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Braves may leave Disney after 2017
- Thread starter PhotoDave219
- Start date
They've actually been one of the best franchises to deal with…
No complaints other than the press box food.
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
Since this seems like the most appropriate place, i'll post it here. First, there's a large baseball complex, apparently the largest year round youth baseball complex in the world, coming to Wesley Chapel, FL. It is being funded by James Talton and former MLB player Gary Sheffield. The complex will be larger, better and more baseball focused than what WWoS is. In total, it will cost $34M, $23M of private dollars and $11M of publicly funded tourism dollars.
An article I read recently about the complex, which was just signed off on and would likely take until this 2017 time fram to complete (although it doesn't specify), says "There have been preliminary discussions with the Atlanta Braves about moving their Spring Training from Disney's Wide World of Sports to Wiregrass."
If you want to see the article i'll upload a scan of it. Given this will be a completely newly built complex, partially funded by a former major leaguer, i'd be surprised if the Braves don't end up moving here. The only thing I think that would stop it is if they can't match Disney's offer in terms of a contractual agreement.
An article I read recently about the complex, which was just signed off on and would likely take until this 2017 time fram to complete (although it doesn't specify), says "There have been preliminary discussions with the Atlanta Braves about moving their Spring Training from Disney's Wide World of Sports to Wiregrass."
If you want to see the article i'll upload a scan of it. Given this will be a completely newly built complex, partially funded by a former major leaguer, i'd be surprised if the Braves don't end up moving here. The only thing I think that would stop it is if they can't match Disney's offer in terms of a contractual agreement.
ProfSavage
Well-Known Member
Do y'all know how hard it is being an Atlanta franchise sports fan? Between the Braves and the Falcons... and don't get me started on the Hawks! Just keep breaking my heart...
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
Try being a Cleveland fan.
ABQ
Well-Known Member
I still feel bad that you failed TWICE in hosting an NHL franchise. Boo to that! As if either Calgary or Winnipeg deserve hockey teams. (that's sarcasm folks)
ProfSavage
Well-Known Member
CentralFLlife
Well-Known Member
If their stadium is swallowed by a sinkhole they will probably move to their brand new stadium they are working on. 19 years in a stadium is just to much for a team...
artvandelay
Well-Known Member
I'll see your Braves and Falcons and raise with the Mets, Jets and Islanders!
ezralou
Member
wdwfan4ver
Well-Known Member
That is not how it happened with the braves.Wait! The Braves left Boston...for Atlanta?
The Braves left Boston for Milwaukee after the 1952 season. The Braves left Milwaukee after the 1965 season for Atlanta.
Daniel Johnson
Well-Known Member
I am a braves fan...not happy about the Cobb county move, but, I don't live in Atlanta, so, the new stadium will probably be closer to the hotels we stay in....
I hope the braves stick around Disney though, I was hoping to catch them down there this coming spring, and others.
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
With everyone in the surrounding area moving south as well, it's not looking good. It's not that they want to leave necessarily, it's just more convenient. Less travel time.
Daniel Johnson
Well-Known Member
I live in south Georgia....as much as I love the Ted, it will be nice to not have to drive so far to the hotel. Also having my car broken into last season...maybe Cobb county will be a better neighborhood?
As for spring training, I have never been, plan on going this year!
As for spring training, I have never been, plan on going this year!
That would put them closer to Toronto & Philadelphia, yes.
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
The Yankees aren't too far away either in Tampa.
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
Also, he's an online article I found:
The Atlanta Braves aren’t making a trip to the postseason this year, but could they instead be planning a trip to Pasco County in a few years? For spring training?
Retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield, left, listens as Blue Marble Strategies owner James Talton shares his vision of a new 20-field baseball complex in Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Gary Sheffield, the retired Major League Baseball star who hit 64 home runs when he played two seasons for the Braves more than a decade ago, believes his old team will come. And if not them, maybe the Houston Astros or Toronto Blue Jays — both which have expressed interest in looking for new spring training homes — instead.
Regardless, the former outfielder says the proposed $70 million baseball complex planned on 100 acres in the Wiregrass Ranch area will be so attractive, it would be impossible for any Major League team to turn it down.
