MLB expansion buzz grows in Raleigh as Canes make playoff push and captivate city
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As the Carolina Hurricanes draw national attention with their postseason run, momentum is building behind a push to bring Major League Baseball to Raleigh.
Team owner Tom Dundon has made clear his interest in helping land a franchise in the capital city, as MLB explores potential expansion in the coming years.
"The Hurricanes' success here couldn't come at a better time," said Lou Pascucci, co-founder of MLB Raleigh, a grassroots group working to attract a team to the area.
Pascucci said the excitement generated by the Hurricanes' run to the Stanley Cup Final reflects the strong sports culture in the region.
"If you live here, you're feeling this excitement. This is amazing," he said.
The area's fervent embracing of the Hurricanes has shown that the Triangle is more than just a college-sports hotbed.
"One of the knocks the Triangle area has always gotten is that it's a college sports market. I think (support of the Canes) demonstrates at one level that when a team wins, when there is an ownership, when there is a venue experience that is at a certain level, when the team connects with the local culture, that there is an appetite for professional sports," said Dr. Michael Edwards, a Professor of Sport Management at NC State University.
MLB Raleigh has focused on promoting not just the Triangle, but the broader state as a potential market.
"We're weaker if we build a fence around this. We're stronger if we can pitch Raleigh as an amazing market and then turn around and say, and you know what else you get -- you get the state of North Carolina. Eleven million people. The No. 1 largest state without Major League Baseball," said Pascucci.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he would like to announce two expansion teams by 2029, potentially positioning Raleigh as a contender in the process.
The surge in attention comes as the Hurricanes continue to generate strong television ratings and large crowds at watch parties, signaling growing demand for professional sports in the region.
"Turn on ESPN. Turn on ABC. All they can talk about is this market. How loud the fans are, they're talking about the tailgating. They're talking about the passion for hockey in a non-historic hockey market," said Pascucci.
Edwards noted that financial backing in ownership is a strength for Raleigh's bid, but challenges remain.
"I think the biggest thing they're looking at right now is going to be the corporate market, which Raleigh certainly lacks in terms of comparison to some of the other cities that have been talked about," he said.
An unknown in any bid at this juncture is the level of public funding that would be available to support a stadium.
"There's going to have to be some level of public financing in the stadium development. I say that because I think that's what Major League Baseball is going to want. You've got multiple owners that are also out there looking for public financing, and what they don't want is a situation where an owner comes in, even if that's the right thing to do, to build the stadium themselves because that puts them in a bad situation where now they've got to go back and ask for public financing," Edwards shared.
As those details are ultimately worked through, the region's enthusiasm on a national stage has only validated Pascucci's beliefs.
"If I'm Major League Baseball, and I'm looking at this Canes run, and looking at this market, (I'm saying) OK, yeah - we need to be there," Pascucci said.
