nolando Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-mike-bianchi-orlando-city-miami-dolphins-0508-20130507,0,4226243.column The Miami Dolphins NFL franchise and the Orlando City Lions Soccer Club – both of whom were victims a few days ago of the Florida Legislature ending its 2013 session without voting on tax subsidies that would have funded massive stadium projects. In a twisted turn of fate, the Lions and Dolphins can both point an accusing finger at the detestable ownership of the Miami Marlins, whose shady stadium deal is the genesis of why the State House of Representatives wouldn't even vote last week on sports subsidies earmarked for Miami's football stadium, Orlando's soccer stadium and Daytona International Speedway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I wonder if it wouldn't have mattered anyways, as MLS is set to announce a second team in New York. Not sure they are ready to go above 20 teams just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I hope this is a sign that the days of publicly funded stadiums for private professional sports teams are ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kik-d-bol Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Too bad. I was kinda hoping for Orlando over NY. The MLS needs a presence in the south-east. It's just not fair for two teams in one market, e.g. Chivas USA and Galaxy. They've given small markets like KC and Columbus the chance and it's not only worked out great, but given more fans throughout the US the opportunity to support and see top level football in their own region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finchster Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Too bad. I was kinda hoping for Orlando over NY. The MLS needs a presence in the south-east. It's just not fair for two teams in one market, e.g. Chivas USA and Galaxy. They've given small markets like KC and Columbus the chance and it's not only worked out great, but given more fans throughout the US the opportunity to support and see top level football in their own region. Florida is the worst pro-sports market in the USA. First you have retirees that only show up when their team comes to play and the locals love college sports. MLS should avoid Florida at all costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yohan Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/05/21/major-league-soccer-announces-new-york-expansion-team-new-york-city-football New York City FC official Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Interesting that they don't have a concrete stadium plan yet. My guess is they will play at Red Bull Arena until they build their own place. I guess that means Houston will be heading to the Western conference in 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alberta white Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 I hope this is a sign that the days of publicly funded stadiums for private professional sports teams are ending. Not been to Edmonton recently then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alberta white Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Interesting that they don't have a concrete stadium plan yet. My guess is they will play at Red Bull Arena until they build their own place. I guess that means Houston will be heading to the Western conference in 2015. Apparently they will play out of Yankee Stadium, but the Dons not given up hope trampling all over the playing field of Queen with a new stadium there. so that would be the Yankees setting up home in Mets territory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msilverstein47 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 http://www.soccerbyives.net/2013/06/orlando-expansion-expert.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msilverstein47 Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 good and bad... http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-venues-tourist-tax-stadium-20130808,0,7623039.story Jeff Carlisle @JeffreyCarlisle 14h Not to put a damper on #ocsc news, but stadium opp Mike Cantone tells me lawsuit vs. Orlando & Orange County being planned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msilverstein47 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Mike Bianchi SPORTS COMMENTARY 4:36 p.m. EDT, August 10, 2013 Amid the elation, celebration and fluffy, feel-good civic pride of Orlando being on the verge of building a stadium and landing a Major League Soccer franchise, let's take a timeout and address the massively apathetic elephant in the room. He represents a vast number of fans who have pretty much turned their back on professional sports franchises in Florida. And make no mistake about it, his enormous indifference is a huge obstacle if a professional soccer franchise is ever going to be a success in Central Florida. I believe Orlando, which is the biggest metropolitan area in the country with only one big-time pro sports franchise, is ripe and ready to support the up-and-coming MLS. Clearly, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs believe Orlando will support MLS or they wouldn't have thrown their powerful political support behind investing an additional $20 million in public money to build a soccer-specific stadium. The eight members of the Tourist Development Council, which represents the region's hotel and theme-park industries, obviously believe Orlando will support soccer or they wouldn't have voted unanimously Friday to support a $94.5 million package that includes the $20 million for a soccer stadium. Then again, it doesn't matter what the politicians and the pundits think. The fact is professional soccer is going nowhere in this city unless that big, fat, apathetic elephant in the room can be convinced and converted into a singing, chanting ticket-buying, pom-pom waving, property-destroying soccer fan. And, believe me, it will take considerable doing to get that elephant off the couch and into the soccer stadium. Just ask practically every other professional sports franchise in our rootless, transient state. Even the NFL, the king of all sports in our country, is struggling to put fannies in the seats in our once football-fanatical pigskin peninsula. The Tampa Bay Bucs were next-to-last in attendance last year, while the Miami Dolphins were 29th out of NFL's 32 teams. The Jacksonville Jaguars, a perennially losing franchise that often gets lampooned for covering its empty seats with tarps, dwarfed both the Bucs and Fins, but were still 20th in the league in attendance. Major League Baseball is even worse. The Miami Marlins are dead-last among the league's 30 teams in average attendance, while the playoff-contending Tampa Bay Rays are next-to-last. The NBA and NHL actually fare better. The Heat were third in the league in attendance last season, but what fan base wouldn't show up to watch LeBron lead the team to back-to-back championships. The Magic were 15th out of 30 teams despite having the worst record in the league. In hockey, the Tampa Bay Lightning were eighth out of 30 teams, while the Florida Panthers were 22nd out of 30 teams. Surprisingly, college football attendance has also waned in recent years. UCF's problems filling its almost-new stadium have been well-documented, Miami's attendance is pathetic, Florida State isn't nearly what it once was and even the once-rabid University of Florida fan base is staying home in droves. Three years ago, the Gators had a decades-long streak of 137 straight home sellouts. Last season, they sold out only two of their seven home games. We also can't ignore the MLS's miserable history in Florida. Let's not forget that back in 2001, the MLS folded the ill-fated Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny, citing a lack of fan and corporate support. Those, of course, were more tumultuous times for the fledgling league. A decade ago, the MLS wasn't financially solvent, Tampa Bay didn't even have an owner and was operated by the league while Miami's owner had shallow pockets — a millionaire in a billionaire's game. "The MLS is a much better product today and a league that's on the upswing," said Orlando City Soccer Club President Phil Rawlins, the man leading the effort to bring the MLS to town. "It was a very different time when Tampa and Miami failed." He's absolutely right. The MLS, believe it or not, now has the third-highest average attendance numbers among America's traditional sports leagues. The NFL and Major League Baseball are first and second in average attendance per game, but the MLS is No. 3 — ahead of both the NBA and NHL. Granted, MLS teams play far fewer games than the NBA and NHL, but, still, you cannot ignore the growing popularity of soccer in this country. You'd think if the MLS can be successful in cities like Seattle and Kansas City, it will thrive here in Orlando. Let's face it, Seattle and Kansas City both have NFL and Major League Baseball teams competing for interest and disposable income whereas Orlando is the biggest TV market in the country that possesses only one major league sports team. We're a melting pot area with more than 2 million people. We have a growing segment of our population from Latin America, where soccer is a religion. We also attract tourists from all over the world — many of whom might like to take in a soccer game while they're on vacation in Central Florida. The MLS makes good sense logically, civically, geographically and demographically At least that's what I believe. What do you believe? Better yet, what can we make the elephant believe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Not sure they are ready to go above 20 teams just yet. People have been saying that sort of thing for years as first 16, then 18 and now 20 were approached. Latest from Garber is 24 by 2020: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/7/31/4577342/mls-will-expand-to-24-teams-by-2020-don-garber-says Think the reality is that there is no fixed timetable or a fixed upper ceiling on team numbers at least for the forseeable future. Anyone with a viable stadium plan in a viable market, who is seen as being a suitable investor and is willing to write the cheque will get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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