Another form of corporate welfare in the good ole US of A! But they don't want us talking about that! They’d rather keep us divided with BS culture war nonsense.
Stop public financing of stadiums to subsidize privately-owned teams. No one goes to the Rays games. Let them leave rather than the taxpayers front over $700 million.
Not everyone have kids in school, so close all schools as well, I say. I don't want to pay for a bunch of goddamn kids who I don't give a rat's ass about.
Until they get a train/metro to move people from, for example, Orlando to the stadium, there will be no change in crowd sizes. It is impossible to get to the location with traffic.
Anyone remember "Ballpark Village" in St. Louis? It was long on promises and little was delivered. Of course, Phase A is the stadium. Somehow B, C, and D will run into budgetary problems. Bet on it.
Don't worry. Nobody down here remembers Rays owners bragging about relocating/building in near Ybor location will be ALL PAID FOR by sponsors and NOT A SINGLE PENNY of taxpayers money will be used. Rays owners are Ponzi artists. And, to top it off, they are/were suing each other for what I don't know and no news report on it whatsoever. Maybe they are suing each other for something new now😂😂😂
In 25 years, Tampa will be flooded most of the year. I'd imagine they'll relocate somewhere inland, like Oklahoma City, Columbus, Nashville, Indianapolis, or Louisville.
The issue on the Rays attendance is a complex issue that goes much farther than just "bad traffic". Pinellas County is the most densely populated County in the state of Florida and St. Petersburg has a population of 260K+ within city limits. Yes, most of the fanbase is in Tampa but why are people not considering the million people that already live in Pinellas County and dont have to cross any bridges at all? The Rays gameday experience along with the the quality of stadium play a huge role in the bad attendance. But also, the community as a whole have rejected the team because of the cheap ownership that trades away fan favorites every year. In your own chart from 2008- onwards has steadily declined. Coincidentally 2008 was when the team made the world series. Since then the Rays have traded fan favorites, Cy-Young Pitchers, etc. to where there is literally no point buy a jersey because you dont know if the player will be there after 3 years. Until the Rays get new ownership not much will change
No matter how you break it down, its a nightmare drive and it is the number one reason that people do not go to games at the Trop. Even if you live in Pinellas county and you don't have to cross any of the bridges to get there, you still have to fight traffic on US-19 which is often just as bad if not worse than coming over the bridges from Tampa.
@ it’s 100% not going to fix the attendance. The Rays tried multiple times over the last decade to build something in Tampa and city/county rejected every single time due to public financing issues. The owner wants to stay in Florida so the only options were 1. Build a stadium 100% privately financed in Tampa 2. Build a stadium in St. Pete and have the Rays only responsible for 1/3 of the cost.
Yes it's been proven over and over again that major league baseball in St Petersburg doesn't work. I think they would do a little bit better in Tampa but not a lot. There is not enough interest in the Tampa Bay area for Major League Baseball.
Tampa is the place to be. It's easier for all fans to get to the game. The team will never get over that "hump" until they move to Tampa. Hell, there is plenty of room next to RayJay. Make it like a sports complex. I think that would work great. SP is doing everything they can to keep it there because that's all that drives thier economy. However, we have to use common sense. Spending THIS MUCH money to keep the team in SP is just crazy and it will never pan out as planned. Case in point....."The Pier"
@@bolts5994 eh, you're kind of just swapping the burden of travel to the other side of the bay. Clearwater and St Pete have the same population as Tampa. In my opinion, every excuse has been made. Just not enough local interest.
Best excuse for them to build a new stadium and put it actually in….. Tampa. Their attendance would likely go way up. They’ve struggled with attendance so much over the years because the stadium is in St. Pete. If they put it in downtown or at least on Dale Mabry by the football stadium, they would draw way more people
You alluded to it, but part of the controversy too is that the original Tropicana Field was built on the land of a razed black neighborhood (the Gas Plant neighborhood), an act that's controversial up until this day. That's why they're adding in affordable housing (well, that, and because of general pressure recently to move towards walkable neighborhoods), and why they're naming the redevelopment project after the neighborhood that used to be there. Interestingly, at the start of this, they were planning for the potential of a new stadium not even being there, with them asking prospective contractors to propose two plans each: one with a stadium and one without.
Bad attendance has nothing to do with a bad stadium. Most people dont know there are 4 minor league stadiums on the way to the rays stadium if you are outside of st pete. Look it up. 3 of the 4 minor league teams have fairly new stadiums. So anyone coming from tampa or orlando has a closer baseball option and a better stadium experience than going to tropicana field. If the rays were in tampa they would attract way more fans. I live in tampa and everyone i talk too says tropicana field is too far. if you want to drive from tampa to st pete you will pass one of the 4 minor league teams before getting to tropicana field so why not go to those stadiums? I keep seeing people bash the rays attendance and blame the fans without even knowing that the tampa area has more pro baseball per square foot than any other area in the world. The problem with rays attendance is there is too much baseball in the area. I literally have friends on facebook who post pics of themselves at these minor league games daily. I like the new stadium idea but until something is done with these minor league teams in the area i dont see many people from tampa driving to st pete to watch a game. it takes me 50 minutes to get to the stadium while it only takes me 20 minutes to get to the Tampa yankees (tarpons) field. It also only takes me 30 minutes to get to the Bradenton pirates (Marauders) stadium. I can also get to the Dunedin Blue jays, and Clearwater Threshers in about 45 minutes. im not sure why nobody brings up these points when talking about attendance. If the tampa area was such a bad area for pro baseball why are there 5 teams separated by 30 miles? The rays or mlb should deal with these teams. Make some move to orlando or another city.
@@Bward216 that doesn’t matter. Minor league baseball in a new stadium at a lower price beats Major League Baseball in a bad stadium that’s farther away anytime. I was going to take my son to a Saturday game to see the rays. Just out of curiosity I thought I should check the minor leagues schedule. Non played that Saturday so I took him to see the rays. If any had been playing that day I would have taken him to see them play instead. A 25 minute drive compared to a 50 minute drive is an easy choice.
I hear the same thing from everyone who lives in Tampa about how far St Pete is especially when you factor in traffic conditions. I have to respectfully disagree as the reason why you believe that. Yes, Tampa is a bigger population but not by much compared to St Pete. You act like there are no fans in the area and the Rays are counting on Tampa to patronize them. If proximity is a problem, how do you explain Marlins low attendance? It’s not a location issue, it’s not a stadium condition issue either. It’s a Florida issue. If you care about Major League Baseball, driving 45 minutes shouldn’t be a big deal. Settling for minor league baseball is your choice but don’t try to compare that to the big leagues. I’m glad you enjoy that but if you actually cared or respected the Rays, driving an hour for a game that is guaranteed not to be a delay or postponed due to weather is ridiculous. The Marlins have the worst attendance in the National League. Don’t they have a new stadium? Isn’t it located in the major city limits? Unlike the Rays, haven’t the Marlins competed and won World Series? So it doesn’t matter how the team is playing. Where the venue is located or what shape the venue is in. Florida mlb has never proven to be a viable option for long term sustainability.
