WHY THE INLAND EMPIRE FOR THE EXPOS NEW HOME?
There are four principal factors that determine the degree to which a baseball franchise will be successful. These criteria are as follows: (1) market; (2) stadium; (3) television revenue; and (4) fan support. 1. Market. Numerous reports of the financial problems of small market franchises evidence the importance of selecting the largest available market. Baseball plays more home games than any other sport in stadiums that seat 40,000 to 50,000 or more. It therefore requires a large population base to fill those seats since few people have the time or interest to attend all 81 home games. Many fans are needed to fill the seats and purchase concessions that fund the operation. With nearly 3.7 million people in the tenth largest metropolitan area in the country, the Inland Empire is home to significantly more people than any competitor for a Major League Baseball franchise. Moreover, the Inland Empire continues to grow and will soon exceed 4 million with projections of 5 million within 1
