.
Some continue to root exclusively for the Birds. The WP had an article about this a few years ago.
I would guess most are like me- Dual Loyalty. For someone like me, it is a unique situation. I cannot abandon my first love (the Orioles) but I cannot ignore a team in the city of my birth. So I root for both. Although the Beltway Series is fun, I always feel a bit funny rooting against the Os.
I grew up in DC then. I was born in 1965 and do not remember the Senators at all. Although born in DC, we first lived in NY and those were my earliest memories. However, I do not remember the Mets either. I returned to DC right as the Senators left.
Anyway, for people my age, the Orioles were (and to a large extent remain) our team. It seemed completely normal in that we did not feel like they were some provisional team to keep us happy until the day baseball returned. They were the local team
The Os were on Channel 20 which was then a strictly local DC station. We were about 45 minutes away from Memorial Stadium, but that is closer than many fans of other teams.
And the Orioles were pretty good throughout this time.
There were times when it seemed DC would get a team, but it always fell through. Eventually came 2005 and the rest is history.
The Aftermath:
Some fans have switched completely to the Nats, mostly due to Angelos. The same happened with the Skins fans switching to the Ravens due to Snyder.
Some have switched to the Nats just due to geography. Some due to age. If you were born in around 2000, you have always had the Nats.
Some continue to root exclusively for the Birds The WP had an article about this a few years ago.
I would guess most are like me- Dual Loyalty. For someone like me, it is a unique situation. I cannot abandon my first love (the Orioles) but I cannot ignore a team in the city of my birth. So I root for both. Although the Beltway Series is fun, I always feel a bit funny rooting against the Os.
God help if they ever meet in the World Series.
Exactly right. And Baltimore had the territorial rights to DC until they allowed the Nationals to move to DC.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
