Carolina In Their Mind

Sctvman · Today, 12:04 PM

The expansion of Major League Baseball to new markets has been a long thought process since 1998 when the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays became the 29th and 30th Major League clubs. The Montreal Expos moved out of Montreal to Washington; the A's moved from Oakland to Sacramento and eventually Las Vegas, while the Rays have been searching for a new ballpark in the Tampa Bay area.

There has been a lot of growth in the Sun Belt region over the last almost 30 years, but there is still only one Major League team in the region, the Atlanta Braves which have dominated the market since 1966. The goal is for an expansion to 32 clubs with one new in the American League and National League.

Many markets have been looked at, including Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon; Mexico City and Monterey, Montreal, San Juan, PR, and San Antonio, Texas.

Meanwhile, the state of North Carolina has been thought of as a growth region for decades. It is a fertile sports market and has been for decades with the ACC schools on Tobacco Road (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest). There are 19 Division I institutions in the state, 4th most behind California, New York, and Texas.

The metros of Charlotte, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, and Raleigh/Durham have developed as a very large sports region over the past few decades. In 1988, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets became the first professional sports team in the Carolinas, grabbing sellout crowds at Charlotte Coliseum. In 1995 it was followed by the NFL's Carolina Panthers, who played at Clemson their first year before moving to Charlotte.

In 1997, the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes moved from Hartford and played two seasons in Greensboro before settling in Raleigh. In 2004 after the Hornets moved to New Orleans, the NBA gave Charlotte the 30th expansion team, originally called the Bobcats before being renamed the Hornets.

All of these teams have been successful in the region, winning playoff games, packing stadiums, and in the Carolina Hurricanes case, winning a Stanley Cup.

One thing though which the Carolinas is missing is a major league baseball team. Not without lack of trying though. In 1997, the Minnesota Twins nearly moved to the Triad, with Twins owner Carl Pohlad signing a letter of intent to sell the team to local businessman Don Beaver who would have moved the team to the Greensboro area, but a local referendum to fund a stadium failed.

Charlotte and Raleigh are both top 25 TV markets but how spread out the region is compared to metropolitan areas like Washington and New York where all the population is in one area has hurt the region's chances of earning a team.

North Carolina is a state of over 10 million people and is the largest state without a team.

Today, 12:04 PM	#1
Sctvman Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 403	Carolina In Their Mind The expansion of Major League Baseball to new markets has been a long thought process since 1998 when the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays became the 29th and 30th Major League clubs. The Montreal Expos moved out of Montreal to Washington; the A's moved from Oakland to Sacramento and eventually Las Vegas, while the Rays have been searching for a new ballpark in the Tampa Bay area. There has been a lot of growth in the Sun Belt region over the last almost 30 years, but there is still only one Major League team in the region, the Atlanta Braves which have dominated the market since 1966. The goal is for an expansion to 32 clubs with one new in the American League and National League. Many markets have been looked at, including Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon; Mexico City and Monterey, Montreal, San Juan, PR, and San Antonio, Texas. Meanwhile, the state of North Carolina has been thought of as a growth region for decades. It is a fertile sports market and has been for decades with the ACC schools on Tobacco Road (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest). There are 19 Division I institutions in the state, 4th most behind California, New York, and Texas. The metros of Charlotte, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, and Raleigh/Durham have developed as a very large sports region over the past few decades. In 1988, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets became the first professional sports team in the Carolinas, grabbing sellout crowds at Charlotte Coliseum. In 1995 it was followed by the NFL's Carolina Panthers, who played at Clemson their first year before moving to Charlotte. In 1997, the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes moved from Hartford and played two seasons in Greensboro before settling in Raleigh. In 2004 after the Hornets moved to New Orleans, the NBA gave Charlotte the 30th expansion team, originally called the Bobcats before being renamed the Hornets. All of these teams have been successful in the region, winning playoff games, packing stadiums, and in the Carolina Hurricanes case, winning a Stanley Cup. One thing though which the Carolinas is missing is a major league baseball team. Not without lack of trying though. In 1997, the Minnesota Twins nearly moved to the Triad, with Twins owner Carl Pohlad signing a letter of intent to sell the team to local businessman Don Beaver who would have moved the team to the Greensboro area, but a local referendum to fund a stadium failed. Charlotte and Raleigh are both top 25 TV markets but how spread out the region is compared to metropolitan areas like Washington and New York where all the population is in one area has hurt the region's chances of earning a team. North Carolina is a state of over 10 million people and is the largest state without a team.