The Rays will most likely play their games this at Steinbrenner field where the Yankees minor league team plays. Its right across the street from the Bucs stadium. It hold 11,000 with the capacity to seat 13,000. The Rays average 13,000 a night. If they sell out every game in Tampa in an outdoor park, then theres your answer to moving to Tampa...
Why wouldn't they make the roof retractable? Isn't one of the major complaints about the Trop that it feels like a cave? I understand why they would want/need a roof, especially in that region, but Florida has a lot of nice, sunny days too toward the beginning and end of the baseball season that aren't oppressively hot. Who wants to go to a baseball game to sit indoors when the weather is nice? A retractable roof is the best of both worlds.
Could you not figure-out from the video here (or by other means of research), that it is a ‘pavilion-style’ with a fixed roof AND large windows wrapped around the stadium just under the roof that can be fully opened bringing the outside (along with ‘natural light’) IN, and the entire outfield will be one huge window that you can also open, leading to the outdoor ballpark/entertainment district. It is going to be state of the art, first-class, & set the new bar… VERY Unique. Look at the Rams (and Chargers) new stadium… Fixed Roof. 💯
Its not just the heat, its the rain. Day games between May and September would be 50-50 propositions at best. Night games starting at 7:00 or 7:15 also would be at risk for rain delays. You would need at least a retractable roof to protect the field from soaking rains in the summer. Retractable roofs really amp up the cost.
As a person living in the Tampa Bay Area, I’ve been to this stadium and it’s so aged. Especially those baseballs on the roof outside. Now I see why rays attendance is so low… 😂
Aging stadiums are never a reason why fans stop going to games. Wrigley Field is over 100 years old and the Cubs have to share Chicago with another baseball team and fans still show up no matter how good or bad the team is. There was a long period of time where this “old” stadium didn’t even have lights so all games where in middle of the day. You would think that most fan’s work and school schedules conflict with that but not if you love your team. Fenway Park is also over 100 years old and trust me, it looks like it. New stadium is not gonna make you want to see the Rays more.
@@playlistiphone8743 True, I was thinking about mentioning that. Just thought the stadium was an overall eyesore. I know people in the Bay Area that don’t want to go to the games because the stadium does not have an open-air roof which would be a nice touch to the stadium. Me personally, I think it would be more fun to go to a Rays game in a newer stadium. It just would feel overall better. I still would attend rays games in the old Tropicana field but would prefer a newer one. Plus, don’t forget the entertainment district surrounding the new stadium. That is another reason why I would rather visit the Rays in a new stadium.
@@MarioParty_1998 How do you explain the Marlins low attendance? It’s in a much more populated city in the same state of Florida. It is not only more recently built but has a retractable roof. I say all of that because none of those reasons along with others mentioned in the comments won’t make local fans go to games in the state of Florida. Obviously has a big Spring training presence but most of the fans who go to those are from out of town. lol By the way, the Marlins play inside Miami so the distance to travel to a game is also not excusable.
Good info. We’ll see how this goes. I hope the Rays get a nice new stadium, because I doubt anyone would dispute that the Trop is probably the worst in the MLB… even before the hurricane.
I live 7 minutes from the trop and this is great for st. Petersburg as a city. Tampa honestly couldn't care less about having the rays. St. Pete wanted them back bad and even put forth public money to show it too. Tampa could've gotten them if they fought hard enough but the truth is the just didn't try very hard and st. Pete did. It's a business at the end of the day and I'm sure they picked the option that will work better for them
Seems to me like the Rays should play day games without the roof until they can get the new stadium built. In general though, having visted Tampa/St. Pete, I love downtown St. Pete but it is a nightmare to get to from Tampa side - they should have built in Tampa if you ask me but their plan for this stadium seems to be a good one for St Pete (smaller stadium, next to entertainment district, etc...)
And what? No night games? Or are you saying they should play night games somewhere else? And where would you recommend they play their night games, in that case?
I think the current stadium is perfectly fine and modern. I lived 20 blocks from the old Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field is light years more advanced than the old stadium.
There were tears in the roof before the hurricane and there's video evidence of this from games earlier this year. That alone could have compromised it's ability to withstand the hurricane winds it was originally designed to withstand.
No amount of public funding should ever go to build a stadium. If the owners want to take their team to another city, let them. Minor league ball clubs are just as much fun for a fraction of the ticket price.
The new stadium will be in St. Petersburg, but they should have made a way to put it in Tampa. Now that the deal is done, they should implode Tropicana Field and shift the location of the new stadium from the parking lot to the same footprint as the Trop.
Why would the rays ever move to orlando? Orlando area has a smaller population then Tampa bay area, Plus its basically the same market, most people in orlando are rays fans, so they would still be fans sure. But fans in tampa bay would be slighted, they wouldnt want to support the team anymore, That would cut their fanbase in half overnight for a seemingly lateral at best move. Not to mention orlando is a tourist city and baseball is a hertiage sport. Most people in orlando are transplants and tourists would come to orlando for disney or universal and root against the rays creating a hostile enviroment. Negative on all sides, if the rays are moving it would never be orlando
@@BrysonConroy Major League Baseball will and have already proven to fail in Florida no matter where it is. Just about every city in the USA that gets mentioned a lot in the media is a tourist attraction city like New York, Los Angeles, or Miami to name a few. Las Vegas is a waaaay bigger tourist town than Orlando. The Raiders are terrible and they still attract fans from not just locally but from all over. Even WNVA thrives in Vegas! You mentioned heritage sport? What is that supposed to mean? Isn’t ice hockey inheritedly rooted in the north closer to Canada? How is it thriving in a desert town that gets 0 snowfall? Fans can complain all they want about a team moving miles away from their namesake city but it’s never a reason (and I mean never) why fans stop seeing their favorite teams. The 49ers moved out of the Bay Area completely and far away to Santa Clara which is in Silicon Valley. Of course a lot of locals complained but that didn’t stop them from attending games because they actually care about their team. Fans in Florida don’t. At least not the baseball fans.
@@playlistiphone8743incorrect, Orlando gets more visitors than Vegas, especially international. According to several sources, the most visited cities in the US are NYC, Miami, LA and Orlando. Vegas is not top 4.