“They don’t want to be second to Disney,” Sheffield told a group of business leaders recently at a Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce economic development meeting. “The problem they are having is that the fans coming to the games there are not Braves fans. They are there for Disney, and that is a problem for them.”
The Braves have played spring training at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Disney World in Orlando since 1998, but have been unofficially considering other options in recent months since their lease there is set to expire in 2017.
Wesley Chapel could be perfect for the team, Sheffield says, since many might consider the Interstate 75 trip between there and Atlanta a straight shot. It also makes sense as a second home for the team without making it inconvenient for its fan base.
“That is an easy commute for them,” Sheffield said. “All those fans could come straight here, plus go to other places like Disney and Clearwater Beach, since they would be close by. That is a possibility that is pretty much there for the taking.”
The sports complex was proposed by James Talton, owner of Blue Marble Strategic, and would supply 20 baseball and multipurpose athletic fields, as well as dormitories for players and other amenities. It’s a way to tap into the lucrative youth baseball market, he said.
Talton is raising $54 million in private funding, and looking for $11 million from Pasco County tourist tax money, to make such a project a reality.
Even without a major stadium component, Talton feels his sports complex could play a role in creating 8,000 jobs in the county, and produce $318 million in annual economic impact, as well as a direct revenue stream of $9 million each year to the county government. But if the project could attract a Major League team, there’s no telling how big of an impact that would have in the Wesley Chapel area, Talton said.
Creating a separate field for spring training would not be anywhere near the headache the Tampa Bay Rays are experiencing with its efforts to get out of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. In fact, spring training fields are typically much smaller than regular season venues, Talton said, where average attendance usually holds around 6,700.
“We would want to put in up to 12,000 seats, but that could be a little ambitious,” he said. “A lot of what we hear from the league is that they want to have no more than 8,000 seats, because they want to make sure they are filled.”
Yet, just from his own youth baseball operations, Talton believes he can fill 3,000 of those seats with his players and families that might be using the rest of the facility during spring training time. He wants to be open for business by January 2017, which would be just ahead of when the Braves’ lease with Disney expires.
But are the Braves even looking to stay in this part of the state? Braves president John Schuerholz told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in March that staying in Central Florida could be tough.
Many teams that used to participate in spring training are looking for other parts of the state, especially south, and it could be tough for Atlanta to travel around if its only nearby opponent is the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland.
The Braves want to stay in Florida, however, and have waved off any suggestions the team could move to the other popular spring training state of Arizona. But if the Astros move out of Kissimmee, and the Washington Nationals leave their home in Viera, that could leave the Atlanta team rather isolated in Lake Buena Vista.
Yet moving to Wesley Chapel could be a good move in that respect. The Tigers would still be available in Lakeland, joining five other teams in quick driving distance — the New York Yankees in Tampa, the Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater, the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, and the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota.
The Braves also would be a lot closer to the Tampa Bay Rays, who play its spring training games in Port Charlotte.
A request to the Braves for comment is still pending.
Sheffield, who was born and raised in Tampa, says he has been spending a lot of time in Pasco County, especially since his kids are members of the Pasco Predators youth athletic teams. Once tourists start discovering the area, they won’t be able to stay away.
“There is something about Tampa and Pasco County,” he said. “People can’t leave. They can’t leave the water, or the beautiful places here. It’s totally community-driven.”
http://lakerlutznews.com/lln/?p=21809
The Atlanta Braves aren’t making a trip to the postseason this year, but could they instead be planning a trip to Pasco County in a few years? For spring training?
Retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield, left, listens as Blue Marble Strategies owner James Talton shares his vision of a new 20-field baseball complex in Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Gary Sheffield, the retired Major League Baseball star who hit 64 home runs when he played two seasons for the Braves more than a decade ago, believes his old team will come. And if not them, maybe the Houston Astros or Toronto Blue Jays — both which have expressed interest in looking for new spring training homes — instead.
Regardless, the former outfielder says the proposed $70 million baseball complex planned on 100 acres in the Wiregrass Ranch area will be so attractive, it would be impossible for any Major League team to turn it down.
