Could the Toronto Blue Jays play at BC Place
 

https://www.cp24.com/mobile/sports/blue-...ederal-government-rejects-plan-1.5029738

Now lets get serious now. Some of us want MLB in Van-City. We have a stadium called BC Place. Most Jays fans here in the lower mainland go over the border to watch the Jays play the Mariners. I think this is the chance to show Rob Manfred that we want a team in Vancouver.

We need the mayor to call the Blue Jays to tell them to come here. We have a field for them and fans here too.

What do we need to do to have our own team here? Could the Canadians ownership group be interested in it? How about remodeling BC Place to have them play full time since we cant use the land in Coal Harbour to build a neq stadium

No.

The whole refusal by Ottawa to let them play in Toronto is because the USA doesn't have their shit together on Covid. We don't need them here.

Would you support a expansion or an existing team being here?

Vancouver has a strong baseball culture. Probly the strongest in Canada, so I definitely think a team would work here. Moreso than a basketball team. The problem is getting a proper facility. BC Place is horrible for baseball, and MLB would demand a new park. So would the fans. But Arizona is considering BC Place as a temporary emergency venue a while back, so it could house a team for a few years til a new park was built. Something on the waterfront would be spectacular. Even if the team went 0-162, you would have people going to the game just to be at the park

Like I mean field of dreams and keep the hope alive is all I can so for anyone that actually believes that this will happen in the next 10-20 years.

Vancouver is approaching 3 million population, so it will be one of the largest markets in na sports with only 1 team out of the big 4. Its not far fetched at all to see another pro team here. Its quite impressive to see safeco filled with 20 000 baseball fans from Vancouver. Clearly there is a strong interest in MLB in Vancouver.

Uhhh, what? Where do you get this information? I see zero signs of it.

I don’t understand this thread. The same reasons they aren’t playing in Toronto would also apply to Vancouver

Im just gathering info. I read an article saying that people were against building a new stadium at Coal Harbour. So if you remodeled BC Place and made it look like say U.S. Bank in Minneapolis per se, where you could house football and baseball in the same building because our land is too expensive here, would that be suitable?

Just in case you have never seen the stadium before, here you go.....
https://youtu.be/2mLLaGEHAdc

Think it would be cheaper than to build a new stadium. But where could you build a baseball only stadium if the commissioner of baseball is making us build one?

If we were to remodel B.C. Place, would you support NFL football team here? Say like L.A Chargers who are looking to move to another city.

Well, start with the fact that we have an excellent youth baseball program here in Vancouver. A Vancouver area team has won the Canadian Little League Championship 15 out of the last 16 times.

That has led to BC producing a lot of good major league players. 3 Canadians in the history of baseball have won the MVP award,and 2 of them are from Vancouver - Larry Walker (who is also in the Hall of Fame), and Justin Morneau. Jason Bay from Trail is the only Canadian to win Rookie of the Year, plus he is a 3 time all star.

There's also hundreds of softball leagues throughout the city.

And as I mentioned before, Safeco gets taken over by 20 000 Vancouver/Victoria Jays fans every summer.

Not sure how you can say there is zero signs of baseball culture here in Vancouver. I thought it was pretty obvious.

He never said there are "zero signs of baseball culture here". There's a lot of kids playing soccer in Metro Vancouver so of course the Whitecaps are going to be a smashing success is a similar POV.

I think if you think baseball is going to be a success here then the first thing you need is a dumb billionaire willing to foot the bill. :D

Without picking a side, Safeco got 20k Canadians - people from Ontario and the Prairies, not just Vancouver.

You said Vancouver has the biggest baseball culture in Canada. Baseball is a relatively safe, fun way for kids to participate in organized sports. Hockey is expensive and dangerous. Unless something has changed, soccer is still a fall/winter sport in kids' leagues, and baseball is spring/summer.

BC fans go down to see the Seahawks in droves too, it doesn't mean we're anywhere near supporting an NFL franchise.

I know people who love to get to Jays games in Seattle, but TBH they are all Ontario transplants.

Filling 82 games a year at 60,000+ people per, is not something Vancouver is capable of. Vancouver has a lack of corporate HQs and big money required to foot the bill for luxury boxes and other essential requirements of pro sports today.

My goodness you're exactly right! He didn't say there are "zero signs of baseball culture here". He said "I see zero signs of it.", after bolding the part of my quote that said Vancouver has a strong baseball culture. So technically you are right. Touche.

Tell me why you think MLB would not be a success here.

I already mentioned that Vancouver produces lots of MLB players, and very good ones, so, unlike the NBA, we have lots of hometown players to have on the team. That certainly helps with fan interest.

Vancouver is the 22nd largest TV media market in the US and Canada, ahead of cities like St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and other big cities that have multiple major league teams.

THe Vancouver Canadians are one of the best attended baseball teams in the minor league's, and every summer Vancouver takes over Safeco Field in Seattle to watch the Blue Jays play.

So I'll ask again, why would MLB not work here?

I've been down to the games. You get the odd person from Alberta or someplace else, but the vast majority are from the Vancouver area.

Again without picking a side, I'm going to point out the difference between "most of the people in my section" and "most of the people in the stadium." Judging from photos, there was even one group from the Yukon, so unless somebody's got a survey, it's just as easy to assume that half of them are from Toronto proper.

Do we have massive home viewership like with the Raptors finals and the Canucks?

Even without a survey of all the fans attending Blue Jay games in Seattle, all other evidence would lead you to conclude that a vast majority of the fans are from the Vancouver area.

Even if you have a minimal amount of intelligence, you don't need a official survey to deduce that half the fans there are not from Toronto. That sounds flat out stupid .

Again, they've got fans coming from the Yukon. "Vancouver is closest, so obviously almost all fans come from there" isn't necessarily the right answer if you've got people willing to travel that far - especially since our local minor league team and the Seahawks only draw about 6-7k Vancouverites to the stadium.

So according to you, people are flying from the Yukon, Toronto and the rest of Canada to see the Blue Jays play in Seattle. Why is everyone going to Seattle? There's nothing special about the team or the city. Why aren't there 20 000 Jays fans showing up in Minneapolis to watch the Blue Jays? It's a much quicker flight for most of Canada, as are a lot of other American League cities.