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Post by Tom on Nov 12, 2017 16:38:21 GMT -5
AAA teams really drawing 6k regularly, day in and day out? And how hard would it be to expand the seating at HC? It would be a major marketing/recruitment opportunity, imho. There's always that pesky little issue of the baseball team. AAA baseball starts in early April. It might be do-able, but it would be busy I'm not sure of the Braveheart's status. Are they tenants at will in Fitton? Or did they purchase the long term lease at a bargain from the Tornadoes through bankruptcy court? Having the WooSox in Fitton sounds cool, but lots of stuff to think about before entering the enticement game
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Nov 12, 2017 17:27:05 GMT -5
Nothing required to think about at all Tom.
Worc is merely a willing sucker in the Paw Sox's leverage game. It's how Worc Govt. works- makes them feel important, when they are anything but.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Nov 12, 2017 17:48:21 GMT -5
Nothing required to think about at all Tom. Worc is merely a willing sucker in the Paw Sox's leverage game. It's how Worc Govt. works- makes them feel important, when they are anything but. Still mad about the Railers?
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Nov 14, 2017 22:03:52 GMT -5
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Post by rf1 on Nov 15, 2017 9:22:37 GMT -5
Also posted this on the Railers thread:
Is having another minor league team in the city an advantage or disadvantage? Is there enough local business support to adequately sponsor two teams? Would families' limited budgets mean splitting their funds between two teams instead of exclusive loyalty? Would local sports interest be diluted? Can local taxpayers provide the financial support that would be required for two stadiums (maintain and continually upgrade both and build a baseball park)? I wonder about the long term viability of any minor league sports team in a city like Worcester. I think it would be tougher for each team to survive with the other in town.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Nov 15, 2017 10:16:02 GMT -5
Also posted this on the Railers thread: Is having another minor league team in the city an advantage or disadvantage? Is there enough local business support to adequately sponsor two teams? Would families' limited budgets mean splitting their funds between two teams instead of exclusive loyalty? Would local sports interest be diluted? Can local taxpayers provide the financial support that would be required for two stadiums (maintain and continually upgrade both and build a baseball park)? I wonder about the long term viability of any minor league sports team in a city like Worcester. I think it would be tougher for each team to survive with the other in town. A triple A baseball affiliate would attract fans from a much larger radius than professional hockey or any local college. The area they are looking to build, with lots of restaurants, bars and train access would be ideal. The anti-Worcester comments start in 3...2...1...
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Post by Tom on Nov 15, 2017 10:33:13 GMT -5
Also posted this on the Railers thread: Is having another minor league team in the city an advantage or disadvantage? Is there enough local business support to adequately sponsor two teams? Would families' limited budgets mean splitting their funds between two teams instead of exclusive loyalty? Would local sports interest be diluted? Can local taxpayers provide the financial support that would be required for two stadiums (maintain and continually upgrade both and build a baseball park)? I wonder about the long term viability of any minor league sports team in a city like Worcester. I think it would be tougher for each team to survive with the other in town. Fair points. I have no idea how many of the Railer's season tickets are owned by local businesses versus individual fans. When the Sharks came to town, the local chamber of commerce twisted my small company's arm to support the team. The owner wound up buying a couple of season tickets. We had them for 2 or 3 years and gave them up. About 1/4 to 1/3 of the tickets went unused. I am not aware of receiving the same arm twist for the Railers, but likely to assume it would happen for the PawSox. I think the Centrum has two "luxury" boxes. I'm pretty sure McCoy has a lot more - and that means more corporate involvement needed. In terms of local taxpayers providing financial support for two teams, that's an easy "no". The Centrum is a city asset now and must be maintained with or without a tenant. The city can't meet it's spending now, so adding more expense isn't going to make that any easier. In MA, property tax rates cannot be raised more than 2 1/2 percent in any year without a 2/3 majority of a written ballot. No way the residents will vote through a tax increase/debt exclusion to finance and maintain a new stadium. Meals/hotel etc tax increases, which I think can be done simply by the city council, won't be enough With twice as many home dates to fill in the International League vs the ECHL, plus no existing place to play, I don't think Worcester could support the PawSox with or without the Railers. In the tiny chance that the PawSox are actually considering Worcester and not just using them to leverage a better deal in RI, they could hurt the Railers, but with the head start on corporate stuff, completely different seasons, and playing in a building the city is already responsible for, I don't think the Paw Sox would hurt the Railers that much. If the team was barely staying afloat, it could be a difference maker. I don't see another minor league team from a different season being the difference maker for Railer success/failure
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Post by rf1 on Nov 15, 2017 11:27:10 GMT -5
A triple A baseball affiliate would attract fans from a much larger radius than professional hockey or any local college. The area they are looking to build, with lots of restaurants, bars and train access would be ideal. The anti-Worcester comments start in 3...2...1... I would agree that a baseball team may attract casual fans from further away. That however does not mean that the local populations is not affected. Furthermore, drawing fans from further away does not change the impact on the local business sponsors and taxpayers that would have to contribute to infrastructure (stadium area improvements, stadium maintenance, stadium improvements, and even stadium construction costs for baseball). It has been hard enough for a single minor league team to survive alone for an extended period of time in Worcester. I think have two teams will make it tougher for both teams to get by.
