Hey all, I was down in the inner-harbor today (the area of Baltimore with Camden Yards and a bunch of museums and what not) and got to thinking: With all the talk about expansion, why not try a team in Baltimore? There are plenty of colleges, and you could tap into the Maryland market that can't/won't travel an hour and a half down to RFK. It would also set up another potential rivalry. Does Baltimore have any kind of soccer history?
I don't think DC and Baltimore are too close. That drive sans traffic would get old when it comes to going to some games, let alone throwing in some of that fun DC traffic. Baltimore would be nice but there are other cities that I'd consider
Hey Jacen, have you moved closer to Bmore yet? We talked earlier in the year but you said you're still two hours outside the city or something (commuting to Towson wasn't it?). As for soccer history, I guess you could consider the Baltimore Blast who won the MISL last year. I know it's indoor, but it's still soccer. As a side note, Santino Quaranta came out of Bmore.
I don't think it's too close at all. RFK is a good 2+ hour trip from Baltimore when you figure in traffic and Metro time. It just seems like a big enough market. They seem to support their teams whether they dominate or suck and the area has fantastic public transport. Also, the college crowd is a good source of fan support, and there are at least 7 or 8 colleges around here.
There are lots of people who drive down for United games - not nearly as many as who come up from the DC area for baseball, but quite a few. If there were an appropriate place to play, etc., yeah, I don't think it's too close to DC. But a league this small, I think the closest team to DC should be Philly at best for footprint issues, not because Balmer couldn't support a team. It probably could.
Balmer by itself is just too small a market. I don't think the MLS target demographic is there either. It might make a better place for an A-League team.
What's the MLS target demographic? And it's too small a market for MLS but big enough for the NFL and MLB? I don't think Baltimore should get a team, but not because it's too small.
Sorry, let me clarify. Balitmore is too small a sports market to divy up between the established to major sports teams and MLS. Lot's of other sports have tried to get into Balmer before, but have failed miserably.
I'm a big Baltimore booster, but I don't think it would be wise to expand here for the time being. Like others have said, the footprint of the league demands a little more space between teams, that's why Philadelphia or Trenton would make sense. As to Baltimore's ability to support a team, I definitely think it would get good support. Baltimore does have a rich soccer history due to it's massive European immigrant communities that supported the game from the late 19th century on. New Latino immigrants continue to move into the city and that's always a promising sign for the game. A Baltimore club has been co-champion of the US Open Cup twice (in the 40s & 50s I believe), and has participated in just about every organized professional league in this country until the development of MLS. And since we're on the topic... A friend of mine and I have this soccer fantasy where we start an A-League club and build a stadium on some disused industrial land across the harbor from Ft. McHenry. There a number of rail-beds that could be re-activated to tie into an expanded light-rail system (which the city would like to expand eastward to Dundalk), it's right off of 95 after the tunnel and easily reached from the northern suburbs as well as from the southern. We have envisioned fans standing for the national anthem and seeing the flag flying at Ft. McHenry which is what inspired Key in the first place. We even have a name for the club: Locomotive Baltimore. That picks up on the city's key role in the development of the US rail system as well as throwing a bone to the soccer purists who like European-sounding names. Anyway, all we need is the blessing of Ed Hale and about 10 Million. Should I start a paypal account?
Sounds good to me! In the 4+ years I've been around Bigsoccer, I've seen collections made to pay everything from league fines to Quaranta's diaper expenses, so you may have a shot! I didn't realize there were so many folks from Baltimore on here. I know most of the DC contingent heads to Summers for away games, but is there anyplace similar that the Baltimore BS crowd gathers to catch a game on the tube?
I won't go that far to watch an away match (unless it's the post-season), plus Summer's isn't my cup of tea. I know there were some organized watch-gatherings at a place in Canton called the Purple Parrot, which is near the outdoor pitch adjacent to the Du Burns Arena, but it didn't seem to catch on. James Joyce Irish Pub opened last November and they seem willing to throw a match on the tube at the slightest request, so it has great potential. They also have good food and good beer.
college support? Don't count on college support. Have you been to a college game, there may be 300-500 out to support their own team. Also half the MLS season is in the Summer when college is out and kids are either working or gone home.
This summer I visited Baltimore and went to a weekday and weekend DC United game, and it only took us 45 minutes to get there both times. People are freaking out about Cleveland and Columbus, this is twice as close to get there. Baltimore would probably get San Jose attendance figures if they had a team. And in what stadium? PSInet is a monster.
I'm a D.C. United fan but I consider myself a Baltimore man. Geographically I'm closer to Baltimore and would support a team located there. I agree with the suggestion to start an A-League team. I think that with the support the Blast has received from the people and the local media, we could have a solid A-League team here. Lowecifer I love your idea and fully support you in whatever action you take. Oh man I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Probably not going to happen any time soon. Simma danna.
I like Baltimore. It's a decent sports town, too; but it's less than 40 miles from DC, so too close for an MLS team at this time (and probably for a while to come...). Lowecifer's A-League idea is pretty cool, though.
Just for reference, Baltimore wouldn't be out of line with other markets population-wise. Here's some population data for metro areas from 2000. I've tried to adjust for who might actually travel to games. For instance, southern NH is not included in the Foxboro number, although it is normally in the Boston Metro area. I don't know how many folks come down from SF and Oakland to San Jose though, so I included those. The point is, there are three cities already in MLS that are in the Baltimore range. LA--Long Beach--Orange County: 12.3m Chicago--8.2m San Francisco--Oakland--San Jose: 7m Boston--Providence--New Bedford--Worcester: 5.4m Dallas-Fort Worth: 5.2 DC--around 5m Bergen--Passaic--Newark--Jersey City: around 4m (complete NYC area--21m) Baltimore: 2.5m Denver--Boulder--Greeley: 2.5m KC--1.7m Columbus--1.5m I'm not sure about this "target demographic" business, but about 1.9m of the Baltimore Metro number are in the 'burbs, and 600,000 are actually in the city.
Get rid of the track at the Timonium Fairgounds (where the Maryland State Fair is held), and put in a 25k seater.