I am an unabashed baseball fan. It doesn¡¯t matter to me
whether it is a one-run game with a total of three hits or a 20-run game; I
love baseball, and baseball is life.
So, it almost pains me to say that the city of Orlando,
Florida, does not need Major League Baseball.
A Florida television station is reporting that a group of
investors say they have more than $1 billion to not only get a franchise, but
to build a stadium.
They even have a name for the team: the Orlando Dreamers.
Why?
Orlando is already the unofficial capital of vacation in the
United States, if not the world. The city boasts major theme parks at
Universal, SeaWorld and, of course, the godfather of all places, Walt Disney
World.
That¡¯s not to mention nearby attractions, such as Gatorland
or even Bush Gardens in Tampa, a short drive from Orlando. Golfing is also
plentiful.
Orlando doesn¡¯t need another competitor for the
entertainment dollar, and I fear that even Major League Baseball would get
lost.
MLB in Florida hasn¡¯t worked. For spring training, yes, but
not for a regular season, and certainly not in Orlando. The only way I could
see this working¡ªand even that is a stretch¡ªwould be to lure one of the
existing franchises in the state, like the Tampa Bay Rays or Miami Marlins, to
jump to Orlando.
Neither of the Florida teams has ever really enjoyed much
fan support.
Tampa, in fact, is playing its regular season this year at a
facility a quarter of the size of its home stadium due to hurricane
damage.? However, Tampa is not too far away from Orlando, and the
franchise might benefit from relocation in the short term.
But I don¡¯t believe it would be sustainable.
No, Orlando already has enough and has even improved its
existing properties. The city is a world-class destination even without the
Orlando Dreamers.
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