[W]ith expansion teams on the horizon, the MLB believes that Austin is one of a few cities that has the potential to host a team. Exactly when the league may expand is a question that hasn’t been answered, but there are plenty of reasons why Texas could be in line for another professional baseball team.
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Central Texas, specifically Austin, has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. With a city population closing in on one million and San Antonio an hour away, placing a team in the right spot could capture the fandoms of two cities starved for pro sports.
While the Rangers’ Triple AAA affiliate, the Round Rock Express, is in the north, Austin is one of the largest markets in the U.S. without an NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL team. The Texas Longhorns and Austin FC dominate most of the area’s sports fans, but the long offseason of college football and the reach of the MLB compared to the MLS mean that there are still plenty of untapped markets in the city.
The Austin Baseball Commission, a new site that’s hoping to gain momentum in the MLB movement, cites Austin’s economic strength as another key advantage for the city. Also, the Austin Bats would have to be the name of the team, right? It makes too much sense.
Thus far, it seems that Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah would be the three cities with the most credible case for expansion over Austin, according to the Austin Baseball Commission.
Each of those cities has proven that they have the capability to support a pro sports team from the NHL or NBA, giving it a distinct advantage over Austin. Also, a team in Central Texas would still have to compete for national attention with the Rangers and Astros.
The Austin Baseball Commission website goes into more detail on the case for Austin, in case you’re curious. We’ve discussed the case for San Antonio, which is sometimes paired with Austin as an expansion co-location, the case for Salt Lake City, and the case for a second D/FW team. This seems like the most definitive statement I’ve seen that Austin is a real candidate for a team, and the first I’ve heard of an organization behind the effort. Doesn’t mean they’ll succeed, but it’s at least a credible showing. I’m sure there’s more in this Austin Business Journal story, which I found via Monday’s Hey Austin newsletter, but it’s paywalled, so this is what I’ve got.
Austin will not get a team unless there is a billionaire willing to essentially self-fund a stadium.
Austin will not throw stupid amounts of money (public money!) at MLB for a ballpark to get an expansion team.