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I could have put this in the Baseball forum, but I think it fits better in Buffalo. This is an interesting read of how Buffalo tried to get an MLB team. There were some issues that kept Buffalo from getting MLB. I also think there are some things related to Buffalo. It leaves much to wonder if Buffalo could have supported an MLB team or not. I'll hold my thoughts for later in the thread.
I actually remember watching the 1988 AAA All Star Game on ESPN.
There are a couple of ways I feel about this. On one hand, what could have possibly helped is the tourism that comes to Niagara Falls and the Canadian population nearby. Many Canadians go to pro sporting events in the city/area and is an aspect I think many overlook in regards to the “Buffalo sports market”. Same somewhat with adjacent counties not in the metro. So, instead of looking at just the 1.1-1.2 million in the metro area, there is another 500-750,000 other people in very close proximity that should be considered as well.
Second, I wonder if it would have been better to have either a multipurpose or even strictly Football stadium in its place, given the loyal Football fan base in the area and from nearby regions. That way you more likely to insure vibrancy in that area of Downtown and just start more development nearby at that time. I say this especially now that the University of Buffalo’s sports program in regards to not just Basketball, but Football is starting to take off. So, you could have had a Downtown stadium in place for that program to use as well and in turn, increase its profile and economic situation as an institution. That latter part could also lead to more investment into research and development, which then could have helped the local economy via startups, etc. that came out of the R & D. This could just be me and my crazy ideas/thoughts though.
Sadly with most pro sports its all about profit... Not only did Buffalo not have the population it didnt have the economic might that a lot of these pro sports demand. Just think of what the Seattle owner is paying for an expansion NHL team in todays dollars to only imagine of what a MLB expansion franchise will cost any potential owner? Ridiculous! Kudos to Portland, Nashville, Montreal trying to get a team best bet is relocation if thats ever going to happen..The best thing the MLB can do is relocate both those florida teams as theres no real fan base for either team. I'm from St.Louis and to tell you St.Louis is so fortunate to have the Cardinals they do a lot for the community. They are currently building the 2nd phase of Ballpark Village which will add more life around the ballpark.. Anyways I'm sure Buffalo is a great place and i think MLB did Buffalo a favor what could have become a potential burden...
Sadly with most pro sports its all about profit... Not only did Buffalo not have the population it didnt have the economic might that a lot of these pro sports demand. Just think of what the Seattle owner is paying for an expansion NHL team in todays dollars to only imagine of what a MLB expansion franchise will cost any potential owner? Ridiculous! Kudos to Portland, Nashville, Montreal trying to get a team best bet is relocation if thats ever going to happen..The best thing the MLB can do is relocate both those florida teams as theres no real fan base for either team. I'm from St.Louis and to tell you St.Louis is so fortunate to have the Cardinals they do a lot for the community. They are currently building the 2nd phase of Ballpark Village which will add more life around the ballpark.. Anyways I'm sure Buffalo is a great place and i think MLB did Buffalo a favor what could have become a potential burden...
Buffalo is over extended already, and came very close to losing the Sabres not long ago.
I actually remember watching the 1988 AAA All Star Game on ESPN.
There are a couple of ways I feel about this. On one hand, what could have possibly helped is the tourism that comes to Niagara Falls and the Canadian population nearby. Many Canadians go to pro sporting events in the city/area and is an aspect I think many overlook in regards to the “Buffalo sports market”. Same somewhat with adjacent counties not in the metro. So, instead of looking at just the 1.1-1.2 million in the metro area, there is another 500-750,000 other people in very close proximity that should be considered as well.
Ckh, I get where you're coming from. An MLB team in Buffalo would bring people from Canada over to Buffalo. On the other hand, there is something else to consider.
The Seattle Mariners are the northernmost MLB market of ANY of the 30 teams(Seattle is further north than Montreal, which used to have the Expos). When people from nearby Vancouver, Canada go to Seattle, they aren't there to root for the Mariners. They are only there when the Toronto Blue Jays play the Mariners in Seattle.
It would be even more so for Buffalo. Canadians root for the Toronto Blue Jays. Canadians will go watch a game in Buffalo if the Blue Jays are in town. Otherwise they will just make the two or three hour trip to Toronto. Toronto is much close to Buffalo than it is to Vancouver. People living in St. Catharines or Hamilton might just make that trip to Toronto. There will be people living in close proximity to Buffalo. But even with that in mind, it's Canada. The Blue Jays are going to have a much stronger pull. The Jays are more established.
Now, I could consider the rest of the Buffalo Niagara region. Rochester is a 1 hour drive from Buffalo. A team in Buffalo could pull from the I-90/I-490 corridor. More people.
