Yeah I have no clue how the logistics would work, but there's many teams in the MLB with awful attendance. Even with 60-70 win seasons, I think we'd at least have average attendance. This city needs another major professional sport. Id say there's a 20% chance for an NHL team in the next 5 years and 10% chance for an MLB team.
It wouldn't cost anywhere near as much just due to the fact that hockey could be played in Moda. I feel like baseball would rake in more dough though
Baseball has better sponsors (still, we'd have some shit sponsors if we got a team...) but with the cost of the stadium being built is it going to be worth it? Will baseball in Portland be profitable? This isn't soccer where the players make pennies on the dollar either, not every team can be the A's or the Royals and turn a shit sandwich into filet mignon with great scouting. If Portland gets baseball they better be good within 5 years or things could get real ugly when attendance is at 45-50% every game at best. Hockey on the other hand is great live (so attendance wont ever be awful, the Florida Panthers get 66% for fucks sake...) and easy to turn around COMPARED to baseball.
45% in a 40,000 seat stadium for 81 games = 1,458,000 tickets bought. 66% in a 20,000 seat stadium for 41 games = 541,200 tickets bought. Not to mention baseball has a better TV deal.
I don't think we'd get that big of a baseball stadium but fair point. I just fear if we get any team no matter the league... They will sign the Comcast deal and we will be stuck... Never watching them.
I could see hockey opting for Root Sports. Starts right after the Mariners season finishes. What other options are there?
Back when Ted "the Mental Midget" Kulongoski was governor, one of the Indian tribes offered to foot the entire (note the word "entire") bill for a new stadium if they were allowed to build a Portland area casino (I believe out in Fairview at the old Multnomah Kennel Club). For some crazy and absolutely stupid and unfathomable reason reason, the governor, all by his smarter than thou self had a legal right to nix the deal without public input, and so he did. That was our last best hope for MLB. Thanks a lot Ted! And thank God for the Giants. Democrats or Republicans, we sure do elect some idiots......
I don't think any team was ever realistically available to move to Portland back when the tribe made that offer. Casinos are gross though, I'm glad Kulongoski didn't go for that.
No one says San Antonio. For several years, I have said that Aldridge drags down the Blazers. San Antonio.
Eh. Not really a fair point. Baseball stadium requires a MUCH larger chunk of land, so the monthly cost of such loan, combined with extra employees to maintain a larger facility in both maintenance and concessions, I am thinking wold at minimum offset those numbers. At the very least it would eat up a large chunk of that difference. Personally, I would rather still se baseball and have Paul Allen fund it with a trifecta of the three major sports in the NW.
Not gonna lie, I'll watch some spurs games this season. I know some of you will too, it's ok to admit it. LMA might stump Timmy's game (and vice versa) and it might be a disaster. Let's remember that Lamarcus is not a good late-game free throw shooter, so let's hack-a-LA if it comes down to crunchtime when playing SA.
