Should Phoenix AZ add an American League team by either expansion or moving a team to AZ? ?

Question

Before you answer here is some food for though!!

1. Arizona is the fastest growing state in the United States right now.

2. Metro Phoenix has the largest transplant population in America at 70%

3. Maricopa County(where all of metro Phoenix is located) is the 3rd largest USA county bu population at 4.1 million. #2 is Cook County( city of Chicago there) and has the CUBS and the White Sox. #1. LA county and they have the Dodgers but the Metro area is over 9 million and also has the Angels in Anaheim.

4. Phoenix is the fastest growing city among the 10 US cities. In the early 90's Phoenix was 8th and now 5th past Philly at over 1.7 million and will take over Houston for 4th in a few years.

5. Gilbert and Chandler AZ are among the top 10 cities growing fast and both are in metro Phoenix.

6. Arizona has spring training and the Dodgers will train there along with the read and Indians possibly?

Thoughts?

Answer 1

No

Answer 2

Only if they build a new indoor stadium with a very big air conditioner.  It gets pretty hot in Arizona during the summer.  If they move a team, it would be the Mariners since Seattle is trying to get rid of their teams.

Answer 3

i would like to see expansion. Yes, I agree that we should expansion. It won't happen, but It would be awesome

Answer 4

Definitely not by expansion... the league's too watered down as it is, if anything, we need to get rid of a few teams

Relocation?  Which active baseball city deserves a team less than Phoenix deserves two?  I don't think there will be any new cities with two teams in the foreseeable future, just because there are so many cities without teams.  The only reason we still have expansion as it is is because there are markets that people want to tap, not because more teams are good for baseball.

Answer 5

Nah, I don't see it happening although you are right about their growing rate. Two teams in one city type things only work with big market cities like LA, NY, Chicago, etc. I don't think population has much to do with it.

Answer 6

No, the Diamondbacks are going to have to be Phoenix's team they won't have two in that state.

Answer 7

stop. baseball already has too many teams and to add another somewhere, where's theres already a team is pointless

Answer 8

...won't happen, other cities would get expansion teams before AZ gets another.

...and, there won't be any further expansion.

Answer 9

You mention the main reason why this won't happen:

"2. Metro Phoenix has the largest transplant population in America at 70%"

The problem with transplants is they're already loyal to another team.  That is why there's more Yankee and Red Sox fans in Florida than there are Rays and Marlins fans.  Just look at the attendance figures for those two teams.  The retirees aren't latching onto the Florida teams so they aren't going to the games unless Tampa or Florida are playing the team that they're a fan of.

You'll have the same problem in Arizona.

Answer 10

Uh...no. Phoenix may be a growing area, but I don't think it's a two-team baseball area. New York, L.A., Chicago, yeah. They've proven they can support two teams. (New York could probably support three if you put a team in northern or central New Jersey.)

If anything, maybe Texas could get a third team.

Besides, which current team do you relocate? You can't move the Rays now because they're doing better and the Marlins are set to get a new stadium. The Nationals just got to Washington three years ago. Every other team is locked in. (And don't say Kansas City because the Royals are owned by a Wal-Mart heir and the team still draws fans.)  

Answer 11

NO how about Charlotte NC or Orlando FL, Phoenix Area of Arizona don't need another team, What think Phoenix be like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, I wouldn't try to go there.

Answer 12

Utter Chaos is correct. Most of the Phoenix area population is transplants. This is a combination of

1) Mexican immigrants who follow soccer, not baseball

2) Retirees don't follow baseball

3) Retirees who are already loyal to a different team

Plus, many of those retirees are snowbirds who only live in Phoenix during the winter.

Plus, As someone already mentioned, there are many cities that currently do not have an MLB team that would offer better fan support to a 1st team than Phoenix could offer to a second team.

For these reasons I don't think you'll see a 2nd team in Phoenix.

As for the idea of the moving the D-backs to the AL: this concept has been debated many times. the idea of moving a team from the NL to the AL looks good on paper because it would create equal number of teams in each league, however it would mean an odd number of teams in each league which would create a scheduling nightmare.  

Answer 13

I don't think adding another team in Arizona is a good idea. Arizona is increasing in population and is growing in a fast rate but it's because Arizona has become a retirement state. It's like Florida with the Rays and Marlins. They only get fan support when the team is playing well. Arizona's fanbase could not support two teams.  

Answer 14

No.  

Here's why

What happens when all the retirees die and now two immigrants, Spike from Peanuts, and yourself have to support two MLB teams?