Question

The owner of a major league baseball team is considering moving his team from its current city in the upper Midwest to a city in the Southeast that offers a larger television market, a new stadium, and the potential for greater fan support. What other factors should the owner consider before actually making the decision to relocate? You may consider the following questions in your discussion: What are the pros and cons of using GIS with the relocation of this baseball stadium? How can load-distance and centroid method methodologies be applied to this relocation consideration? What are the probabilities of errors when using these systems? What are factor-rating systems? How would you apply a factor-rating system into this relocation plan?

Answer 1

One of the biggest factors of success is competition, or the lack of it.

Professional sports is big business, and fans will stay committed to their teamsthrough thick and thin regardless of the type of sport. Currently there are 5 Major League sports in the United States.

Football (NFL), basketball (NBA), ice hockey (NHL), and soccer (MLS) are some of the other popular leagues in the country.

A prime example of a successful relocation is the Oklahoma City Thunder. This NBA team relocated from Seattle, and currently is one of the best teams in the NBA with one of the best players in its roster.

One major reason for its success is that there were no major league sports in the city and state.

The team got the immediate attention of the fans, therefore the owner must consider if there are any other Major League sports within the state.

The owner will need to consider if the fans in the relocation state are baseball fans, because not all fans love and support baseball.

The owner will need to consider if he will need to build a new stadium or if he/she will require the help of thecitizens and if help is needed that means higher taxes for the citizens.

The owner will need consider will relocating to a new state will impact the community with more jobs or decrease jobs.

The owner will need consider whether the current fan base will continue to support them.

The owner will also need to consider whether the relocation fans will buy as many tickets and parafinali to generate the same if not more income the owners and players are currently receiving.