Montreal hasn’t had a Major League Baseball team since the Expos moved to D.C. and became the Nationals after the 2004 season. Seven years later, it appears as if some people in the city miss the team. A group of businessmen reportedly are trying to bring baseball back to Montreal.
Former longtime French broadcaster of the Expos, Rodger Brulotte, said last Friday on radio station CKAC that “he has been approached by an unnamed business group interested in trying to bring baseball back to the city.”
Brulotte says he’s been approached by investors for years but never took them seriously until recently. Earlier this month, a study from the Conference Board of Canada said the city is financially healthy enough to support an MLB team.
The study found that Montreal could generate enough revenue to support a team with a payroll around the $60 million mark, but the big obstacle is finding a new stadium. The Expos played in Olympic Stadium in Montreal, but a new venue would be critical to bringing MLB back.
One of the reasons people in the city could be eager to bring baseball back is to provide programming on a 24-hour sports network. Quebecor will be coming out with one that will be similar to what Rogers already has.
Even though it’s an entertaining thought, I can’t see baseball returning to Montreal. If anything baseball is probably trying to get out of Canada rather than return to the country, especially to a market that struggled to support the team.
Forearm bash to Eye on Baseball
