Complacency will get us…I mean gut us!
Below is an example of something I am seeing and hearing more and more. I have removed the name of the author of this tweet but it was in response to a question about would you attend more or less Rays games than last year. What frightens me about this response is that it says “when they move the stadium to Tampa” not “if.”
When I began Top Off The Trop I unrealistically tried to stay as far away as I could from the Stadium issue. I still do my best to avoid the issue (not always easy). I am a Saint Petersburg resident but I’ve supported the Rays when I lived in South Tampa, Clearwater and Gainesville. I have to admit “if” the team moved to Tampa I would still continue to support the Rays. I really do want what is best for the club in our area. NOW having said that I don’t believe the Rays are convinced that moving to Tampa would be hitting an “easy button” on the attendance challenge (there would be a bump for a while, but it could be potentially short lived like what Miami saw). And yes I BELIEVE that the Rays can work here in Saint Petersburg. And we haven’t even talked about how it would be financed, so BEST TO CONCENTRATE ON THE PRESENT DAY!
My biggest fear right now is that we are getting complacent. Tampa residents will think that supporting the Rays in the present tense reduces the likelihood of the team ever moving to Tampa. Perhaps some Saint Petersburg residents feel that we’ve already lost the team to Tampa. I’d argue the REAL THREAT here isn’t losing the team to Tampa, it’s losing the franchise to a Nashville, Charlotte, Montreal, Oklahoma City or Portland. For some the stadium issue becomes a divisive one — and it’s that kind of talk that has and will continue to get us nowhere. Even if a site had been cleared for the Stadium you’d be what, 2-3 years from completion at best. This isn’t anything that’s going to be resolved ANYTIME soon. This is not the time for complacency Tampa/Saint Petersburg, this is not a time for division…this is a time to recognize the economic impact of baseball in our area and PROTECT it.