OT: All-Purpose Expos Return Speculation Topic -- Part Deux

[Vachon23]

Let's go get a basketball team too! The young generation will be majority of people in a few years

Don't think both can survive in the MTL market

 

[Spectaculard]

I always wondered why Vancouver got a shot at the nba and not Montreal. I guess it comes down to money, which they have more of.

 

[salbutera]

As I posted yesterday, the elephant in the room is the TV deal - that’s the one and only game changer, and all the other ancillary stuff - stadium, number of home games etc. will quickly fall into place

Charlie Bronfman gave up everything west of Belleville in 1976 to maintain exclusive territorial rights to Quebec & Atlantic Canada.

Is there a legal loophole, to get access to the lucrative Southern Ontario golden horseshoe that Blow Jays own exclusivity to, either via negotiation threat / challenge in court if need be?

If there is a way..... then shits gonna get real & quick..... interesting what Bell / TSN could potentially cough up for broadcasting right$

 

[ROEN]

An article I wrote a long time ago when speaking about Basketball in Canada, The Winnipeg Jets and ... well Roy Marble's suspension.

Man ... I miss writing about sports

 

[smitty10]

Simply put - baseball even though it’s become a distant 3rd pro sport here in the US (well behind NFL & NBA), is still part of the fabric of the American heartland (Midwest), it’s not part of the fabric of today’s Mtl demographic.

The demographic of Mtl from 1968-1990 was very different from what it is today.

It’s not simply throwing around that 4.5M population, especially when upwards of 60% either have no background exposure to the sport or were part of a generation that grew up in Mtl but never had any association either playing and / or watching the sport because there was no Expos and there were very few if any little leagues around

The Blue Jays sell out when they play those pre-season games in Olympic Stadium. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd have to believe there would be enough hype to build a fan base. Especially if a new stadium is built in the city.

 

[Mandala]

To work here you need an owner that spends to compete in this league. Enough to attract star players and to finance a modern stadium connected to the REM. Borderline effort to pull another money move like we saw with the Expos will not do.

 

[salbutera]

The Blue Jays sell out when they play those pre-season games in Olympic Stadium. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd have to believe there would be enough hype to build a fan base. Especially if a new stadium is built in the city.

That Blow Jays weekend is 1-of “event”, that would not sell out for 81-home games

 

[salbutera]

To work here you need an owner that spends to compete in this league. Enough to attract star players and to finance a modern stadium connected to the REM. Borderline effort to pull another money move like we saw with the Expos will not do.

No businessman will spend $100M per year on a payroll when his business has to pay RDS & 98.5 to broadcast their games, that’s why Southern Ontario market access absolutely vital to get English broadcasting rights - especially with the large contingent of former Mtl’ers in that area

 

[JianYang]

I always wondered why Vancouver got a shot at the nba and not Montreal. I guess it comes down to money, which they have more of.

Could be a balance thing too. The raptors and grizz came in at the same time and it allowed one team in each conference.

Did anybody in montreal even express desire to bring a team in?

 

[1909]

This "Two-Headed" beast doesn't make sense at all.

 

[Spectaculard]

Did anybody in montreal even express desire to bring a team in?

I dont think so, no.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I dont think so, no.

Me!

Jk

 

[beowulf]

I still don't get how the logistics of this will work and not be way more expensive for the team. You have to maintain two fields, two sets of medical, training, etc. facilities. You need to provide housing for employees, players, coaches, management, therapists, etc. Basically anyone that has to be with the team all season long. I just don't see it working long term.

 

[salbutera]

I still don't get how the logistics of this will work and not be way more expensive for the team. You have to maintain two fields, two sets of medical, training, etc. facilities. You need to provide housing for employees, players, coaches, management, therapists, etc. Basically anyone that has to be with the team all season long. I just don't see it working long term.

I’m also bewildered by the timing of TBays leaks / announcements - why do it when you’re about to clinch a playoff spot and are desperately trying to fill the stadium?

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

The closest scenario to a 2 cities team I could see is for them to build a 10k capacity stadium in the region of Tampa and be there for the preseason as well as the month of April. The team could go back there in August while making their trip to Miami. They would mostly be Montreal's team .

 

[Pickles]

What revenue from TV - local Mtl? The Expos were 40th out of a 30-team league for radio + TV revenue from 1990 - 2004, there were a couple of AAA teams in the US who had higher revenue from radio & TV than the Expos did.