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Post by timholycross on Nov 15, 2017 15:54:54 GMT -5
2 teams shouldn't matter as there is only a small fraction of the season where they compete against one another. AA hockey can't go as deep in the spring as the AHL, can it?
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Post by nhteamer on Nov 16, 2017 9:17:47 GMT -5
this is the writ small version of "Patriots to Hartford" a decade ago.
They'll be back in RI.
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 16, 2017 10:41:44 GMT -5
So, which has the greater chance of happening? PawSox to WooSox or Amazon 2nd headquarters moving to Worcester?
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Nov 16, 2017 11:09:59 GMT -5
So, which has the greater chance of happening? PawSox to WooSox or Amazon 2nd headquarters moving to Worcester? The answer to both:
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 16, 2017 13:18:01 GMT -5
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Post by Tom on Nov 16, 2017 13:49:48 GMT -5
So, which has the greater chance of happening? PawSox to WooSox or Amazon 2nd headquarters moving to Worcester? The answer to both: Well played. On a serious note, I think the answer to the question is Amazon is more likely since there's a reasonable expectation that Amazon is actually going to do something, and no such expectation that the PawSox are going anywhere. This is like the definition of slim and none
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Post by crusader12 on Nov 16, 2017 14:01:01 GMT -5
If Amazon picks MA, Worcester will be near or at #1. Amazon has publicly stated that cost of living is a concern to them. Boston will be out on that alone.
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Post by lou on Nov 16, 2017 16:17:37 GMT -5
Did Worcester actually submit a proposal to Amazon, had not read about it
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 16, 2017 23:19:12 GMT -5
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Post by timholycross on Nov 17, 2017 20:58:04 GMT -5
2 things against the woo:
It's still Massachusetts and it's still pricy, just not as pricy. It's airport needs a major upgrade, at least in terms of access to the place. If Amazon came to the area in exchange for a legitimate access road from 290 or the Mass Pike, it would be money well spent.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Nov 20, 2017 16:56:26 GMT -5
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Post by rf1 on Nov 25, 2017 11:52:40 GMT -5
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Dec 19, 2017 12:10:02 GMT -5
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Post by HC92 on Dec 19, 2017 17:56:57 GMT -5
Sounds like the PawSox are playing this just about perfectly. Reminds me of when the Patriots were moving to Hartford. Only then they didn’t.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Dec 19, 2017 18:58:10 GMT -5
Sounds like the PawSox are playing this just about perfectly. Reminds me of when the Patriots were moving to Hartford. Only then they didn’t. Playing politicians for fools often pays great dividends
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Dec 19, 2017 19:07:27 GMT -5
Sounds like the PawSox are playing this just about perfectly. Reminds me of when the Patriots were moving to Hartford. Only then they didn’t. Playing politicians for fools often pays great dividends Wrong
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Post by HC92 on Dec 19, 2017 23:35:28 GMT -5
Playing politicians for fools often pays great dividends Wrong Do tell. Are the PawSox definitely coming to Worcester? Would love to see it. From afar, it seems like they’re just ratcheting up the pressure to get more out of Pawtucket but that’s based on nothing other than how these things often play out in the sports world.
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