Expansion, not relocation, is Portland's ticket to MLB
Portland Business Journal - by Maury Brown
As a former member of the Oregon Stadium Campaign, and a current sports business analyst, I was pleased to read Andy Giegerich's article, ["Supporters hope stadium plan leads to big-league ball," Oct. 26].
In a city that continues to see rapid growth, the idea of having another big-league professional sports franchise would add value to Portland's entertainment options and bring in revenue from outside the city and the region.
However, as one who researches Major League Baseball as an industry, I found comments by Steve Kanter of the Portland Baseball Group regarding the possible relocation of an MLB team to be misleading.
Kanter states that "there will be a team moving," but events at this time point to quite the contrary. While matters could change, officials with Major League Baseball have placed the development of a new stadium for the Florida Marlins at the site where the aging Orange Bowl now sits as one of, if not the, top priority for the league.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has said that he wishes to keep the Marlins in the south Florida market, and believes that only the lack of a new retractable-roof stadium is preventing the franchise from garnering the revenue needed to be successful. This hardly seems like a team ready to relocate.
The same can be said of the current situation with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. While the team's current stadium, Tropicana Field, is a substandard domed facility for baseball, ownership has invested in capital improvements to make the "Trop" more attractive.
On top of that, the team announced this week its intent to work toward a new $450 million, 35,000 seat waterfront stadium
In Portland, a state-of-the-art stadium would require an orchestrated effort by the city and the business community -- neither of which seems doable at this time given the political leanings of Mayor Potter, who is against any tangible discussion regarding stadium funding.
Instead of talking relocation, baseball boosters in Portland should mention the possibility of MLB expanding from the 30 teams it currently has. While this may still be remote in the near term, the odds are better than a team relocating given MLB's extremely rosy financial standing as of late -- gross revenue is projected to be in excess of $6 billion this year.
I'm grateful for civic-minded individuals such as Steve Kanter, Beavers and Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, and those who are involved in the Portland Baseball Group and the Oregon Sports Authority. Portland should be prepared for professional sports opportunities that may arrive, and these groups work to monitor the professional sports landscape.
An ongoing evaluation of possible site locations and a keen eye toward the costs of a major-league facility should be the primary focus to allow realistic and responsible decisions to be made by local, regional and state government as it pertains to funding.
While Major League Baseball is not looking to relocate any franchises in the future, the Portland market should be seen as an attractive location should MLB decide to expand beyond its 30 teams in the future. That should be the message sent to those who have an interest in seeing big-league baseball in Portland in the future.
Maury Brown is the president and founder of the Business of Sports Network, which reports on professional sports as an industry. He is also a sports business analyst and author for Baseball Prospectus. Brown is a former member of the Oregon Stadium Campaign.
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/11/19/editorial3.html?t=printable
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