Vancouver Mayor would ‘love’ MLB team, but could be league ‘prospecting’
Posted July 18, 2018 3:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With Major League Baseball’s commissioner mentioning Vancouver among potential expansion cities, Mayor Gregor Robertson seems excited by the possibility, however remote it may be.
“I’ve always been a fan, always hoped,” says Robertson of the discussions people have had over the years about the possibility of a team coming here. “But you think it’s a long shot for Vancouver given we’re not a big market and the league wasn’t expanding that rapidly for most years.”
When Robertson heard the MLB commissioner’s comments, he says he thought back to his childhood — he says his father was a big baseball fan and they’d go to games together in the U.S. — and he remembers talk of a Vancouver top pro team even back then.
“There’s been talk about Vancouver with a baseball team for many years in the big leagues, but I don’t know of a business interest that’s advancing that aggressively right now,” says Robertson. “It may just be the MLB prospecting for hopefuls out there.”
But on the question of whether there are enough hardcore baseball fans here to support a team, Robertson admits that’s an important discussion to have.
“There’s always been a support base for baseball,” says Robertson, pointing out the success of the minor league Vancouver Canadians team that fills Nat Bailey Stadium throughout the summer. “The question of whether it’s commercially viable is a real one.”
We’ve also heard from former Canucks and Grizzlies owner Arthur Griffiths — he told Sportsnet 650 he doubts a MLB team here would be viable.
