Montreal Expos
Expos to Open 2005 Season in Washington, DC
The Montreal Expos are moving to Washington, DC. The last mlb team in dc was the senators. The Baltimore Orioles owner had opposed the move but major league baseball reached an agreement with him. The Orioles are guaranteed: minimum annual revenues and if they fall short the league will make up the difference, and baseball is also willing to guarantee minimum franchise value for the Orioles.
What do you think about what is going to happen? Even though the Orioles owner has agreed to terms with the mlb, what impact do you think this will have on the Orioles? (revenue, fans, stadium, tickets etc.) Is this a good move with having two teams so close together?
8 comments:
It seems like a waste in a way to have two MLB teams so close to another, but on the other hand I don't think the Orioles income and revenue will be affected by it necessarily. I guess it all depends on what each individual baseball fan likes. I would have to say that the deal that the Orioles received is indeed a very good compromise. Whether the Orioles will actually fall in sales may or may not actually have to do with the Expos coming into their area. Most MLB teams success is actually based on the teams stats, rather then close competition. Either the Orioles possess a good team or they don't. So, if the stadium seats aren't being filled up at the Orioles stadium next season, it doesn't mean that the Expos are getting all the glory either.
Having two teams in the same area definitely will create competition and I can understand the Orioles concern about losing revenue and profits. However, I don't see it being a huge problem for at least a few years. People will go see the Washington team play at least once to see the new stadium and see how different things are but in the end they are still the same team that was in Montreal and I don't see Oriole fans jumping on the Washington wagon. Although Washington citizens will be happy to finally have their own team I really don't think they will just forget about all those years and memories with Rafael Palmiero and Cal Ripken, Jr. Washington will be new and exciting for about 2 weeks and then things will go right back to normal.
Having two teams in the same area definitely will create competition and I can understand the Orioles concern about losing revenue and profits. However, I don't see it being a huge problem for at least a few years. People will go see the Washington team play at least once to see the new stadium and see how different things are but in the end they are still the same team that was in Montreal and I don't see Oriole fans jumping on the Washington wagon. Although Washington citizens will be happy to finally have their own team I really don't think they will just forget about all those years and memories with Rafael Palmiero and Cal Ripken, Jr. Washington will be new and exciting for about 2 weeks and then things will go right back to normal.
I believe this will really have little to no effect on the Orioles. Mainly because even if the Expos attract more fans and take some of the Baltimore fans, the Orioles aren't going to lose any money because of the agreement between MLB and the Orioles saying that if they fall short of annual revenues MLB will make up the difference. I agree with the post above as well saying that there will be a sort of frenzy in D.C. for the first two weeks because of everything being new and unless the Expos have a great year after a few weeks things will return to normal in Baltimore.
I watched the final game the Expos played in Montreal and it was a sad sight. The Expos have never been great and they haven't been to a post-season for at least 30 years but this happens all the time. It is a business deal and they don't care what happens to the fans in the city they are leaving.
When they start playing in DC, the Orioles will feel the hit but it will be just like New York, Chicago, and any other place that has 2 or more professional teams. I understand the fear the Orioles have. They haven't been playing well the last couple years and bringing a new team to the area will draw Orioles fans to watch the Expos. Bringing another team to the area though will bring in the fans in the area that aren't fans of the Orioles. If you look at it in this point of view it will help both teams and the area with a competition. the fans of the Orioles will come out in masses to root against the new DC Expos, but they will also have more fans going to games, just for 2 different teams. It will help the area the stadiums are in because it will increase life in the cities. I think the move will increase competition and fan bases in the area.
Will Sullivan
I don't think this is a good move having two teams so close together. I mean the whole state of kentucky does not have a pro sports team so there is room across the nation in cities for organzations to settle. I think how this effects Baltimore depends on how true thier fans are to the club.
The main problem with moving another team close to the Baltimore Orioles is simple. The Orioles are struggling already. They have not been a contender in the American League East for, well i can't even think of the last time they made the playoffs. The team just can't put fans in the seats ever since Cal Ripken Jr. retired. This season they finished 23 games behind the Yankees and 3rd in the AL East. And if they did bring any fans to the seats its only because Angelos went out and bought Tejada and Lopez. So they were already in trouble. They can complain all they want about the DC team stealing their revenue but its simple. If you win you will bring fans. So start winning
This compromise between the top executives of MLB operations and MLB teams seems to have left out the opinion of baseball fans. I agree from a “business point of view,” concerning the Baltimore Orioles that if the league is going to refund the team with lost revenue because of the two teams being so close, why even think about opposing. I also understand that the Expos want to go to a city where they can increase their yearly revenues. The Expos have been hurting for a couple years now because of being moved around so much. Statistically, on average when playing in Montreal they weren’t able to sell out a good majority of their tickets. This season they were moved to Puerto Rico. Because of the low economic standards and development in Puerto Rico, you can see why their market value decreased. One major issue I see hurting baseball and issues concerning team profit is not having a salary cap. It’s a given that big name baseball players will bring the team there playing for the most profit. If the Expos stayed in Montreal and had the Yankee’s’ roster would that increase their total revenue? I believe it would. Not only would demand for tickets move to the right, but also the supply of tickets would increase. With an increase in ticket sale that means ticket profit goes up and with more consumers in attendance concession stand profits will rise. On the other hand, I don’t see the problem with moving one or two MLB baseball teams overseas to play ball on foreign soil. From watching the opening day game this year against the Yankees and Devil Rays in Tokyo, Japan, it seemed these people were more interested in watching the game than watching one particular player. The stadium in Tokyo was completely full. This world is becoming more internationally twined. This is something they need to finalize and be down with. Another issue that also needs finalization concerns the salary cap. Why do we need an All-Star game when we have the Yankees?
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