Dug up a few blogs, articles etc. I couldnt find the article I read the other day, but the first link touches on Charlotte.
http://atlanta.sbnation.com/2010/11/18/1821723/mls-expansion-atlanta
http://usasoccer.blogspot.com/2007/11/history-of-mls-expansion-and-franchises.html
Man i really wish i could find that article the other day it was really in depth on why Charlotte would be better than Atlanta and Raleigh. It had a lot to do with infrastructure and light rail mixed with a big soccer following in the region and it not being to cluttered with other teams i.e. Atl already has Braves, Thrashers, Hawks, Falcons, 2 Division schools, and at one point the Force.
clt asks if our field is being built with this in mind. if MLS comes in 2020, and we have a 45,000 seat stadium weâll be in great shape.
clt can report MLS to Charlotte.
One of the 2011 emails opines Atlanta may have too many other franchises to support MLS. That doesnât appear to be the case as the Thrashers, excuse me, United are/is setting attendance records. It helps they play in the Falconsâ domed stadium, so itâs never too hot, too cold, too wet, or too sunny.
I was visiting my cousin in San Jose a few years ago and he took me by the Earthquakesâ new stadium. It is just as fancy as the Giantsâ and 49ersâ news stadiums, but is much smaller.
It would take some creativity to cram a MLS stadium in the Memorial Stadium footprint.
clt can also report tepper will own the Charlotte MLS team and they will not play at memorial
I think that dome is no small part of Atlantaâs success. As someone who has sat in the GA seats in Turner Field in the middle of summer, I doubt they would be getting 75k to root them on outside consistently. Thatâs an issue the Charlotte MLS bid will face as well.
The Carolinas currently donât have a summer sports option. You would think MLB or MLS would eventually come to the Carolinas.
Give me MLB everyday over MLS
D.O.B.A.
And twice on SUndays
Give me MLS every single day over MLB.
Either is good for the city, but Iâll believe it when I see it.
Manfred did mention Charlotte as a possible expansion location yesterday. Iâd be happy with either.
BUT to be honest MLB expansion talk is getting tired. They bring it up every year at the All Star break and nothing ever happens. It reeks of them using it to leverage stadium deals. With that said, as a Baseball loon, I would be thrilled if we got a team.
1 Like
Charlotte/Carolinas are 8/10+ years away from ever getting a MLB expansion. MLS is more realistic imo, esp in the near future. MLS will be tied to Tepper in someway. They will play either in a renovated BOA stadium or play in a multi-purpose stadium which will be part of the Panthers mega-entertainment-complex practice facility wherever that may be located). I have no faith in the Smithâs (Bruton & Co).
MLS is looking for two more teams in this âroundâ of expansion. There are cities well ahead of Charlotte in terms of organized support, such as Sacramento and Detroit, but both of those have ben passed on by MLS.
If Tepper is able to build a soccer-specific stadium, or somehow retrofits BOA to be more soccer-friendly, itâs possible he could convince MLS to come to Charlotte.
MLS probably wants to add a team in this region to continue the growth of the league, but theyâve gotten more picky about who gets a franchise. Iâm concerned Nashville took our âspotâ in this round of expansion.
Of course, Tepper has well more than the $150 million it costs to get a franchise and whatever amount it would cost to build a new stadium. Has to put the deal together soon, because I believe the target is 2020.
Wonât be another round of expansion for awhile unless 2026 WC absolutely changes the trajectory (much like 1994 did).
I was told Soccer is the future. No reason expansion wonât happen sooner if thatâs the case. Only sport on the rise.
clt says iliketowin has it
If Tepper is truly interested in Soccer, MLS would be clinically insane to not get him involved. We know heâs worth 10 billion, and many people say that is a conservative guess. If soccer ever catches fire like some project, MLS will need that type of money.
Not trying to kick another city in the groin, but our last bid was TERRIBLE. If Tepper actually tries, we arenât even in the conversation with Detroit and Sacramento. More people have left Detroit in the last 30 years than live there. Sacramento is a vibrant, growing city, but thereâs already a ton of soccer in California, and San Jose is even in Northern California.
I feel like MLS wants one of us, or Raleigh. The same reasons for the Panthers staying here hold true for bringing MLS. Between Charlotte, Greeneville/Spartanburg, Charleston, Greensboro Winston Triad, Raleigh Durham Triangle, Wilmington and Myrtle Beach this is an exceptionally massive media market. Iâm honestly cool with either, but Iâd prefer it here. Tepper poops on the money behind Raleighâs bid. If Raleigh could get Jim Goodnight from SAS behind their bid, it would be much stronger, but even he, as the richest North Carolinian, doesnât have Tepper money.
How great is that for this area anyway? Large soccer population, lack of summer activities, people that love the area, and now potentially a Panthers Practice facility in the works that should include a 15-20 thousand seat stadium. I know the last bid sucked, but I think MLS will come kick the tires again if Tepper is serious.
1 Like
Same ballpark to meâŚ
Tepper 11bil
Goodnight 10.2bil
Interesting that Goodnight also has a neighbor/partner John Sall 5.2bil that most folks overlook too.
The difference is from everything thatâs been talked about surrounding the Panthers, Tepper is worth more than 11 billion. Itâs a lot easier to evaluate Goonightâs assets. If Tepper continues to not suck at his job, His net worth is going to keep increasing.
Also Goodnight is not publicly interested in sports of any sort. I thought the NFL would intrigue him, but it did not. I know nothing about Sall.
MLB needs to address stadium issues in Tampa and Oakland before expanding. Tampa has announced a new stadium in Ybor City, but no one thinks it is a done deal until bulldozers are pushing dirt.
Oakland wants to move to San Jose, but the Giants have territorial rights to that city and arenât budging. Maybe Oakland can build the Aâs a new stadium when the Raiders vacate the stadium they share. If Oakland cannot get a new stadium in the Bay Area, Portland may be a logical place to relocate.
After those 2 teams are set, MLB wants to add 2 franchises, one in each league. That will allow for 4 8 team divisions. With 15 teams in each league, at least 2 teams are playing inter-league games at any time. That is reducing the excitement of inter-league play.
Charlotte is ready for MLB now. The Hornets drew 900,000+ 30 years ago. The Knights sell 9,000 tickets a game for a bad AAA team affiliated with a terrible MLB franchise. A MLB franchise could play in the Knightsâ stadium during the week during April, May, and September and play in Bank of America on weekends and in the summer while a baseball only MLB stadium is built. Look at the LA Coliseum, which hosted the Dodgers from '58-'61 and the Polo Grounds where the Giants, Yankees, and Mets played in NY. A weird configuration can work for 2-3 years, particularly if the team is an expansion team.
The Raysâ proposed Stadium seats 28,000. An American League team in Charlotte in the same division as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles would sell out nearly every home game against those three teams in a similarly sized stadium.
Manfred is smart to talk up as many cities as possible. Heâs dropped Charlotte, Portland, Nashville, Montreal, and âSomewhere in Mexicoâ as candidates for expansion. Montreal has a park a team can play in until a modern stadium can be built. One team will be in Montreal or Mexico City and the US cities will fight for the other one.
2 Likes