In other news: Jerry Reese wants to bring MLB to Raleigh, after his aaa disaster in you know where.
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Found this article on Jerry Reese and Raleigh MLB. I had no idea he ‘presented’ the MLB to Raleigh idea back to the MLB Commissioner back in 2015? That is the first time I’ve ever heard of something like that. Says he also found the ‘perfect spot’ for a stadium. I wonder if he ever plans on sharing any of this information?
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Raleigh, he says, is too close to Washington and Baltimore, and would infringe upon the fan bases in those cities.
By that logic, Charlotte couldn’t get a team because they’re too close to Atlanta.
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I would wager there are a ton more Braves fans in Charlotte , vs Nationals and Orioles fans (combined) in Raleigh.
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I’d say a Raleigh MLB team would be competing with the Yankees. Don’t think I’ve met many O’s and Nats fans here in Raleigh, plenty of Yanks tho haha.
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So. Many. Red Sox. Fans.
The Northeastern big two are definitely the most represented by local fans. Braves a close third imo.
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Them too. I grew up in Cary, half my neighborhood was from NY, including my fam. Yankees fans galore here.
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Shocker, a Charlotte-based website trying to find a way to get an MLB team to their city over ours here. By their logic DC should have never gotten the Nats as it’s waaay too close to Baltimore.
As @Kanatenah mentioned, there are tons of Braves fans down in Charlotte. Since our area is more transplants I don’t think there’s one dominant team that tries to claim this area. I personally haven’t seen all the Nats/O’s fans out and about around here either.
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Thanks for verifying the truth to Cary’s nickname, lol.
(Containment Area for Relocated Yankees) 
When WPTF started broadcasting saturday MLB games they did a poll of who folks wanted to hear, and sure enough, even in the 80s, it was the Yankees.
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Same thing with NFL. WAY more Bills gear walking around than Panthers (though I’m a fan of and root for both; Bills by birth, Panthers by relocating)
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What’s funny to me is we are infested with Steelers and Penguins fans, but I’m not sure I ever heard of a Pirates fan.
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I think the same can be said with Browns fans and the lack of vocal Guardians fans too. Still getting use to that name…
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Ooh, that’s true. I know a few huge Browns/Buckeye fans, but not a peep about their MLB team. Maybe baseball in general is much more localized for the cities up there. Though Philly fans seem more tuned in to all their teams, even the Phillies (though they seem proudest/loudest about the Eagles).
I disagree. Although I see some Bills stuff in Raleigh, I see a lot more Panthers gear, bumper stickers, etc. I think the Panthers are pretty popular here.
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I’d root for our team against anyone except the one I grew up with. Kind of like Panthers fans do with the Steelers.
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The decision to relocate the Expos to Washington was infamously contentious and opposed tooth and nail by the Orioles. MLB approved the relocation over the Orioles’ furious opposition. As a consolation, the Orioles got a controlling stake in the MASN sports network, and the two teams are still suing each other over MASN to this day. The Nationals’ presence makes Baltimore a much less attractive location for the Orioles and is surely a big part of the reason why Angelos’ son is looking to get out.
The dispute is one impediment to Raleigh getting a team: MLB really doesn’t want to put a second new team in Baltimore/DC’s territory, even though the two teams have very few fans here, and very few people here get MASN as part of their cable package. Conversely, Charlotte’s media market would be carved 100 percent out of Atlanta’s, while still leaving a huge market left over for the Braves. And a lot of the Braves fans in Charlotte would immediately switch allegiances if Charlotte ever got a team.
Camden Yards is an absolute jewel of a ballpark, and I hope the Orioles play there forever. And as noted above, the state of Maryland is going to do everything in its power to ensure that they do.
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Not necessairly true: A team in Charlotte would have the same effect on the MASN pair’s claims to NC as would one in Raleigh as Charlotte is claimed by them, the Braves, and the Reds. The only parts of NC that the MASN pair doesnt claim is the Greenville-Spartanburg-Ashsville and two adjacent outlier counties for Atlanta and Chattanooga. In fact, Raleigh would be better than Charlotte due to the fact that the MASN pair would probably do nothing to keep NC if put on the table. The fact that they’ve done nothing to get carriage on Spectrum since taking over the ex-TWC systems speaks volumes about how much they value NC.
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The Orioles have minimum presence here (2 radio stations in Greenville and Little Washington). The Nationals have 3 (Greenville, OBX, New Bern). The Braves however have affiliates in 7 cities (Asheville, Charlotte, Cherryville, Waynesville, Lincolnton, Shelby, Rutherfordton).
So the Orioles/Nationals split the lightly populated northeast corner of NC. Braves take a bigger chunk of Western NC. A Charlotte franchise would obviously hurt the Braves more, as that would also bleed over into SC in a big way. Raleigh on the other hand is the largest city in a 4-million person blind spot between the 3 clubs’ radio reach.
We are the most populous state by far without access to a MLB team (40% bigger than Tennessee). We should be next up. And the Triangle probably makes the most sense market wise. At least in my mind.
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Oh, yeah, I should have double-checked the blackout map. I forgot how much of North Carolina is in their claimed territory. Nevertheless, a team in Charlotte would both potentially take less real estate out of the MASN territory than a Raleigh team would, and take only the most ridiculously tenuous claims.
I also forgot about that little bit of Reds territory (which I definitely should have remembered because I was in the mountains just a few weeks ago and watched a Reds game on cable there), but again, you’re taking only the most very tenuous periphery, and that’s assuming that Tennesse doesn’t get a team first. I’m sure Cincinnati would much rather have a team in North Carolina than one in Tennessee.
But still, there was a huge fight over relocating a team to DC that is still being fought over in court to this day, and at least somewhat complicates putting a third team in their territory. But a Charlotte team would have less impact on Baltimore/DC, and the vast majority of its impact on Atlanta, which would still have a massive market to exploit.
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I should find his contact, especially should start ready now, ofc probably no expansion likely right now and an impending recession. But I don’t know his contacts.
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