I have offered up many thought-tree options throughout my blog to get a camp team in place of a home team in the big leagues. For cities that may be struggling to house their franchise, like let's say Oakland and Tampa, I see this as an option for them to not lose their team altogether, while just sharing it. For cities like Boise or other towns like Portland and Charlotte on the cusp of not being able to realistically expand into the league, it's their chance to have a team like almost yesterday. With the A's and Raiders needing a house and the Buccaneers of Tampa not looking so hot alongside pissy-poor attendance for Tampa baseball, I see Portland and Charlotte finally being able to get in on some MLB/NFL and MLB action, respectively.
So, for Oakland and Tampa, I foresee a West Coast A's or Coastal Run/Southern Rays brand. I see the Rays camping time in Monterrey so that we don't have to watch Mexico struggle with its initiation into the MLB. I see the West Coast Athletics in Portland and/or Las Vegas, while not demolishing a stadium in Oakland.
Smaller, more charming and nostalgic ballparks across America. MLB could re-claim it's place as America's past time. Football could be more of a weekly excitement shared in the big time limelight of middle America.
I see hockey being played in North Dakota and while the team is at another camp or road game, outstanding facilities, outdoor or indoor, retractable or not, for a top-notch public rink and party house, a town-square like no other for rural'esque gathering. An igloo gathering for outlanders.
Supreme minor league and public facilities for use when the team isn't camped there. Utilize tarps for seating for minor league venues in big league parks when you have to. It happens for MLS in NFL stadiums. Facilities are poised in Cleveland and Cincinnati to share the Ohio Crew C-bus:
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| Sounders Soccer and Seahawks Stadium. |
http://www.sounderatheart.com/2010/12/15/1878293/take-off-the-tarps
What are some regional camp (travel) home teams that you can scheme up?
Eastland, Southland, Northland, North Coast (Buffalo, Boise, Vancouver, Anchorage), Great Lakes, Southwest (Wild West), Heartland, Great Plains Drifters or Gamblers of Las Vegas and Salt Lake and on and on.
Let's look at some of the cities to gain for the big leagues by housing or camping a region name there:
West Coast (Vancouver (again), Anchorage, Hawaii, Portland and Las Vegas maybe), missing NFL in L.A..
Indianapolis and Columbus hosting the Eastland Pirates or Indians.
(Charlotte, TN, Virginia Beach or could there be an East Coast team that touts a little action in Atlantic City, and Jacksonville as well as maybe Charleston)
Southtown, Southland, Southern
(Jacksonville, New Orleans, Charlotte and Tennessee in the MLB.
Gulf Run or Coastal Run for the likes of Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Mobile ALABAMA and Monterrey, MEXICO. The Coastland Rays could even play in Charlotte.
Southwest
OKC, San Antonio/Austin (San Marcos), Albuquerque, Las Vegas could gain a travel camp team. You could even include Midwest Kansas and Nebraska in on some Wild West or Old West brand action.
Northwest
Portland and Boise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_metropolitan_area
Omaha and Wichita could share some sort of franchise in the Heartland.
Look at big league towns that are missing from the NHL and NBA. Look at all the growth to be had by MLS. And on and on.
Look at other avenues for justifiable connections: http://prosportsexpansion.blogspot.com/2014/08/travel-teams-and-travel-facilities-east.html
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| Field of Dreams |
See more expansion and relocation talk for football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer on my blog (starting in Feb 2014, see table of contents/archive): Major League/Pro Expansion <CLICK> http://prosportsexpansion.blogspot.com/ The first post lays out some of the concept.
And please feel free to contribute your two cents with mine.
#MLSexpansion
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