@@BlackSaiyan24 Thats with the history of being a football town, aswell as the entire rest of the state being behind the team. also the team literally couldnt leave if they wanted to because the team is owned by the fans. Orlando has a massive transplant population in a city that is not a baseball city in with smaller population then both tampa and miami which are struggling with attendance
"Fans" are not the main point of the stadium. A properly designed venue will get year-round use for concerts, conventions, Holiday events, and other uses. Surrounding business also benefit!
Why replace the roof at the Trop when the new stadium could be in place in three or four seasons? Better to use insurance money to install an irrigation system and play home games without a roof, almost all of them at night.
I'm a Rays fan and been going to the Trop since I was a child. I can tell you right now this is a horrible idea. I thought the Hurricane ripping off the roof was a fitting end for the trop. It's simply the location. Tax payer funded and 20 years to compete? The people in charge of making this decision needs to be fired immediately
St Petersburg is a pill of a drive from the Tampa district, built the new stadium closer to Raymond James or just move the team to Nashville or one of the two cities in North Carolina where they will be better embraced.
The Bucs don’t even come close to filling RayJay on most days, & would be half EMPTY if not for the opposing teams fans. On top of that, there was NO ‘deal’ to be made in Tampa… The Rays and city of St. Pete gave/allowed them over 2-YEARS to come to an agreement, which they never could or did. This new ballpark battery/district will be their best move in the longterm anyway… St. Pete is absolutely BOOMING and is an actual ‘real’ downtown now, especially when compared to downtown Tampa!!!!
The Tampa Bay Area for its size should already have an extensive light rail system similar to The DFW metroplex. Should have a light rail line running over the bay connecting the cities of St Pete and Tampa.
It's a shame cheap material was used the stadium. And it would make sense that death race in buccaneers came together to build a multi-purpose retractable or fix dome stadium made a quality material from top to bottom.
It’s difficult to get to St Pete for a 7 pm game if I leave Orlando at 5:30pm - yet the MLB still deems me in blackout territory. That’s fine - I’ll just watch my Tigers on MLB tv, and so will my kids. Rays dont want me to watch them w/o cable 💁🏻♂️.
One of the worst things about the trop is that it’s enclosed. Absolutely who wants to sit inside and watch baseball? And the fact they chose to enclose the new one too is insane.
Dude, it protected itself from hurricanes since 1990.. that's a success. ALSO.. anybody know the insurance payout from the damage?.. helo new stadium? Lol
Correction at 1:29 I am a structural engineer and wind speeds do not increase with heights but wind pressures do increase. I’m sure that was implied here but for the sake of using accurate terms
You must be a horrible engineer cause you’re entirely wrong. Wind speed 100% increases with height. Always. Up to the point of the jet stream, which is moving at hurricane level speed
@Dahn.Baern you must not be a structural engineer since wind speed is location and building category dependent, NOT height dependent. Read ASCE 7. Buildings are not in the jet stream so your argument is invalid
@ my argument isn’t that buildings are in the jet stream, dummy. The wind speeds increasing with height is my argument and the jet stream is proof of that. Wind speeds are always higher with height. Meteorology 101 you dumb fuck
@@Lumens1sorry bud altitude definitely increases wind speed. It actually makes perfect sense due to lack of wind shear as well. The Trop being much higher than any buildings on its west side. You should get your money back from school. Lmfao!!!!
@Garrick1983 you really need to read the building code as you are way out of your lane. Your comment does not make sense nor hold water in engineering nor physics. The Trop was designed to a specific wind speed which, as I have stated, is based on the location of the building and the building risk category. You can verify that in the code yourself. You are talking about wind PRESSURE increasing as the building gets taller. Please stay in your lane on subjects that you are not an expert in. Thanks
we sure this is more controversial than a team being moved from oakland to vegas for a new stadium that looks like a weird version of the sydney opera house
Should have built in Orlando. More centrally located for the state, attracting people from the north and south of Orlando, Nobody outside of St Pete wants to go over the bridges. Bas choice building in St Pete
Whatever they build has to wirthstand a Cat 5 Hurricane- at least 90% of the structure. I think if they build to a lower standard its a waste of money.
Idk man if the rays and marlins had owners that want to spend money and actually compete I think people in Florida would actually watch the marlins or rays.
that is the the thing it will cost to much money to fix up the stadium for them just to leave it in a couple years anyway . the Rays should find a home for the time being tell the new stadium is built i say why not then Bulldoze the Trop and built the new stadium there .
As a rays fan this is such a waste of money because like we need players not a new stadium who the fuck cares if other teams hate our stadium. We need good players not good stadium. We’re not the athletics. Stay Tropicana field.
Anywhere in Fl is a waste of time and lots of money. Compared to capacity, I would say they have the MLB lowest percentage of fans attending. Any game past 4pm is also a waste as so many of their fans lock themselves in their condos and watch Wheel of Fortune.
The Tampa Bay metro area is nearly three million people, but they are spread/sprawled out all over creation. And there is no integrated transit. Driving is the only way to get anywhere (one reason I moved away). Putting the new stadium in Tampa won’t solve the problem, nor will building a new one in St. Pete. The area really can’t support three major league sports. I was an original Rays season ticket holder, and I’d hate to see them move, but they are third behind hockey and football (and Bucs fans are bandwagoners anyway).
Tampa bay area is nearly 4 million people, and they are sprawled out yes, but the rays play in times when the others dont. Attendance is down across the entire league for the MLB, and the stadium being in St pete is a massive deterence. I can speak from personal experience as someone who isnt a baseball fan myself, there are alot alot alot of baseball fans where i live in brandon. large puetro rican and cuban population in tampa and they grow up with baseball. Most of them either dont have time to go to the game because of the drive or alot of factors with it being in st pete. Tampa however wont be a perfect fit of course, and probaly would average on the lower end of attendance but their tv market is still great
@@BrysonConroy The US Census only counts Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties as the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area (thus my 3 million population figure). Throw in Sarasota, Manatee, and Polk, and you are correct, you’re up over 4 million. The problem is still the same: it’s all sprawled out, and no alternative to driving. As an urban planner, I always found it ironic that local taxpayers would approve public money for stadiums (e.g. the “Community Investment Tax” that helped build Raymond James Stadium for the Bucs), but mostly vote thumbs-down on funding transportation improvements that could help them get there (other than road widening, which does _not_ solve congestion). As you point out, the tv market is great and I think that’s what keeps the Rays afloat. My point is that a new stadium, no matter where it’s located, is not going to solve the attendance problem. The “friction of distance” is the same.
@@mrh-TO-Canadait’s because people WANT to drive and like their cars. You are rare that you don’t like to drive. And, there is close to ZERO demand for it here… NOBODY is taking that damn train and they know the projected ridership numbers and already KNOW THIS. It’s not worth it. It would be a HUGE LOSS. Hell, LA can’t even get theirs BUILT.
