The parent company of the Seattle Kraken doesn’t mind swinging for the fences, even if their chances are about equal to hitting a fastball while blindfolded.
The issue in question is a major league baseball team for Vancouver, BC. Sportsnet.ca reported in April, “Vancouver city council approved a plan to ‘identify and evaluate’ potential owners to bid for the right to seek an MLB expansion franchise.”
However, Bob Nightengale wrote in a recent USA Today column that any city pining for an MLB team would be “wasting their time,” unless they were named Nashville or Salt Lake City.
Montreal-based sports economist Moshe Lander seconds the skepticism. “There is zero chance of this happening,” Lander told CityNews.ca. “The reason why MLB is smiling at the thought of Vancouver wanting to put in a bid? They go back to Portland, Nashville and say, ‘Hey, if you want to get your franchise you better up your bid, to make sure we don’t give it to Vancouver.'”
The Kraken-Vancouver Connection
How does the parent organization of the Kraken fit into all of this?
For context, the ownership group led by Samantha Holloway in March announced, “The launch of One Roof Sports and Entertainment to oversee a growing portfolio of properties and fuel new opportunities.”
One of those “opportunities” is expected to be Seattle being awarded an NBA expansion team. NBA governors could vote on such an expansion later this year. If Sonics 2.0 becomes a reality, One Roof is the leading candidate to win the bidding.
Kraken Owners Make MLB Pitch
Buried within a Toronto Globe & Mail story is another potential opportunity. Movers and shakers in Vancouver, BC are reportedly deciding whether to pursue a baseball expansion team. The owners of the San Francisco 49ers have shown interest. A source revealed to reporter Gary Mason that, “The owners of the Seattle Kraken is another group linked to the bid.”
Maybe the Seattle Mariners wouldn’t object. Instead of all those Toronto Blue Jays fans from B.C. invading T-Mobile Park, Mariners fans could start doing some invading of their own.
If you follow the breadcrumbs, there’s a further One Roof Sports connection. A Vancouver real estate developer, Zack Ross, is reportedly leading the MLB project. Ross has enlisted Jac Sperling, well-connected in sports ownership circles, to recruit investors.
According to the Globe & Mail story, “(Sperling)’s been involved at the highest levels in all the major professional sports leagues in the U.S. He was instrumental in helping Seattle land its NHL team.”
Money Makes The Sports World Go ‘Round
The plot thickens. This question is whether groups of investors can be found with thick enough wallets. Mason writes, “The neighbourhood of US $6 billion would be necessary to cover the franchise fee and the construction of a new stadium and surrounding entertainment district.”
Finding a suitable location for that new stadium is another hurdle. As the Sportsnet story points out, “A new ballpark would be needed, as Nat Bailey Stadium, home of the Blue Jays’ high-A team, holds just 6,500. BC Place, home of the CFL’s Lions, wasn’t designed for baseball, introducing logistical challenges even as a short-term solution.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred “has not set a timeline for expansion bids,” according to Yahoo Sports, “saying only that they won’t occur before a new CBA and media-rights agreements are in place. That pushes the timeframe until 2029 at the earliest.”
Y’know, while the Kraken are at it, the Seattle Seahawks are up for sale, too. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke has already served one stint as CEO of the ‘Hawks. Heck, Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch is a Kraken investor. Why not buy the city’s NFL team, too, and REALLY put Pacific Northwest sports under One Roof. Wouldn’t cost much more than $10 billion.
It’s only money.
(Editor’s Note: Chatter in and around Vancouver echoes the belief that MLB coming to town is beyond a pipe dream.)
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