Tampa Doesn't Deserve The Rays
Scott Jensen has an article up at Dugout Central which is a variation on the bad attendance theme that's popular lately (hey, at least Tampa's good enough to have negative article written about them, right?)
Anyway, I was hoping to get some thoughts from people who actually know the area to see which of Scott's points actually hold up.
Specifically, how much do the Marlins' and Rays' markets overlap?
over 3 years ago
Sky Kalkman
15 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
Thank god the team isn't in Tampa.
"STP is me. He can do everything I can do." - R.J. Anderson
by P Brady on Sep 4, 2008 2:53 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
"The problem is that Tampa is not a baseball town and never has been. It might take decades of good play from the Rays, with a smattering of teams like this year’s, for the Rays to become a baseball town. And it’s not fair to ask Rays’ owner Stuart Sternb
Or it could take two years, but I’m all for hyperbole.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Al Lang field was the oldest stadium in FL right?
Something about ball being played here for the last 50 years tells me we are indeed a baseball town. St. Pete that is.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
St. Pete has hosted more spring training games than any other U.S. city, the Phillies have been in Clearwater for 54 years, the Blue Jays have known nothing but spring training in Dunedin, Tampa hosted the Reds for 40 years. The statement that this area can’t be a baseball market is complete bullshit, perpetuated by people without a clue as to the intricacies of the situation.
by Patrick L. Kennedy on Sep 4, 2008 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Tampa didnt deserve the Bucs until they won the Super Bowl
and now there is a bazillion people on the waiting list for the Bucs
in 3 years the thought of an attendance problem will no exist.
You gotta love a story written without much fact gathering
or objectivity. Same goes for some of the people leaving comments. Some people have an opinion and then they come up with whatever evidence they can to make their opinion seem valid, regardless of the fact that the evidence used is poor or false. Just to touch on a few points…Florida is a football state first. The Marlins have 15 yrs of history. The Rays have 10 yrs. It takes time to build up a fan base. In the Marlins’ case, it takes a covered field, but that’s another subject. Florida has many other options for entertainment besides watching sports, so until the team consistently wins, it will be awhile before the Rays are first on the casual fan’s entertainment preference list. Some people only have enough disposable income to support one sport. They might not have money to attend several Bucs, Lightning, and Rays games throughout the year, so they might choose one over the other two. I chose the Rays over the other two for various reasons. Tampa Bay deserves a team. Scott Jensen doesn’t deserve a column, at least based on this piece of work.
The posts are heavily moderated to only support his opinion.
I’ve tried to leave posts. they don’t get through moderation.
"None of them are baseball teams" - makes no sense,; this guy is an idiot.
The more relevant question is to where? We’ve talked about areas that are ripe for a team: Portland, Las Vegas and maybe Oklahoma City. But the difficulty all these options present is the same one that has doomed Tampa – none of them are baseball teams. The Rays, or whatever they might be called, would have to go through the same, prolonged fight to woo new fans and build their base.
He brings up the only logical possibilities, though
NY, BOS, PHI. Baseball towns with HUGE fanbases.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Please read our Community Guidelines.
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
DRB Suggestion Box
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