@@MelvinJunior4 You’re right that people seem to love driving their cars. They also love to _bitch_ about traffic-when they are actually _part_ of the traffic-and erroneously think that “one more lane” will solve it. And what train? Transit improvements don’t have to be rail. Buses are the workhorses of any good transit system, and cities across North America are implementing bus rapid transit (BRT) and bus High Level of Service (BHLS) lines: cheaper, faster to implement, and highly effective. Cities like LA and Pittsburgh have some of the highest bus ridership in the US. The PSTA’s very successful SunRunner in St. Pete is a great example of what can be done. It’s also an equity issue. Not everyone can afford to own, operate, and maintain a car. They need another option, especially if you want them to attend baseball games. I happily live car-free in Toronto. I can take any combination of TTC subway/streetcar/bus for CDN$3.25 (~USD$2.35) to go to a Jays, Leafs, or Raptors game. The Rogers Centre is right in the middle of downtown, along with Scotiabank Arena. No parking lots around either of them, easily accessible via transit. No finding and paying for parking in garages, no sitting in traffic (which is actually worse here than in Tampa Bay). Give people an option, and many of them will choose it over driving. Not everyone will, or has to, but having those options would sure change the decision-making process on the location of the next Rays stadium.
@ our buses are mostly empty in Pinellas County now, due to everyone’s Medicaid and Medicare Plans (and other welfare programs) are covering people’s rides through Lyft and Uber. You wouldn’t choose a (public) bus over that, either. The new “rapid” transit Sun-Runner in St. Pete had to add a small fee now, in order to keep all of the homeless, etc. away from the tourists, business owners, workers, and homeowners at the beach (they were hanging out approaching people, bumming, scaring them, and sleeping (passed-out) on the beach), etc. Even, this new “RAPID” has like 17-STOPS… Some must have like 60 LoL, since I know people who have had to take them (DUI lost license) on trips from Clearwater to St. Pete and would take them an hour and a half plus, on what would’ve been a 20-25 minute drive. Also, if it’s a train from say Tampa to Orlando (or St. Pete or wherever), it can be pretty expensive and then become VERY expensive if you then have to get an Uber to get to where you’re going, etc. In some very few circumstances it could make sense today in our area, but not very many.
AYO TAMPA, JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN’T GET THE MEMO, DON’T PUT A GODDAMN ROOF ON IT. EVERYBODY KEEP BITCHING AT Y’ALL FOR HSVING A ROOF AND TERRIBLE LIGHTING AND YET YOU STILL DIDN’T TAKE THE ROOF OFF. HURRICANE MILTON WAS LISTENING AND ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR ROOF SITUATION 😂😂😂
Sadly, this video has become irrelevant, in that the Rays have backed out of the project and will probably be moving to a new city. Probably Nashville.
using public funds to build a stadium and then having private companies profit from the stadium should be illegal and investigated.
Another form of corporate welfare in the good ole US of A! But they don't want us talking about that! They’d rather keep us divided with BS culture war nonsense.
Yeah because those companies don't pay taxes.
Stadium draws foot traffic for St Pete businesses. That’s where the city investment yields long-term. Not uncommon…
@ but is that actually true?
@@bcoates87 yup that is why these cities keep paying for new stadiums. Cities with major sports teams usually are a lot more developed.
Stop public financing of stadiums to subsidize privately-owned teams. No one goes to the Rays games. Let them leave rather than the taxpayers front over $700 million.
Not everyone have kids in school, so close all schools as well, I say. I don't want to pay for a bunch of goddamn kids who I don't give a rat's ass about.
Should call it The Raydium.
*slow clap* Nice one good sir, nice one
😂😂😂😂 man that’s not bad. That’s actually fantastic
Until they get a train/metro to move people from, for example, Orlando to the stadium, there will be no change in crowd sizes. It is impossible to get to the location with traffic.
Brightline is trying, hopefully all the way to St. Pete
@@ClancyswayBrightlline isn't cheap I think it's 100$ from orlando to miami
Hope the stadium deal falls through. After a few years of the Rays playing at Steinbrenner Field, people will notice that Tampa is a better location
Traffic honestly turns 20mins to an hour and change
@@hlvlslon2739 a new stadium won't magically change that
Anyone remember "Ballpark Village" in St. Louis? It was long on promises and little was delivered. Of course, Phase A is the stadium. Somehow B, C, and D will run into budgetary problems. Bet on it.
Yup he said phase d wouldn’t be complete until the 2040s. A lot can and will change in almost 20
years.
hold up,
there is no ball park village?
Why do Cards fans keep suggesting I go there if I ever visit?
Let’s be real, redeveloping the area would be extremely beneficial to the city, if done right. Problem is typically bureaucratic and dumb lawmakers.
Same thing in Detroit with Little Caesars Arena. Lots of stuff promised around it, but nothing yet.
Don't worry. Nobody down here remembers Rays owners bragging about relocating/building in near Ybor location will be ALL PAID FOR by sponsors and NOT A SINGLE PENNY of taxpayers money will be used.
Rays owners are Ponzi artists.
And, to top it off, they are/were suing each other for what I don't know and no news report on it whatsoever.
Maybe they are suing each other for something new now😂😂😂
In 25 years, the Rays will want a new stadium. The taxpayers will be left with outrageous tax increases
In 25 years, Tampa will be flooded most of the year. I'd imagine they'll relocate somewhere inland, like Oklahoma City, Columbus, Nashville, Indianapolis, or Louisville.
That is with any new stadium. Billionaire owners want the poor common people to foot the bill.
@@gabrielschroll3824Lmfao!!!! Good one.
The issue on the Rays attendance is a complex issue that goes much farther than just "bad traffic". Pinellas County is the most densely populated County in the state of Florida and St. Petersburg has a population of 260K+ within city limits. Yes, most of the fanbase is in Tampa but why are people not considering the million people that already live in Pinellas County and dont have to cross any bridges at all?
The Rays gameday experience along with the the quality of stadium play a huge role in the bad attendance. But also, the community as a whole have rejected the team because of the cheap ownership that trades away fan favorites every year. In your own chart from 2008- onwards has steadily declined. Coincidentally 2008 was when the team made the world series. Since then the Rays have traded fan favorites, Cy-Young Pitchers, etc. to where there is literally no point buy a jersey because you dont know if the player will be there after 3 years.
Until the Rays get new ownership not much will change
is that population around during the summer?
No matter how you break it down, its a nightmare drive and it is the number one reason that people do not go to games at the Trop. Even if you live in Pinellas county and you don't have to cross any of the bridges to get there, you still have to fight traffic on US-19 which is often just as bad if not worse than coming over the bridges from Tampa.
