Why Disney Should Save the Tampa Bay Rays

On Monday night, the Tampa Bay Rays began their first homestand with their new right fielder, former top prospect-turned-stud rookie Wil Myers. Fans came out in droves to greet their new franchise player. A capacity crowd of 11,407 saw the Rays win 4-1, thanks in large part to Myers.

At least he saw more people in the stands on Monday than he did at Triple-A Durham. The Bulls stadium only holds 10,000.

The Rays’ stadium and attendance issues are well documented. Tropicana Field is an antiquated facility at best, and its location might as well be a few minutes east of Albuquerque. I’m sure that the Rays front office has done everything short of offering BP to the first 10,000 kids to draw fans.

It’s still a little disconcerting to see the Tampa Bay Lightning average 19,055 for a hockey game. Meanwhile, a winning team like the Rays can’t crack 12,000 when their top prospect cracks his first career homer – a grand slam- two days prior.

Tampa Bay has become a proven winner on the field over the last several years, only to turn a minimal profit and see their star players depart in the process.  The time has come to stop trying to fix the present and start planning for the future.

There are several hypothetical options for the Rays once their epic lease from Hell expires in 2027. They could build a new stadium in Tampa proper. They could look into other cities like Nashville or Portland. However, I am convinced that the best chance for the Rays franchise to not only survive but thrive is through the magic of Disney.

It’s not too early to start thinking about 2028. Disney should make a substantial offer to buy the Rays and make Stuart Sternberg a very rich man in the process. Orlando is still a hot bed for sports, not to mention a huge tourism destination. There's plenty of land available on Disney property to build a nice 40,000 seat retractable roof stadium.

There's enough time now to plan for it, and enough money to do it right. Speaking of which, money would never be a problem again with the Disney-owned Rays. They might actually be able to keep a few of their core players and bring in a free agent or two.

The Atlanta Braves’ spring training lease with Disney’s Wide World of Sports expires in 2017. They could conceivably renew that deal for another 10 years before the rebirth of the Orlando Rays in 2028. In addition, the Rays’ spring training lease in Port Charlotte expires in 2029. Why not bring the Rays to Lake Buena Vista for February and March as well, starting in 2030?  

Imagine the cross promoting they can do in the summertime and all the discount packages they could offer for Disney guests. Memorial Day to Labor Day accounts for the highest number of visitors to Disney parks. For those oppressively-humid 90 degree days, there’s a place to sit indoors for three hours. Whoever clamors for a hot dog and a beer for less than $20, just show your park pass for a discount. In fact, all items at the ballpark are discounted across the board for Disney guests.

Parking wouldn’t be much of a factor. For one, there’s plenty of space. Plus, many fans would be staying at a resort on the property. They could build an extension to the monorail system. How cool would it be to see a Walt Disney World monorail passing through the stadium during games? For “outsiders” driving to the game, parking on Disney property is $15. If you have an annual pass, it’s free.

As for developing an actual fan base, you’d have Central Floridians, and you’d have Tampa Bay residents driving up the I-4 Corridor on weekends. This would be in addition to the Disney crowd, as well as the abundance of visiting team’s fans that inhabit Tropicana Field on a regular basis. Granted, it might still be a 50/50 split, but attendance would certainly be more than 12,000 per night.

Then of course, there are the kids. It’s simple. Kids love Disney. Kids love baseball. Bring baseball to Disney. Standard promotional events would attract even more young ones and their families. To me, this is a match made in Heaven.

Children become enamored with Disney at such a young age. Who’s to say they wouldn’t become enamored with an Orlando Rays baseball team owned by Disney? There are marketing and product placement opportunities to explore via all different kinds of media.

This could be a tremendous business opportunity for both Disney and the Rays. No matter how hard they try down in St. Pete, it’s not working out. Perhaps an idea outside the box (or dome, as the case may be) is the long-term answer. I know it all sounds a tad far-fetched and it’s still a ways away, but like the man once said, if you can dream it, you can do it.