“They don’t want to be second to Disney,” Sheffield told a group of business leaders recently at a Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce economic development meeting. “The problem they are having is that the fans coming to the games there are not Braves fans. They are there for Disney, and that is a problem for them.”
The Braves have played spring training at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Disney World in Orlando since 1998, but have been unofficially considering other options in recent months since their lease there is set to expire in 2017.
Wesley Chapel could be perfect for the team, Sheffield says, since many might consider the Interstate 75 trip between there and Atlanta a straight shot. It also makes sense as a second home for the team without making it inconvenient for its fan base.
“That is an easy commute for them,” Sheffield said. “All those fans could come straight here, plus go to other places like Disney and Clearwater Beach, since they would be close by. That is a possibility that is pretty much there for the taking.”
The sports complex was proposed by James Talton, owner of Blue Marble Strategic, and would supply 20 baseball and multipurpose athletic fields, as well as dormitories for players and other amenities. It’s a way to tap into the lucrative youth baseball market, he said.
Talton is raising $54 million in private funding, and looking for $11 million from Pasco County tourist tax money, to make such a project a reality.
Even without a major stadium component, Talton feels his sports complex could play a role in creating 8,000 jobs in the county, and produce $318 million in annual economic impact, as well as a direct revenue stream of $9 million each year to the county government. But if the project could attract a Major League team, there’s no telling how big of an impact that would have in the Wesley Chapel area, Talton said.
Creating a separate field for spring training would not be anywhere near the headache the Tampa Bay Rays are experiencing with its efforts to get out of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. In fact, spring training fields are typically much smaller than regular season venues, Talton said, where average attendance usually holds around 6,700.
“We would want to put in up to 12,000 seats, but that could be a little ambitious,” he said. “A lot of what we hear from the league is that they want to have no more than 8,000 seats, because they want to make sure they are filled.”
Yet, just from his own youth baseball operations, Talton believes he can fill 3,000 of those seats with his players and families that might be using the rest of the facility during spring training time. He wants to be open for business by January 2017, which would be just ahead of when the Braves’ lease with Disney expires.
But are the Braves even looking to stay in this part of the state? Braves president John Schuerholz told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in March that staying in Central Florida could be tough.
Many teams that used to participate in spring training are looking for other parts of the state, especially south, and it could be tough for Atlanta to travel around if its only nearby opponent is the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland.
The Braves want to stay in Florida, however, and have waved off any suggestions the team could move to the other popular spring training state of Arizona. But if the Astros move out of Kissimmee, and the Washington Nationals leave their home in Viera, that could leave the Atlanta team rather isolated in Lake Buena Vista.
Yet moving to Wesley Chapel could be a good move in that respect. The Tigers would still be available in Lakeland, joining five other teams in quick driving distance — the New York Yankees in Tampa, the Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater, the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, and the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota.
The Braves also would be a lot closer to the Tampa Bay Rays, who play its spring training games in Port Charlotte.
A request to the Braves for comment is still pending.
Sheffield, who was born and raised in Tampa, says he has been spending a lot of time in Pasco County, especially since his kids are members of the Pasco Predators youth athletic teams. Once tourists start discovering the area, they won’t be able to stay away.
“There is something about Tampa and Pasco County,” he said. “People can’t leave. They can’t leave the water, or the beautiful places here. It’s totally community-driven.”
http://lakerlutznews.com/lln/?p=21809
Looks like its almost a done-deal. Its a no-brainer for them to move out there. The nearest teams here are Houston in Kissimmee (likely leaving) and Detroit in Lakeland (never leaving).
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
Yep, and if you read the whole article, it says they are shooting for a January 2017 opening... just in time for Spring Training to start.
Disney makes its money off of Youth Sports Teams, not the Atlanta Braves. Thousands of little leagues while only one MLB.
I thought it was hilarious (in a dark humor kinda way) that Disney would kill the media internet by webcasting their games, taking up all the bandwidth. This led to many, many, many upset writers and photographers because you just couldn't upload your stories and photos as the game went on. Minute the game was over, everything went back to normal. Typical Disney infastructure. (I filed through a hotspot w/my phone)
I would be shocked if they stayed.