Building another domed stadium at the current location is going to solve attendance problems? Huh?
@ it’s 100% not going to fix the attendance. The Rays tried multiple times over the last decade to build something in Tampa and city/county rejected every single time due to public financing issues. The owner wants to stay in Florida so the only options were
1. Build a stadium 100% privately financed in Tampa
2. Build a stadium in St. Pete and have the Rays only responsible for 1/3 of the cost.
@@Welcometomyworld4754 what's a nightmare drive, 45min - hour?
You're about to make the same mistake you made in 1990. BUILD IT IN TAMPA!!
They shouldve put it in Tampa, not in St Pete... The original Ybor project wouldve been perfect. The Rays would sell out like the Bolts do
As some one who lives in Tampa they should put in downtown
Yes it's been proven over and over again that major league baseball in St Petersburg doesn't work. I think they would do a little bit better in Tampa but not a lot. There is not enough interest in the Tampa Bay area for Major League Baseball.
I agree-such a loss for us in Tampa
Tampa is the place to be. It's easier for all fans to get to the game. The team will never get over that "hump" until they move to Tampa. Hell, there is plenty of room next to RayJay. Make it like a sports complex. I think that would work great. SP is doing everything they can to keep it there because that's all that drives thier economy. However, we have to use common sense. Spending THIS MUCH money to keep the team in SP is just crazy and it will never pan out as planned. Case in point....."The Pier"
@@bolts5994 eh, you're kind of just swapping the burden of travel to the other side of the bay. Clearwater and St Pete have the same population as Tampa.
In my opinion, every excuse has been made. Just not enough local interest.
Should have moved the Rays to Nashville. But now Nashville is probably in line for an expansion team.
Best excuse for them to build a new stadium and put it actually in….. Tampa. Their attendance would likely go way up. They’ve struggled with attendance so much over the years because the stadium is in St. Pete. If they put it in downtown or at least on Dale Mabry by the football stadium, they would draw way more people
You alluded to it, but part of the controversy too is that the original Tropicana Field was built on the land of a razed black neighborhood (the Gas Plant neighborhood), an act that's controversial up until this day.
That's why they're adding in affordable housing (well, that, and because of general pressure recently to move towards walkable neighborhoods), and why they're naming the redevelopment project after the neighborhood that used to be there.
Interestingly, at the start of this, they were planning for the potential of a new stadium not even being there, with them asking prospective contractors to propose two plans each: one with a stadium and one without.
the affordable housing can be opted out of by the developer by paying $15,000/unit, which they almost certainly will do
That new stadium should’ve been built in downtown Tampa/Ybor instead of St Pete.
Bad attendance has nothing to do with a bad stadium. Most people dont know there are 4 minor league stadiums on the way to the rays stadium if you are outside of st pete. Look it up. 3 of the 4 minor league teams have fairly new stadiums. So anyone coming from tampa or orlando has a closer baseball option and a better stadium experience than going to tropicana field. If the rays were in tampa they would attract way more fans. I live in tampa and everyone i talk too says tropicana field is too far. if you want to drive from tampa to st pete you will pass one of the 4 minor league teams before getting to tropicana field so why not go to those stadiums? I keep seeing people bash the rays attendance and blame the fans without even knowing that the tampa area has more pro baseball per square foot than any other area in the world. The problem with rays attendance is there is too much baseball in the area. I literally have friends on facebook who post pics of themselves at these minor league games daily. I like the new stadium idea but until something is done with these minor league teams in the area i dont see many people from tampa driving to st pete to watch a game. it takes me 50 minutes to get to the stadium while it only takes me 20 minutes to get to the Tampa yankees (tarpons) field. It also only takes me 30 minutes to get to the Bradenton pirates (Marauders) stadium. I can also get to the Dunedin Blue jays, and Clearwater Threshers in about 45 minutes. im not sure why nobody brings up these points when talking about attendance. If the tampa area was such a bad area for pro baseball why are there 5 teams separated by 30 miles? The rays or mlb should deal with these teams. Make some move to orlando or another city.
Minor league is not major league. That’s why
Minor league is not major league. That’s why
Plus UCF baseball
@@Bward216 that doesn’t matter. Minor league baseball in a new stadium at a lower price beats Major League Baseball in a bad stadium that’s farther away anytime. I was going to take my son to a Saturday game to see the rays. Just out of curiosity I thought I should check the minor leagues schedule. Non played that Saturday so I took him to see the rays. If any had been playing that day I would have taken him to see them play instead. A 25 minute drive compared to a 50 minute drive is an easy choice.
I hear the same thing from everyone who lives in Tampa about how far St Pete is especially when you factor in traffic conditions.
I have to respectfully disagree as the reason why you believe that. Yes, Tampa is a bigger population but not by much compared to St Pete.
You act like there are no fans in the area and the Rays are counting on Tampa to patronize them. If proximity is a problem, how do you explain Marlins low attendance?
It’s not a location issue, it’s not a stadium condition issue either. It’s a Florida issue.
If you care about Major League Baseball, driving 45 minutes shouldn’t be a big deal. Settling for minor league baseball is your choice but don’t try to compare that to the big leagues.
I’m glad you enjoy that but if you actually cared or respected the Rays, driving an hour for a game that is guaranteed not to be a delay or postponed due to weather is ridiculous.
The Marlins have the worst attendance in the National League.
Don’t they have a new stadium?
Isn’t it located in the major city limits?
Unlike the Rays, haven’t the Marlins competed and won World Series?
So it doesn’t matter how the team is playing. Where the venue is located or what shape the venue is in. Florida mlb has never proven to be a viable option for long term sustainability.
I wonder if they will play in a temporary stadium until the new one is built. I don’t see them repairing it.
That’s probably what they’ll do makes no sense in repairing a stadium that’s doing to be demolished in a couple years time
They weren’t gonna destroy it leave it as a arena for events
But yeah they should now
Corporate welfare, nothing less. GREED, GREED, GREED
You mean corporate liberal government in Saint Petersburg.
The Tampa Rays should play in Tampa not St. Pete. 2 totally separate cities.
Sad day here in St Pete now that it is pretty much 99% chance the rays are gone
The Rays will most likely play their games this at Steinbrenner field where the Yankees minor league team plays. Its right across the street from the Bucs stadium. It hold 11,000 with the capacity to seat 13,000. The Rays average 13,000 a night. If they sell out every game in Tampa in an outdoor park, then theres your answer to moving to Tampa...
Why wouldn't they make the roof retractable? Isn't one of the major complaints about the Trop that it feels like a cave?
