Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

London is home to North America's first baseball field..........Labatt Park.

Baseball well predates Labatt Park, so it isn't the first. It's claim is the oldest continuously used baseball grounds. Although the Americans won't let that one go and still claim Fuller Field is the oldest, because even though Labatt Park is a year older, home plate isn't in the exact spot it was in the 1870's. Guinness recognizes Labatt though.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by wave46

The joke in the NFL used to be to threaten to move to Los Angeles. I guess Las Vegas was that for a bit. Modern day pro sports - especially football and baseball - have basically saturated the North American market in most senses.

There's not a ton of potential candidates nowadays.

Which is why the NFL is looking at London. MLB doesn't really have the same option, although Monterrey and Ciudad Mexico are usually brought up.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Which is why the NFL is looking at London. MLB doesn't really have the same option, although Monterrey and Ciudad Mexico are usually brought up.

there are still a few NA markets left to relocate or expand to

for NBA Seattle, Vancouver or Montreal, Kansas City

for NHL Quebec City, Milwaukee, Houston

for NFL San Diego, St Louis, San Antonio,

for MLB, Portland, Nashville, Charlotte

[Acajack]

And Toronto for the NFL.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by Acajack

And Toronto for the NFL.

very doubtful considering how poorly attended the bills in toronto series for 5 years was and how poorly attended argo games have been the past 10-12 years. san diego and san antonio even mexico city are far better football markets than toronto which is more a basketball and soccer city these days with such a large new canadian/immigrant population.

[Acajack]

I agree it is a longshot but there is no way it is not somewhere on the list of potentials.

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by thurmas

there are still a few NA markets left to relocate or expand to

for MLB, Portland, Nashville, Charlotte

*cough* Montreal *cough*

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by Acajack

And Toronto for the NFL.

Don't forget Okotoks! They have a better chance.

[jonny24]

Anyone have pics of the stadium work at York University?

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Baseball well predates Labatt Park, so it isn't the first. It's claim is the oldest continuously used baseball grounds. Although the Americans won't let that one go and still claim Fuller Field is the oldest, because even though Labatt Park is a year older, home plate isn't in the exact spot it was in the 1870's. Guinness recognizes Labatt though.

Except Labatt Park (1877), formerly Tecumseh Park, is the oldest ballpark in the world. The world's very first baseball game, documented by US based Sporting Life magazine, was one played down the road from London in Beachville, Ontario in 1838. So yes, baseball had already been around for 39 years when the first ballpark was build in London. That said, Canada is home to the oldest ballpark and the first baseball game. All 4 big North American sports are Canadian in origin: basketball (Canadian inventor), hockey (although the Brits now claim it), baseball, and football (exported to the US in 1874 when McGill played a series with Harvard).


https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2014/06/04/...aseball-began/

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by thurmas

there are still a few NA markets left to relocate or expand to

for NBA Seattle, Vancouver or Montreal, Kansas City

for NHL Quebec City, Milwaukee, Houston

for NFL San Diego, St Louis, San Antonio,

for MLB, Portland, Nashville, Charlotte

Surely Montreal is next for MLB?

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by Acajack

And Toronto for the NFL.

Toronto doesn't have an NFL caliber stadium.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Except Labatt Park (1877), formerly Tecumseh Park, is the oldest ballpark in the world. The world's very first baseball game, documented by US based Sporting Life magazine, was one played down the road from London in Beachville, Ontario in 1838. So yes, baseball had already been around for 39 years when the first ballpark was build in London. That said, Canada is home to the oldest ballpark and the first baseball game. All 4 big North American sports are Canadian in origin: basketball (Canadian inventor), hockey (although the Brits now claim it), baseball, and football (exported to the US in 1874 when McGill played a series with Harvard).


https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2014/06/04/...aseball-began/

I don't know why you started your reply to me with "except". I did say Labatt was the oldest, and just added the claim south of the border of their park being the oldest. The game in Beachville wasn't really what a ball game of today is, which is where it's history gets disputed as well. I went to the 150th anniversary weekend they had in Beachville, and the re-creation game they played was 4 bases plus home. There are reports of other "similar" type of games elsewhere in the world even earlier than that.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

Toronto doesn't have an NFL caliber stadium.

Most cities that get a team don't at the time they are awarded a team either.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Surely Montreal is next for MLB?

Nashville has been on that list for a long time and there is a growing group there actively pursuing it.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Nashville has been on that list for a long time and there is a growing group there actively pursuing it.

A bit of a tangent here, but it's interesting that MLB never expanded into the Mid-Atlantic region of the US when all three of the other big US leagues have. I mean I guess there's the addition of the Washington Nationals, but they're really on the far outer edges of that region near the northeast so I don't know how relevant they are to someone living in, say, Charlotte or Memphis.

The Braves really have a huge chunk of that region all to themselves.

[Hackslack]

The annual NFL to Toronto discussion is so comical, every time it comes up. There is no way, for a variety of reasons, the NFL is going to Toronto. Not having an NFL caliber stadium is one of them, but more importantly, who would pay $2 billion of their own money to build one?

Bills in Toronto flop I am sure is still very fresh in the minds of the other owners as well.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by Hackslack

The annual NFL to Toronto discussion is so comical, every time it comes up. There is no way, for a variety of reasons, the NFL is going to Toronto. Not having an NFL caliber stadium is one of them, but more importantly, who would pay $2 billion of their own money to build one?

Bills in Toronto flop I am sure is still very fresh in the minds of the other owners as well.

It is one of the favourite topics here, along with:

- MLB/new baseball stadium in Montreal
- New baseball stadium in Toronto
- Ottawa arena near downtown
- New Atlantic Canada CFL stadium

Somebody once said that small-place arguments are the most passionate ones, because what else is one going to argue about in a small place, except the same few things over and over again?

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Hackslack

The annual NFL to Toronto discussion is so comical, every time it comes up. There is no way, for a variety of reasons, the NFL is going to Toronto. Not having an NFL caliber stadium is one of them, but more importantly, who would pay $2 billion of their own money to build one?

Bills in Toronto flop I am sure is still very fresh in the minds of the other owners as well.

The very minute the NFL makes it known they are seriously interested in Toronto, there will be a line up of money to build a stadium and pay the expansion fees. The Bills thing means nothing. Getting the NFL actually interested in Toronto for a team has and will always be the obstacle.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Getting the NFL actually interested in Toronto for a team has and will always be the obstacle.

I thought the billionaire owner was the hurdle. The NFL won't deal with companies.

That, and the stadium. And fleecing taxpayers.