Quote:
Second, I wonder if it would have been better to have either a multipurpose or even strictly Football stadium in its place, given the loyal Football fan base in the area and from nearby regions. That way you more likely to insure vibrancy in that area of Downtown and just start more development nearby at that time. I say this especially now that the University of Buffalo’s sports program in regards to not just Basketball, but Football is starting to take off. So, you could have had a Downtown stadium in place for that program to use as well and in turn, increase its profile and economic situation as an institution. That latter part could also lead to more investment into research and development, which then could have helped the local economy via startups, etc. that came out of the R & D. This could just be me and my crazy ideas/thoughts though.
Well, a multipurpose stadium would have worked in the 1970s, during the era of multipurpose stadiums. Nowadays, multipurpose stadiums aren't really liked that much anymore. It might be useful for soccer though.
Sadly with most pro sports its all about profit... Not only did Buffalo not have the population it didnt have the economic might that a lot of these pro sports demand. Just think of what the Seattle owner is paying for an expansion NHL team in todays dollars to only imagine of what a MLB expansion franchise will cost any potential owner? Ridiculous! Kudos to Portland, Nashville, Montreal trying to get a team best bet is relocation if thats ever going to happen..The best thing the MLB can do is relocate both those florida teams as theres no real fan base for either team. I'm from St.Louis and to tell you St.Louis is so fortunate to have the Cardinals they do a lot for the community. They are currently building the 2nd phase of Ballpark Village which will add more life around the ballpark.. Anyways I'm sure Buffalo is a great place and i think MLB did Buffalo a favor what could have become a potential burden...
It's all about the money these days. And this is not the first time Buffalo tried to get MLB. They tried back in the 1960s. Montreal was awarded a franchise instead. If there was a time that Buffalo could have gotten MLB, it would have been the 1960s.
But yes, money money money. Buffalo has been bleeding population for decades, and not just Buffalo proper. Some suburbs have lost population. And Buffalo's economy has gone through major shifts in the last few years. An owner with that kind of money would be a hard find. Pro sports are demanding more money. It's leaving alot of cities out. Cities like Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh are struggling to keep talent on their teams.
1) The Kansas City Royals went from World Champions in 2015 to 2nd worst team in the majors(with a 58-104 record) in 3 years. After the 1994 strike, the Royals were never the same. It used to be "have a bad year or two, bounce right back". After the strike, the Royals only had one winning season between 1995 and 2012. They went 29 years between playoffs. The KCMO/KCK metropolitan area has about 2.1 million between MO and KS. While it's enough to support an MLB franchise, the Royals have to compete with bigger teams nearby.
2) The Brewers peaked in 1982. That was the only time they went to a World Series, and they lost to St. Louis. They would never go to the playoffs again until 2008, and two more times after that (2011, and 2018). They did excellent in 2018. But can they keep it up? They did have some hard times between 2012 and 2016. The Brewers had some decent teams between 1987 and 1992. But they were crap between 1993 and 2006. Now, Milwaukee has some clout with Miller beer company(they're called the Brewers for a reason ). Harley Davidson is in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has seen some hard times, but the Brewers have a decent presence throughout Wisconsin. Small market realities have made it hard to keep talent on the team. But TV revenues do help. Like the KC metro area, Milwaukee has just enough to support a team, but not enough to compete with nearby giants lilke Chicago and Minnesota.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a textbook example of small market nightmares. Their last World Series appearance was in 1979. Pittsburgh had a larger population back then. The Pirates went through a nightmare of a decade in the 80s, were respectable in the early 90s, then went through a 20 year slumber between 1993 and 2012. Pittsburgh metro has 2.3 million people. It's enough to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates around. But it's hard to keep talent as players seek more money elsewhere. Andrew McCutchen went to San Francisco for a reason.
Money talks in sports, especially baseball. It's not likely that Buffalo will get Major League Baseball. It doesn't have the population for it. Some teams that have enough to support a team are struggling to keep good players because they want more salary elsewhere. Unless baseball implements the salary cap (alot of players would mutiny if that happened), the smaller markets will have a hard team keeping good players. And this will hurt the chances of cities like Buffalo, with declining populations and not as much economic clout as larger market.
The Marlins and Rays aren't relocating anytime soon. The Marlins have a new ballpark and are stuck with it. The Rays are stuck in their stadium until their lease is up. Montreal and Portland have a chance, but first, MLB has to say yes to expansion. Montreal could try baseball one more time, but it has to be done right. Portland has the growth and the economy to attract a team.
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). Harley Davidson is in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has seen some hard times, but the Brewers have a decent presence throughout Wisconsin. Small market realities have made it hard to keep talent on the team. But TV revenues do help. Like the KC metro area, Milwaukee has just enough to support a team, but not enough to compete with nearby giants lilke Chicago and Minnesota. 