I understand why they would want/need a roof, especially in that region, but Florida has a lot of nice, sunny days too toward the beginning and end of the baseball season that aren't oppressively hot.
Who wants to go to a baseball game to sit indoors when the weather is nice?
A retractable roof is the best of both worlds.
Could you not figure-out from the video here (or by other means of research), that it is a ‘pavilion-style’ with a fixed roof AND large windows wrapped around the stadium just under the roof that can be fully opened bringing the outside (along with ‘natural light’) IN, and the entire outfield will be one huge window that you can also open, leading to the outdoor ballpark/entertainment district. It is going to be state of the art, first-class, & set the new bar… VERY Unique. Look at the Rams (and Chargers) new stadium… Fixed Roof. 💯
Its not just the heat, its the rain. Day games between May and September would be 50-50 propositions at best. Night games starting at 7:00 or 7:15 also would be at risk for rain delays. You would need at least a retractable roof to protect the field from soaking rains in the summer. Retractable roofs really amp up the cost.
@@danz1182 yes, expense being the reason this will be a ‘fixed’ roof.
As a person living in the Tampa Bay Area, I’ve been to this stadium and it’s so aged. Especially those baseballs on the roof outside. Now I see why rays attendance is so low… 😂
Why there trying to build a new one
@@timeaton2970 yep
Aging stadiums are never a reason why fans stop going to games.
Wrigley Field is over 100 years old and the Cubs have to share Chicago with another baseball team and fans still show up no matter how good or bad the team is. There was a long period of time where this “old” stadium didn’t even have lights so all games where in middle of the day. You would think that most fan’s work and school schedules conflict with that but not if you love your team.
Fenway Park is also over 100 years old and trust me, it looks like it. New stadium is not gonna make you want to see the Rays more.
@@playlistiphone8743 True, I was thinking about mentioning that. Just thought the stadium was an overall eyesore. I know people in the Bay Area that don’t want to go to the games because the stadium does not have an open-air roof which would be a nice touch to the stadium. Me personally, I think it would be more fun to go to a Rays game in a newer stadium. It just would feel overall better. I still would attend rays games in the old Tropicana field but would prefer a newer one. Plus, don’t forget the entertainment district surrounding the new stadium. That is another reason why I would rather visit the Rays in a new stadium.
@@MarioParty_1998
How do you explain the Marlins low attendance?
It’s in a much more populated city in the same state of Florida. It is not only more recently built but has a retractable roof.
I say all of that because none of those reasons along with others mentioned in the comments won’t make local fans go to games in the state of Florida.
Obviously has a big Spring training presence but most of the fans who go to those are from out of town. lol
By the way, the Marlins play inside Miami so the distance to travel to a game is also not excusable.
They say that the Rays will either pay for most of the new stadium or all of it. I will believe it when I see it though
Did you watch the video? The city is covering 75%
City and County paying for most of it....
Good info. We’ll see how this goes. I hope the Rays get a nice new stadium, because I doubt anyone would dispute that the Trop is probably the worst in the MLB… even before the hurricane.
It also serves as a graduation spot for all Pinellas County high schools.
I live 7 minutes from the trop and this is great for st. Petersburg as a city. Tampa honestly couldn't care less about having the rays. St. Pete wanted them back bad and even put forth public money to show it too. Tampa could've gotten them if they fought hard enough but the truth is the just didn't try very hard and st. Pete did. It's a business at the end of the day and I'm sure they picked the option that will work better for them
Wind speeds at Albert Whittet Airpory were 130 mph & gusts were over 150 miles per hour.
Seems to me like the Rays should play day games without the roof until they can get the new stadium built. In general though, having visted Tampa/St. Pete, I love downtown St. Pete but it is a nightmare to get to from Tampa side - they should have built in Tampa if you ask me but their plan for this stadium seems to be a good one for St Pete (smaller stadium, next to entertainment district, etc...)
And what? No night games? Or are you saying they should play night games somewhere else? And where would you recommend they play their night games, in that case?
I think the current stadium is perfectly fine and modern. I lived 20 blocks from the old Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field is light years more advanced than the old stadium.
There were tears in the roof before the hurricane and there's video evidence of this from games earlier this year. That alone could have compromised it's ability to withstand the hurricane winds it was originally designed to withstand.
I honestly dont believe that stadium will get built no matter whats on the table at the moment...
No amount of public funding should ever go to build a stadium. If the owners want to take their team to another city, let them. Minor league ball clubs are just as much fun for a fraction of the ticket price.
Either Tampa or Orlando!
The new stadium will be in St. Petersburg, but they should have made a way to put it in Tampa.
Now that the deal is done, they should implode Tropicana Field and shift the location of the new stadium from the parking lot to the same footprint as the Trop.
I can’t wait for the Rays to move to Orlando.
Why would the rays ever move to orlando?
Orlando area has a smaller population then Tampa bay area,
Plus its basically the same market, most people in orlando are rays fans, so they would still be fans sure.
But fans in tampa bay would be slighted, they wouldnt want to support the team anymore,
That would cut their fanbase in half overnight for a seemingly lateral at best move.
Not to mention orlando is a tourist city and baseball is a hertiage sport. Most people in orlando are transplants and tourists would come to orlando for disney or universal and root against the rays creating a hostile enviroment.
Negative on all sides, if the rays are moving it would never be orlando
@@BrysonConroy
Major League Baseball will and have already proven to fail in Florida no matter where it is.
Just about every city in the USA that gets mentioned a lot in the media is a tourist attraction city like New York, Los Angeles, or Miami to name a few.
Las Vegas is a waaaay bigger tourist town than Orlando.
The Raiders are terrible and they still attract fans from not just locally but from all over.
Even WNVA thrives in Vegas!
You mentioned heritage sport?
What is that supposed to mean?
Isn’t ice hockey inheritedly rooted in the north closer to Canada?
How is it thriving in a desert town that gets 0 snowfall?
Fans can complain all they want about a team moving miles away from their namesake city but it’s never a reason (and I mean never) why fans stop seeing their favorite teams.
The 49ers moved out of the Bay Area completely and far away to Santa Clara which is in Silicon Valley. Of course a lot of locals complained but that didn’t stop them from attending games because they actually care about their team. Fans in Florida don’t. At least not the baseball fans.
@@playlistiphone8743incorrect, Orlando gets more visitors than Vegas, especially international. According to several sources, the most visited cities in the US are NYC, Miami, LA and Orlando. Vegas is not top 4.
@@BrysonConroypopulation size means nothing. The Green Bay Packers are in a tiny town yet have sold out every game for years.
@@BlackSaiyan24
Thats with the history of being a football town, aswell as the entire rest of the state being behind the team.
also the team literally couldnt leave if they wanted to because the team is owned by the fans.