I realize Bell / TSN desire content after having lost NHL but they’re not opening up the coffers to Expos without the all important Southern Ontario market access which Blow Jays have exclusive rights on West of Belleville - no small part thanks to Bronfman giving it away back in 1976 in exchange for territorial rights to Quebec + Atlantic Canada

I’m also not sure Mtl is a viable baseball market anymore. Immigration into Mtl over last 25-years has primarily come from la francophonie (Northern Africa, Haiti, sections of Middle East) none of which have an association with the game of baseball.

I grew up playing little league in NDG - we had a 12-team league, Cote de Neiges at Van Horne Park had a 24-team league, Cote St Luc & Hampstead had their own leagues - all the diamonds have been converted to soccer pitches

I'm not sure Montreal is a good market either for baseball. Alot depends on if they can build a stadium and if they have a good owner. A new stadium downtown could draw a hell of alot more fans than the dilapidated big owe. I didn't know that about the broadcasting rights you have a good point.

I think if baseball is every brought back to Montreal it will create new fans that may not have been interested in the game before. Personally I'd love to see the Expos back but the NFL and NBA would be bigger draws.

 

[LeHab]

I'm not sure Montreal is a good market either for baseball. Alot depends on if they can build a stadium and if they have a good owner. A new stadium downtown could draw a hell of alot more fans than the dilapidated big owe. I didn't know that about the broadcasting rights you have a good point.

I think if baseball is every brought back to Montreal it will create new fans that may not have been interested in the game before. Personally I'd love to see the Expos back but the NFL and NBA would be bigger draws.

There is a lot more competition these day for eyes & $$$ with internet and so many more entertainment options. CF Montreal is learning that the hard way. Will be interesting to see what Bronfman group strategy is to develop a good fan base in Montreal. For now only vague intentions for the whole project have been communicated, no real plans. Sceptical but the group has some very smart people so rooting for them and hopefully no public money goes in unless support makes a lot of sense.

Montreal is not even on NBA's radar and NFL does not even know Montreal exists.

 

[LeHab]

Only more speculation...

 

[HuGort]

Not the Expos ! The Rays .

I was under the impression they were going to called Ex-Rays?

 

[1909]

I was under the impression they were going to called Ex-Rays?

or X-Rays ?

 

[salbutera]

Promotion d’une équipe en garde partagée | Le Groupe Baseball Montréal ne réagira pas à l'initiative des Rays

 

[kgboomer]

Charlie Bronfman gave up everything west of Belleville in 1976 to maintain exclusive territorial rights to Quebec & Atlantic Canada.

Is there a legal loophole, to get access to the lucrative Southern Ontario golden horseshoe that Blow Jays own exclusivity to, either via negotiation threat / challenge in court if need be?

I was getting some Expos games from TSN back then, they were broadcasting them either the days the Jays were not playing or when they were in the west coast.

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Let's be honest, Montreal isn't really a sports city.

We have the Habs because they have been ingrained in us since forever, but every other sport, as soon as the team loses the people lose interest.

Expos were sold, Alouettes were originally sold and now the CFL is a niche sport at best, I mean college football is bigger than the CFL.
And soccer is what it is... nothing bug neither.

Montreal is not a town of major sports teams, have to face facts.

 

[JianYang]

I was getting some Expos games from TSN back then, they were broadcasting them either the days the Jays were not playing or when they were in the west coast.

Yeah, tsn had a handful of expos games broadcast nationally. It was the only sports network in Canada, and there was only one channel back then for everything.

By the time headline sports, and CTV sportsnet came along, the expos were dying and not an entity that anybody wanted to pick up.

You could also get national games on SRC back then as well, but I think that was it.

I'm not sure how much national appeal the spos will have anymore. I think they had some of the older base that remember the expos being the first Canadian team, but that demographic is too old or passed on now, and the rest of the baseball fans in Canada are probably firmly entrenched into the Jays (and the hibernating mariners fans in BC)

 

[salbutera]

I was getting some Expos games from TSN back then, they were broadcasting them either the days the Jays were not playing or when they were in the west coast.

TSN only came live in 1984. All games prior were national CBC and SRC (French) broadcasts except for Jays vs Expos Pearson Cup occasionally on CTV.

There was an amendment in the 90s, allowing something like 10-15 broadcasts west of Belleville.