The Rays are just seven games out of the lead in the AL East and five and a half games out of the Wild Card, but are ranked 13th in AL attendance. The Rays and Charlotte County announced the decision in a joint statement on Thursday night. The Trop was built as a hockey arena, and even the Lightning found it wasnt as suitable for it, moving to the Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa. Relocate to Montreal or Nashville where they can draw fans, same can said for the Marlins, The Rays use the facility on a year-round basis for extended spring training, complex and instructional league play, and mini-camps. Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training - Spring Training Online The Rays easy solution to fixing their money and attendance problems is to simply move north to Tampa. Not only is it the most reasonable, but it is the most likely, at least in my opinion. The latest personnel hires and promotions, plus exclusive ratings and research from the sports industry. Rays Could Still Move To Tampa After St. Pete Redevelopment Bid PETERSBURG The Rays on Thursday made official what had seemed likely, that their 2023 spring training camp will be relocated from Port Charlotte due to damage to the facility caused by . Population: 567,641 (28th among U.S. cities), Other Professional Teams in the City: None. Timely, daily updates provide the latest developments and news relied upon by industry leaders. one for each of the times a baseball flew into the Tropicana catwalks during the postseason over the years. There are corporate interests, fans to pounce on, and an area that wants baseball. Required fields are marked *. Tampa, mainly, services minor league teams. Rays to open upper deck for Yankees series in May, Rays lefty Josh Fleming finds his role as the bulk guy, Rays add bullpen depth in reacquiring Javy Guerra from Brewers, Rays send impressive rookie pitcher Taj Bradley back to minors, Heres why Tampa Bay Rays attendance during the teams historic winning streak matters | Editorial, White Sox pay tribute to Rays radio broadcaster Dave Wills, Why well know a lot more about the Rays in a month, CEO who turned Creative Pinellas into a thriving arts center is retiring, 2-year-old daughter of Bucs linebacker Shaquil Barrett drowns in family pool, Assembly line of Triple-A arms somehow has kept Rays atop the standings, Sign up for the Rays Report weekly newsletter, Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry, a two-time Cy Young winner, dies. The downsides of this proposal are apparent. Tampa Bay Rays. So getting people to go to games wouldn't be a problem (and heck, out of 1.3 million people, someone has to like baseball there, right?). Tampa Bay Rays moving spring training site due to hurricane damage I believe MLB put teams in the Florida region to see how they fare because they regularly had spring training like Arizona so they tested the market. A spokesman for Tampa Mayor Jane Castor declined to comment as well, noting that the city would not be involved in that concept. Analysis: While the legacy for baseball is not great, Indiana, and Indianapolis in particular, has a strong group of fans behind them in whatever sport they decide to follow. Lets be real. Not to mention that the, Triple-A Charlotte Knights get pretty good attendance, , at least when COVID isnt affecting their numbers. The two closest teams to Charlotte (Braves & Nats) are both NL, so having a Carolina team be AL only makes sense, 7. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazines awards, such as Forty Under 40, Game Changers and others. The 2020 season was cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic concerns. The Rays have trained since 2009 in Port Charlotte, Florida, about 90 minutes south of St. Petersburg, and intend to explore several options before making a . If you can plop a stadium right into downtown Tampa, you get it all. The team rebounded in 2010 by winning the AL East for the second time in three years with a 96-66 record, but the Rays fell to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Rays are relocating their spring base for 2023 due to extensive damage to team training facilities caused by Hurricane Ian. Tampa Bay Rays Could Move To Pasco County - Q105 It will be a temporary return of sorts for Spring Training in downtown St. Petersburg -- the Rays played their spring home games at Al Lang Field from 1998-2008 before moving south to Port Charlotte. According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have almost 100,000 fans watching their games (per game) at home due to the long trek from Tampa to St. Petersburg. However, the key stat here, is the Rays television audience.
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