Orlando has a massive transplant population in a city that is not a baseball city in with smaller population then both tampa and miami which are struggling with attendance
If you build it, Rays fans won't come. No matter what you do.
"Fans" are not the main point of the stadium. A properly designed venue will get year-round use for concerts, conventions, Holiday events, and other uses. Surrounding business also benefit!
Why replace the roof at the Trop when the new stadium could be in place in three or four seasons? Better to use insurance money to install an irrigation system and play home games without a roof, almost all of them at night.
Why do cities need to keep giving money to already rich team owners to build stadiums
The city owns the stadium not the Rays owners. A democrat city council and Mayor approved this deal.
They did this for the Marlins and it has been an eyesore since.
We have such a better experience going to the threshers games than the rays.
I'm a Rays fan and been going to the Trop since I was a child. I can tell you right now this is a horrible idea. I thought the Hurricane ripping off the roof was a fitting end for the trop. It's simply the location. Tax payer funded and 20 years to compete? The people in charge of making this decision needs to be fired immediately
Their elected officials.
St Petersburg is a pill of a drive from the Tampa district, built the new stadium closer to Raymond James or just move the team to Nashville or one of the two cities in North Carolina where they will be better embraced.
Sounds fair
The Bucs don’t even come close to filling RayJay on most days, & would be half EMPTY if not for the opposing teams fans. On top of that, there was NO ‘deal’ to be made in Tampa… The Rays and city of St. Pete gave/allowed them over 2-YEARS to come to an agreement, which they never could or did. This new ballpark battery/district will be their best move in the longterm anyway… St. Pete is absolutely BOOMING and is an actual ‘real’ downtown now, especially when compared to downtown Tampa!!!!
The biggest complaint is the location and they are building a new dome in the exact same area. South FL clearly has no love for MLB baseball.
That one chart is odd. How does the attendance per game exceed capacity?
The Tampa Bay Area for its size should already have an extensive light rail system similar to The DFW metroplex. Should have a light rail line running over the bay connecting the cities of St Pete and Tampa.
Won’t work. People won’t use it. Too expensive.
@ yeah the U.S. govt is cheap when it comes to spending money on its own infrastructure
It's a shame cheap material was used the stadium. And it would make sense that death race in buccaneers came together to build a multi-purpose retractable or fix dome stadium made a quality material from top to bottom.
Rays to New Orleans?
Build it halfway between Tampa and Orlando so the general populace of Central Florida can attend the games more easily.
It’s difficult to get to St Pete for a 7 pm game if I leave Orlando at 5:30pm - yet the MLB still deems me in blackout territory. That’s fine - I’ll just watch my Tigers on MLB tv, and so will my kids. Rays dont want me to watch them w/o cable 💁🏻♂️.
Why are they being forced to include Section 8 housing in the master plan?
To keep black people poor, democrats favorite project.
It’s so hard to calculate the cost/benefit. Does it need a roof?
So I read that the proposal is to keep the trop an open air stadium now.
One of the worst things about the trop is that it’s enclosed. Absolutely who wants to sit inside and watch baseball? And the fact they chose to enclose the new one too is insane.
You've never been to Florida in the summer. Its a million degrees and rains all the time. Its also the lightning capital of the world....
Dude, it protected itself from hurricanes since 1990.. that's a success. ALSO.. anybody know the insurance payout from the damage?.. helo new stadium? Lol
Controversial to No one.......Love to Economic Impact $$$$$$ for the Tampa Bay Area!! Lets Go Rays!!
Correction at 1:29 I am a structural engineer and wind speeds do not increase with heights but wind pressures do increase. I’m sure that was implied here but for the sake of using accurate terms
You must be a horrible engineer cause you’re entirely wrong.
Wind speed 100% increases with height. Always. Up to the point of the jet stream, which is moving at hurricane level speed
@Dahn.Baern you must not be a structural engineer since wind speed is location and building category dependent, NOT height dependent. Read ASCE 7.
Buildings are not in the jet stream so your argument is invalid
@ my argument isn’t that buildings are in the jet stream, dummy. The wind speeds increasing with height is my argument and the jet stream is proof of that. Wind speeds are always higher with height. Meteorology 101 you dumb fuck
@@Lumens1sorry bud altitude definitely increases wind speed. It actually makes perfect sense due to lack of wind shear as well. The Trop being much higher than any buildings on its west side. You should get your money back from school. Lmfao!!!!
@Garrick1983 you really need to read the building code as you are way out of your lane. Your comment does not make sense nor hold water in engineering nor physics. The Trop was designed to a specific wind speed which, as I have stated, is based on the location of the building and the building risk category. You can verify that in the code yourself. You are talking about wind PRESSURE increasing as the building gets taller. Please stay in your lane on subjects that you are not an expert in. Thanks
we sure this is more controversial than a team being moved from oakland to vegas for a new stadium that looks like a weird version of the sydney opera house
How bout use it for concerts and other sports too?
Should have built in Orlando. More centrally located for the state, attracting people from the north and south of Orlando, Nobody outside of St Pete wants to go over the bridges. Bas choice building in St Pete
Nope, would lose all of their Tampa Bay fan base doing that... it's either Tampa, St. Pete or out of the state.
I would assume the high rise condos as well as all the retail and medical will in fact be paying property taxes..so these numbers are wrong.
Whatever they build has to wirthstand a Cat 5 Hurricane- at least 90% of the structure. I think if they build to a lower standard its a waste of money.
Location, location, location. And St. Pete ain't it
They'll play in Minor league parks until the new stadium is built. This will make it easier for the team to demolish this stadium!
The city of Tampa dropped the insurance on the stadium months before Hurricane Milton
St. Pete*
The Rays days in Florida are numbered. One other point: the MLB season occurs when half of Florida is gone for the summer. Florida is not a MLB state.
Idk man if the rays and marlins had owners that want to spend money and actually compete I think people in Florida would actually watch the marlins or rays.
Nothing can be simple
that is the the thing it will cost to much money to fix up the stadium for them just to leave it in a couple years anyway . the Rays should find a home for the time being tell the new stadium is built i say why not then Bulldoze the Trop and built the new stadium there .
The bad thing is is that st Pete is not a baseball town. They never were and don’t deserve the Rays. We wanted them in ybor for sure
Now, if it even still happens it won't be till late 29' possibly 30'. Thanks to the canes
Well, Dude, Now Here!
Also Las Vegas
why do they wanna keep it in st. petersburg, its so inconveient for natives in tampa to actually attend, thats why the attendance is so terrible
they are asking taxpayers to pay someplace some can't afford to go or don't want to go to.
Yo but let's be honest this will be so sick
The entire project will end in 2045? Are you sure the Rays will even be there then? I definitely have doubts.
