Former Magic exec pushing to bring MLB team to Orlando - ESPN

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37591647/former-magic-exec-pushing-bring-mlb-team-orlando

Quote

Former Orlando Magic executive Pat Williams has filed an application with an Orange County, Florida, advisory committee that is contemplating how to spend revenue from a tourist-tax collections. Williams on Tuesday unveiled renderings of a proposed domed ballpark he hopes lures the Tampa Bay Rays or another team to the Orlando area.

Quote

Williams said the proposed stadium would cost $1.7 billion, of which he hopes revenue from the county's tourist tax would pay for $975 million. Tourist tax collections have rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Williams first explored bringing an MLB team to the Orlando area in 2019 when he proposed a name for the team -- the Dreamers -- and unveiled a red baseball cap with a black "O" as the logo.

 

 

 

Unless they move the Rays to Orlando, I don't see a need for another Florida team.....and I think Dreamers is a stupid name, though I understand trying to relate to Magic and the Disney/theme park theme.

Edited May 10, 20233 yr by rmc523

That roof is awful. They wouldn't be able to do day games due to glare causing issues with fly balls.

Basically what happened with the Astrodome.

13 minutes ago, Michael said:

That roof is awful. They wouldn't be able to do day games due to glare causing issues with fly balls.

Basically what happened with the Astrodome.

I doubt it ever happens anyway.

From what I understand (which is not very much) @Michael seems to be the most knowledgeable about the Orlando area out of all of us.

So I’m curious to hear his opinion about if he thinks Orlando would work well as a baseball city and build a loyal fan base. From the looks of it, it looks like it would be related or almost a theme park kind of aesthetic. Which might work in the sense of people visiting Orlando on vacation, especially people visiting from other countries which for many of them it’s their first time visiting US to go to Disney World or other theme park. So maybe a lot of people visiting Orlando, which there is no short of, might go to a game just for the novelty of seeing an MLB game live, and if they added some type of rides or other attractions adjacent to the stadium that would actually be a smart move. I mean the Braves play (or used to play, have no idea if they still do) their spring training games at Disney World in Orlando.

But now that I think about it, probably it would be super popular for the first season as everyone will want to be part of something new but then after a couple of seasons, probably looking at 10-15000 attendance per game. But who knows? If they move the Rays then of course the whole Rays fan base comes with it. 😂

19 minutes ago, SirFishFan said:

From what I understand (which is not very much) @Michael seems to be the most knowledgeable about the Orlando area out of all of us.

So I’m curious to hear his opinion about if he thinks Orlando would work well as a baseball city and build a loyal fan base. From the looks of it, it looks like it would be related or almost a theme park kind of aesthetic. Which might work in the sense of people visiting Orlando on vacation, especially people visiting from other countries which for many of them it’s their first time visiting US to go to Disney World or other theme park. So maybe a lot of people visiting Orlando, which there is no short of, might go to a game just for the novelty of seeing an MLB game live, and if they added some type of rides or other attractions adjacent to the stadium that would actually be a smart move. I mean the Braves play (or used to play, have no idea if they still do) their spring training games at Disney World in Orlando.

But now that I think about it, probably it would be super popular for the first season as everyone will want to be part of something new but then after a couple of seasons, probably looking at 10-15000 attendance per game. But who knows? If they move the Rays then of course the whole Rays fan base comes with it. 😂

If they move the Rays - either to Orlando directly, or to Montreal/Nashville, etc, and then Orlando is the expansion team, sure.....I think the idea of the "theme park aesthetic" thing you're talking about could work.  But if the Rays stay in TB, I think it's oversaturation of Florida from an MLB perspective.

I also think the idea of a 45k seat stadium seems too large, I'd scale it down to 40k max, with some standing room.  Remember, Marlins park was 36k + 1k standing (I think it's a bit lower now after the renovations removed some seats around the park), and we obviously have trouble filling it.  I'd rather have a sold out (or close to it) slightly smaller park than a bigger one that looks only 1/2-2/3 full at best most of the time.

16 minutes ago, SirFishFan said:

From what I understand (which is not very much) @Michael seems to be the most knowledgeable about the Orlando area out of all of us.

So I’m curious to hear his opinion about if he thinks Orlando would work well as a baseball city and build a loyal fan base. From the looks of it, it looks like it would be related or almost a theme park kind of aesthetic. Which might work in the sense of people visiting Orlando on vacation, especially people visiting from other countries which for many of them it’s their first time visiting US to go to Disney World or other theme park. So maybe a lot of people visiting Orlando, which there is no short of, might go to a game just for the novelty of seeing an MLB game live, and if they added some type of rides or other attractions adjacent to the stadium that would actually be a smart move. I mean the Braves play (or used to play, have no idea if they still do) their spring training games at Disney World in Orlando.

But now that I think about it, probably it would be super popular for the first season as everyone will want to be part of something new but then after a couple of seasons, probably looking at 10-15000 attendance per game. But who knows? If they move the Rays then of course the whole Rays fan base comes with it. 😂

If it's the Rays, that fanbase does stick around due to proximity, yes. If it's a new team, it'll get split and take the Rays fans that are here, most likely.

Similar to any team in Florida, if they win, people will show up. Magic did decent recently and people were packing out Amway. UCF Football was selling out every game halfway through 2017 and all of 2018 and the majority of 2019. Still pretty good attendance since then as the team hasn't dissolved enough to be bad yet and now we're moving to the Big 12, which will probably result in a not-so-great record in 2023 but should keep the fans excited - in fact, season tickets are all taken already and that was done in school record time. Not sure on Orlando City Soccer but probably not great.

The proposed location is absolutely tourist-friendly so it's likely that Williams is hoping for that boost - people in town for fun mid-summer, why not watch a baseball game? I still think that proposed roof is an awful idea and they'd have to change it to something like what the Marlins have - windows off the side facing Not-West and an opaque roof.

 

I'd be interested in attending, absolutely. It would absolutely require the Rays moving, preferably to Nashville, and then expansion could occur here - that, or the Rays just move over here. Only real way that this is feasible.

 

Traffic would be an absolute nightmare, but it does sound like Sunrail will end up near there at some point, less than a mile from the ballpark. Otherwise, yeah, I think it could work, it's going to require some very immediate success, though.