It’s beautiful stadium but fans don’t show up when rays are good the should move to Nashville and go to nl
The mlb isn't moving teams over to the nl unless they expand and do a whole realignment
That tax dollars money should be going to the people. Need for housing because of the hurricane 🌀.
The money was already approved before milton. You do know flordia gets hit every year
If they moved to tampa i would go to games
I wish that they would build the stadium it the city of Tampa.
didnt work out with the marlins and i doubt it would work out in tampa
well how about moving to orlando, i am sure camping world could host a team
Just move to Orlando
Get that stadium to Tampa what r they thinking people from Tampa don’t go to st Pete
As a rays fan this is such a waste of money because like we need players not a new stadium who the fuck cares if other teams hate our stadium. We need good players not good stadium. We’re not the athletics. Stay Tropicana field.
Anywhere in Fl is a waste of time and lots of money. Compared to capacity, I would say they have the MLB lowest percentage of fans attending. Any game past 4pm is also a waste as so many of their fans lock themselves in their condos and watch Wheel of Fortune.
That new renderings of the stadium looks hideous
I want to build a house, I want the public to fund it! No private companies should get public funding! wtf people, wake up!
To Orlando
They draw flies what an awful deal
The Tampa Bay metro area is nearly three million people, but they are spread/sprawled out all over creation. And there is no integrated transit. Driving is the only way to get anywhere (one reason I moved away). Putting the new stadium in Tampa won’t solve the problem, nor will building a new one in St. Pete. The area really can’t support three major league sports. I was an original Rays season ticket holder, and I’d hate to see them move, but they are third behind hockey and football (and Bucs fans are bandwagoners anyway).
Tampa bay area is nearly 4 million people, and they are sprawled out yes, but the rays play in times when the others dont. Attendance is down across the entire league for the MLB, and the stadium being in St pete is a massive deterence.
I can speak from personal experience as someone who isnt a baseball fan myself, there are alot alot alot of baseball fans where i live in brandon. large puetro rican and cuban population in tampa and they grow up with baseball. Most of them either dont have time to go to the game because of the drive or alot of factors with it being in st pete.
Tampa however wont be a perfect fit of course, and probaly would average on the lower end of attendance but their tv market is still great
@@BrysonConroy The US Census only counts Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties as the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area (thus my 3 million population figure). Throw in Sarasota, Manatee, and Polk, and you are correct, you’re up over 4 million. The problem is still the same: it’s all sprawled out, and no alternative to driving.
As an urban planner, I always found it ironic that local taxpayers would approve public money for stadiums (e.g. the “Community Investment Tax” that helped build Raymond James Stadium for the Bucs), but mostly vote thumbs-down on funding transportation improvements that could help them get there (other than road widening, which does _not_ solve congestion).
As you point out, the tv market is great and I think that’s what keeps the Rays afloat. My point is that a new stadium, no matter where it’s located, is not going to solve the attendance problem. The “friction of distance” is the same.
@@mrh-TO-Canadait’s because people WANT to drive and like their cars. You are rare that you don’t like to drive. And, there is close to ZERO demand for it here… NOBODY is taking that damn train and they know the projected ridership numbers and already KNOW THIS. It’s not worth it. It would be a HUGE LOSS. Hell, LA can’t even get theirs BUILT.
@@MelvinJunior4 You’re right that people seem to love driving their cars. They also love to _bitch_ about traffic-when they are actually _part_ of the traffic-and erroneously think that “one more lane” will solve it.
And what train? Transit improvements don’t have to be rail. Buses are the workhorses of any good transit system, and cities across North America are implementing bus rapid transit (BRT) and bus High Level of Service (BHLS) lines: cheaper, faster to implement, and highly effective. Cities like LA and Pittsburgh have some of the highest bus ridership in the US. The PSTA’s very successful SunRunner in St. Pete is a great example of what can be done. It’s also an equity issue. Not everyone can afford to own, operate, and maintain a car. They need another option, especially if you want them to attend baseball games.
I happily live car-free in Toronto. I can take any combination of TTC subway/streetcar/bus for CDN$3.25 (~USD$2.35) to go to a Jays, Leafs, or Raptors game. The Rogers Centre is right in the middle of downtown, along with Scotiabank Arena. No parking lots around either of them, easily accessible via transit. No finding and paying for parking in garages, no sitting in traffic (which is actually worse here than in Tampa Bay). Give people an option, and many of them will choose it over driving. Not everyone will, or has to, but having those options would sure change the decision-making process on the location of the next Rays stadium.
@ our buses are mostly empty in Pinellas County now, due to everyone’s Medicaid and Medicare Plans (and other welfare programs) are covering people’s rides through Lyft and Uber. You wouldn’t choose a (public) bus over that, either. The new “rapid” transit Sun-Runner in St. Pete had to add a small fee now, in order to keep all of the homeless, etc. away from the tourists, business owners, workers, and homeowners at the beach (they were hanging out approaching people, bumming, scaring them, and sleeping (passed-out) on the beach), etc. Even, this new “RAPID” has like 17-STOPS… Some must have like 60 LoL, since I know people who have had to take them (DUI lost license) on trips from Clearwater to St. Pete and would take them an hour and a half plus, on what would’ve been a 20-25 minute drive. Also, if it’s a train from say Tampa to Orlando (or St. Pete or wherever), it can be pretty expensive and then become VERY expensive if you then have to get an Uber to get to where you’re going, etc. In some very few circumstances it could make sense today in our area, but not very many.
Fans have made every excuse in the book. If you want to go, you’ll go. They sell out during the playoffs somehow. Just sell the team or move it
for all 15 people that go to the games... what a waste
AYO TAMPA, JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN’T GET THE MEMO, DON’T PUT A GODDAMN ROOF ON IT. EVERYBODY KEEP BITCHING AT Y’ALL FOR HSVING A ROOF AND TERRIBLE LIGHTING AND YET YOU STILL DIDN’T TAKE THE ROOF OFF. HURRICANE MILTON WAS LISTENING AND ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR ROOF SITUATION 😂😂😂
This just feels like a bad idea. Why not move the team to Nashville instead?
Dont build it florida residents are not baseball people just look at the marlins!
the location is horrible, the access from tampa sucks
Heard could start in 2027 next door to it leave the other one for events Even move to Montreal
if had a stadium there
Why would they keep the old stadium when the new one would be better for events?
Just move the team!
I live in Tampa and the fans here suck, they don’t care about the rays at all
Sorry move the Rays from Tampa send them Nashville, Portland cities that would definitely draw and never had a MLB team
Sadly, this video has become irrelevant, in that the Rays have backed out of the project and will probably be moving to a new city. Probably Nashville.